Real Peanut Butter

[Jingthing]

I know Thais aren't big on PB and often comment it looks like loose feces. However, I have a plan to change the Thai palate. Pizza places catering to Thais should offer a tub of PB along with the ketchup and mayo, perhaps mixed into the mayo. Brilliant, eh?

I knew a kid who put tomato sauce on his banana sandwich......I know the Thais like mayo but on a Pizza ?

PB is too bland for them...they cannot eat a simple bit of fruit without dipping it in some spicy/sugary crap...

You didn't know Thais commonly put mayo and ketchup on pizza? Anyway, mayo is bland, why not PB on pizza as well?

[aussiebebe]

Tesco sells peanuts cheaply, so grinding your own could be the way to go, but it does also stock organic peanut butter, I think without anything added.

[janverbeem]

One of the mysteries of Thailand a country that has a zillion peanuts and puts peanuts in all kind of recipes but apparently there is no LOCAL brand of peanut butter.

There are more such mysteries in Thailand,take for example rice.How many rice products we love in Europe are unknown in Thailand,the country of the rice.Just to name a few,rice pudding , rice pie,rice cake but there are much more.

My other "rant" is about the cost of simple mouthwash in Thailand. Listerine must be laughing all the way to the bank as they charge at least twice as much in Thailand as in USA.

I don't joke you but about 10-15 years ago I once saw a promotion for listerine in Big C where a small pack of sugar was attached to the listerine bottles.

[bino]

Whist shopping at Tesco in Pranburi last week, I found Tesco branded peanut butter. I bought it just to see what it was like, and it was great. Not 100% peanuts... only 90%, 5% peanut oil, cane sugar and sea salt on the label for the balance of ingredients. Slightly cheaper than the other name brands as well.

Haven't ever seen the Tesco branded peanut butter on the shelves in the BKK, but will be looking for it. going to take a jar or two home for sure when we go back!

[Nisa]

Listerene was originally marketed as a floor cleaner. Then it was used to treat STD's and now we swill our mouths out with it...true !!!

as for "REAL" Peanut butter - I cannot say I have seen fake Peanut butter on the shelves....but here is a question for those aficionados of this high protein rectal lubricant.

Standing straight upright, bend forward at the neck only and tell me if you can see your toes?

Lubricant? I've not heard that one but have heard numerous ones about using it to attract the tongue of a dog.

Aaah you picked me up wrongly there - I was not talking about deviant acts I was meaning that eating excessive amounts of PB eases excretion of movements / stools to put it politely.

Hope I haven't put you off your dinner ...more tea Vicar ?

Thanks for the update but a little late. The wife is still complaining about there still being peanut residue she can not remove. Not to mention I cannot get rid of the smell of peanut butter on my junk.

Now, there is ruining dinner

[RKASA]

I do in fact make my own all the time. A bag of raw peanuts at tesco cost 32 baht. A food blender starts it but will never make peanut butter. Place the grind in a cok and start pounding - do nothing but pound until the oils come out and you will get peanut butter, real peanut butter - it takes some work. PS add nothing - nothing at all - it is not needed. I can't have the sugar and they all seem to add that and lots of other junk in the store brands. Now you need some oatmeal blender waffles to put it on.

2 cups of rolled oats - McCormicks at tesco 42 baht has about 4 cups in a bag

1 1/2 cup of water to start

1 tea of vanilla

1 large or 2 small banana

1/4 tea of salt

Put everything in the blender and start pulsing it and adding another 1/2 cup water a little at a time to get it as thin or thick as you like the batter - your good to go.:jap:

keep in mind that banana and peanut butter are good on whole wheat toast too.

[Jingthing]

Place the grind in a cok and start pounding

Grind in a what?

[Nisa]

I do in fact make my own all the time. A bag of raw peanuts at tesco cost 32 baht. A food blender starts it but will never make peanut butter. Place the grind in a cok and start pounding - do nothing but pound until the oils come out and you will get peanut butter, real peanut butter - it takes some work. PS add nothing - nothing at all - it is not needed. I can't have the sugar and they all seem to add that and lots of other junk in the store brands. Now you need some oatmeal blender waffles to put it on.

