Adobong Mani or Fried Shelled Peanuts with Garlic is a good appetizer. It is also believed to be a major source of nutrients that can boost brain power. When you are in the Philippines, these can be purchased from any major street corner. It comes in at least two forms: with or without skin. Each form has also two versions: spicy and non-spicy. This adobong mani recipe is the non-spicy version. You can always add “siling labuyo” or Thai Chili if you want it spicy.
Small food carts serve as the kitchen and display area for the peanuts. The vendor cooks the peanuts using a frying pan and stacks them in an aluminum tray for display. The serving size is measured using a small glass about twice the size of a shot glass and packaged in small brown paper pouches.
Up to now, I still don’t know why fried peanuts with garlic are called Adobong Mani. In general, Adobo is defined as a seasoning or marinade. For Filipinos, it is defined as any dish cooked with soy sauce, vinegar, and garlic. It seems that Adobong Mani does not match any of the definitions above. Do you have an idea as to where this appetizer got its name?
Try this Adobong Mani recipe and send us your feedback.
Adobong Mani Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 to 2 lbs raw shelled peanuts with or without skin
- 1 head garlic cloves halved
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 cups cooking oil
Instructions
- Heat a cooking pot then pour-in cooking oil.
- When the oil is hot, put-in the garlic and fry until the color turns golden to medium brown.
- Remove the garlic and set aside.
- Adjust the heat to low then fry the peanuts while stirring occasionally. This should take about 10 to 14 minutes.
- Take the peanuts out of the cooking pot and drain excess oil using a sieve.
- Transfer the peanuts to a mixing bowl. Share and enjoy!
john says
i think because the color resembles an adobo.
hungrynez says
best with iced coke…
Kat says
What type of oil do you use? What would someone add to make them spicy?
Catalina Langin says
I hope this e-mail reaches you- not sure why the website is needed, and not sure what it is! As for the mani,you said raw, with shell, may be used? Can I boil the raw, w/ shell peanuts first? That’s what I have. Thank you for all your hard work on Panlasang Pinoy- it’s heaven sent- after 61 yrs, I’m finally learning how to cook Filipino style!
lauren says
The recipe calls for raw, shelled peanuts. If you have raw unshelled peanuts and you boil them, you end up with nilagang mani.
ted says
where can i buy raw peanuts? coz im not sure whether they sell them at grocery stores or not.
Nelson bonifacio says
I love eating just anything specially pinoy foods. Thanks for the recipes you are presenting. I enjoy watching it and hopefully cook it myself. Thanks! Mabuhay kayo!
Bong says
We have same ingredients but different cooking instructions.
We slice garlic lengthwise. We put the garlic first on the frying pan. Then we put the peanuts. Then we pour the oil up to the level of the peanut enough to fry it deep. Only then we start deep frying. When the oil starts to boil, we reduce the fire and stir the fried peanuts. When the garlic turns brown and you smell the aromatic peanut scent, it is done. This takes about 7-10 minutes
Vanjo Merano says
Hey Bong, I appreciate the information that you shared. This will be helpful to the readers because it is another option that they can try. I hope to hear more from you. Cheers!
Ariel G Castillo says
Let me share mine..
I deep fry the peanut first because the garlic can cook faster. After a continuous deep fry until the peanut is turning golden brown you can add the thinly sliced garlic. This will make the garlic crispier, rather than cooking it first.
Once the garlic is cooked, turn off the fire and transfer to a paper towel to dry. Once dried, add salt, a little pinch of sugar and sliced sili.