2 cups of rolled oats - McCormicks at tesco 42 baht has about 4 cups in a bag

1 1/2 cup of water to start

1 tea of vanilla

1 large or 2 small banana

1/4 tea of salt

Put everything in the blender and start pulsing it and adding another 1/2 cup water a little at a time to get it as thin or thick as you like the batter - your good to go.:jap:

keep in mind that banana and peanut butter are good on whole wheat toast too.

How does it taste compared to store bought?

[RKASA]

I do in fact make my own all the time. A bag of raw peanuts at tesco cost 32 baht. A food blender starts it but will never make peanut butter. Place the grind in a cok and start pounding - do nothing but pound until the oils come out and you will get peanut butter, real peanut butter - it takes some work. PS add nothing - nothing at all - it is not needed. I can't have the sugar and they all seem to add that and lots of other junk in the store brands. Now you need some oatmeal blender waffles to put it on.

2 cups of rolled oats - McCormicks at tesco 42 baht has about 4 cups in a bag

1 1/2 cup of water to start

1 tea of vanilla

1 large or 2 small banana

1/4 tea of salt

Put everything in the blender and start pulsing it and adding another 1/2 cup water a little at a time to get it as thin or thick as you like the batter - your good to go.:jap:

keep in mind that banana and peanut butter are good on whole wheat toast too.

How does it taste compared to store bought?

Taste just like real peanut butter. really it taste just fine a little less sweet.

Should add you need to roast the raw nuts in a fry pan to turn them golden brown without burning them - just keep them moving 12 minutes or so and cool them completely. to many burned nuts will effect the taste.

[RKASA]

Place the grind in a cok and start pounding

Grind in a what?

large mortar and pestle - sorry the slang.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Just got to any store. Most of them have brands from the U.S.

7/11, Tesco / Lotus, Villa, Foodland, etc.

I think you're missing the point of the OP, who wanted 100% peanuts peanut butter, without all the various additives, preservatives and sweeteners typically used in commercial brands sold in the stores.

There are a couple brands available in Thailand that approach that...but they're imported and usually exhorbitantly expensive, if I recall right, around $6 U.S./180 baht for a 15 oz. jar.

I used the Tesco 500g bad of peanuts (about 35 baht), grind at home in an electric food processor method....after roasting the raw peanuts in my oven for about 40 minutes on low heat. I add NOTHING, and the peanut butter comes out tasting great and with a perfect firm consistency...

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Never understood why Skippy (Made in OZ) is 180 baht and JIF is 139 baht (Made in the US of A) - each for 510g - in Tesco. Any peanut butter buffs explain? JIF tastes fine to my uneducated palette. Never thought that Ozzies would happily pay more than Yanks.

If I'm remembering right, the difference between the prices you're mentioning above is the lower price is the regular commercial, lots of junk added in variety, whereas the higher price is a "natural" variety that you have to stir to mix the peanut butter and the separated oil.

And for those posting above, both the regular common store varieties of Skippy and JIF are full of other junk besides peanuts.... Hardly all natural or 100% peanuts.

Edited November 13, 2011 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

There is still a local brand of natural peanut butter other than Mission sold at Villa and Central I think, but I forget the name. It's sold in small jars. Not cheap but by weight certainly cheaper (and not as good) as the all natural imported American organic peanuts stuff.

Jing, here's the small jar brand I think you're thinking of above.... I don't think it's 100% PB as best as I recall, but is better in terms of being natural than the regular commercial stuff. I've seen it from time to time at both Central and Villa Markets, though right now might be problematic. 69 baht (or less on sale) for 200g, last time I looked.

And here's the Skippy Natural brand that Villa often has available.

I think a lot of us used to buy the Mission brand peanut butter jars that were locally produced until they stopped selling them some time back... I think they're still sold in Bangkok in a couple of places, though, including at the food shop at Mission Hospital in the Phyathai district of BKK, no longer in jars, but now in plastic snap top containers. Last time I bought there, 110 baht for a 500g container.

Edited November 13, 2011 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

I do in fact make my own all the time. A bag of raw peanuts at tesco cost 32 baht. A food blender starts it but will never make peanut butter.

RKASA, I have an electric Black and Decker food processor at home here -- not a vertical shaped electric blender like the kind used for blending drinks -- that does a great job of making real, regular peanut butter out of home roasted peanuts.

It took a bit of experimenting. But I found that if I let the food processor run long enough, and shake the bowl a bit while running to help things get distributed inside, that it comes out great. First the peanuts get ground up and circle around the bowl like that for a while, then the oil starts to come out and the mix begins to ball up into one big mass, and then continuing, finally, the mass breaks up and spreads out/down into a regular peanut butter paste. Probably takes about 3 minutes grinding from start to finish.

[RKASA]

I do in fact make my own all the time. A bag of raw peanuts at tesco cost 32 baht. A food blender starts it but will never make peanut butter.

RKASA, I have an electric Black and Decker food processor at home here -- not a vertical shaped electric blender like the kind used for blending drinks -- that does a great job of making real, regular peanut butter out of home roasted peanuts.

It took a bit of experimenting. But I found that if I let the food processor run long enough, and shake the bowl a bit while running to help things get distributed inside, that it comes out great. First the peanuts get ground up and circle around the bowl like that for a while, then the oil starts to come out and the mix begins to ball up into one big mass, and then continuing, finally, the mass breaks up and spreads out/down into a regular peanut butter paste. Probably takes about 3 minutes grinding from start to finish.

The one I have never brakes the oil out it just makes powder. perhaps I need an upgrade.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Here's the type food processor that I'm using... The unit says 400 watts, and it's 120 volts AC from the U.S. that I run with a power converter.

Edited November 13, 2011 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[Nisa]

I do in fact make my own all the time. A bag of raw peanuts at tesco cost 32 baht. A food blender starts it but will never make peanut butter. Place the grind in a cok and start pounding - do nothing but pound until the oils come out and you will get peanut butter, real peanut butter - it takes some work. PS add nothing - nothing at all - it is not needed. I can't have the sugar and they all seem to add that and lots of other junk in the store brands. Now you need some oatmeal blender waffles to put it on.

2 cups of rolled oats - McCormicks at tesco 42 baht has about 4 cups in a bag

1 1/2 cup of water to start

1 tea of vanilla

1 large or 2 small banana

1/4 tea of salt

Put everything in the blender and start pulsing it and adding another 1/2 cup water a little at a time to get it as thin or thick as you like the batter - your good to go.:jap:

keep in mind that banana and peanut butter are good on whole wheat toast too.

How does it taste compared to store bought?

Taste just like real peanut butter. really it taste just fine a little less sweet.

Should add you need to roast the raw nuts in a fry pan to turn them golden brown without burning them - just keep them moving 12 minutes or so and cool them completely. to many burned nuts will effect the taste.

Thanks for sharing. I am going to give this a try. I remember a friend and I as kids tried to make peanut butter but adding peanuts and butter and repeatedly smashing the peanuts in the butter. We enjoyed it but the taste was not all that great. Anyway, I am going to give it a go and hope the feeling of pride and knowing I;m eating healthier will overcome any missing taste of sweetness and other nasty cr@p they put in there but tastes good.

[xen]

Hardly a mystery. Thais don't really eat peanut butter. It's too bland to do much for the Thai palate. A "snack" comes in a bag, not a jar. If they do, they like sugar and salt w/ it, as they do everything: so Skippy & JIF will do just fine, good quality, relatively low cost, and appealing marketing.

Thais , Malays and Indons will eat a form of peanut butter if it has added chillis plus a few extra ingrediants . It is what we call called satay.That is probably where most of the Thai peanuts get used . I have also used peanut butter to make a passable version of Gado Gado too.

[Jingthing]

Nah, I would say most Thai peanuts are used on pad Thai and som tam.

Yes, the brand I meant was indeed Healthy Mate. It may not be 100 percent natural but it is very close. They have choices with no sugar or sweeteners and the oil is floating on top as it should be when buying a natural peanut butter.

Happily, I brought in a bunch of Trader Joe's 100 percent natural from my last US trip, but that won't last forever.

Edited November 13, 2011 by Jingthing

[nectar]

Sorry to sound a precautionary note here, but bear in mind that loose peanuts sold here may not be all that fresh. There is a body of medical opinion that holds that nuts can become a carcinogenic risk if they're allowed to sit around too long.

[Jingthing]

Had a look at the made in Thailand healthy mate PB.

They have three kinds. One with honey added.

Two pure ones, crunchy or smooth.

No additives except salt!

99 percent peanuts, one percent salt.

Quality lower than imported organic 100 percent American PB, but the price also much, much lower by weight.

There is another Thai brand Canaan which is similarly pure as Healthy Mate.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

There is another Thai brand Canaan which is similarly pure as Healthy Mate.

Never heard or seen that brand, Jing... Where did you find that, and what does it look like/how's it labeled?

PS - I was roasting peanuts in the oven at home the other day, and my wife came round hungry and wanting me to give her some of the freshly roasted peanuts to eat... I jokingly gave her ONE...saying the rest were for my homemade peanut butter, which is a Holy Mission.

Five minutes later, when my peanut butter was done in the electric food processor, I tried to get her to taste the peanut butter which, in my case, is 100% ground peanuts and nothing else. She refused, saying she didn't like it and wasn't interested.

But five minutes before, she wanted to eat my roasted peanuts. Go figure...

[Jingthing]

Canaan at Villa Pattaya so I would assume Villa Bangkok as well. Priced similarly by weight to Healthy Mate. I think most people wanting healthy peanut butter (who don't see one percent salt as a big issue) will be OK paying the prices for these Thai brands. After all, if you make your own using Thai peanuts, you aren't going to get much better.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

I shop at a couple of Villa Markets in BKK all the time, but haven't ever seen a PB brand by that name in the PB section...

Separately, BTW, I certainly understand not everyone has an electric food processor capable of making homemade PB... So purchasing is certainly going to be a need for many.

But for a total ingredients cost of 35 to 40 baht for a 500 g bag of raw, unsalted peanuts, homemade is hard to beat.

And when I make PB in that fashion, I never even think of adding salt. The home roasted/made variety really doesn't need it. It's absolutely full of flavor without anything else added.

[janverbeem]

Had a look at the made in Thailand healthy mate PB.

They have three kinds. One with honey added.

Two pure ones, crunchy or smooth.

No additives except salt!

99 percent peanuts, one percent salt.

Quality lower than imported organic 100 percent American PB, but the price also much, much lower by weight.

There is another Thai brand Canaan which is similarly pure as Healthy Mate.

How do you know from just looking at it that the quality is lower?

[MrRed]

Just finished making peanut butter and the result was fantastic,i bought the 450g peeled peanuts from tesco's 33 baht there own brand.

Peanuts

2 tablespoon of honey

2 tablespoon of coconut oil

dry roasted the peanuts for 15 minutes in the oven then put them in the blender added oil and honey,you can add more to taste as you go,it took plenty of time with the blender to get into the butter consistency but wow!!! it is jarred and tastes wonderful.....all for about 40 baht!

I think this thread should be moved to the food forum?

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Yup, it's REAL good stuff, and easy to make provided one has a reasonable powerful electric food processor and some kind of oven for roasting the nuts... even a toaster oven will do.

Never yet tried adding honey and coconut oil... but it sounds sweet!!!

Edited December 2, 2011 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[Jingthing]

Had a look at the made in Thailand healthy mate PB.

They have three kinds. One with honey added.

Two pure ones, crunchy or smooth.

No additives except salt!

99 percent peanuts, one percent salt.

Quality lower than imported organic 100 percent American PB, but the price also much, much lower by weight.

There is another Thai brand Canaan which is similarly pure as Healthy Mate.

How do you know from just looking at it that the quality is lower?

No from the taste of Healthy Mate vs. the imported organic peanuts ones, and also typical pure ones you get in the US. The stuff made from Thai peanuts is clearly not as good. I have no idea why but I think most people could taste it. No I haven't tasted Canaan but not sure why it would be different. The old Mission brand Thai peanuts also lower quality.

Edited December 2, 2011 by Jingthing

[GreenSnapper]

Jing, here's the small jar brand I think you're thinking of above.... I don't think it's 100% PB as best as I recall, but is better in terms of being natural than the regular commercial stuff. I've seen it from time to time at both Central and Villa Markets, though right now might be problematic. 69 baht (or less on sale) for 200g, last time I looked.

I can recommend this. Natural, cheap and tasty.

[JSixpack]

i bought the 450g peeled peanuts from tesco's 33 baht there own brand.

Lotus has periodic shortages of these peanuts and for the last couple weeks my Lotus has been out of stock. Maybe the flood didn't help the situation.

Be nice when the sugar-free soybean milk is back, too.