7 Apr – After about seven tries, I have finally succeeded in making my own peanut butter.

Last summer, I burnt many of the peanuts while trying to roast them and then used a meat grinder to end up with a very dry, yet somewhat clumpy mess. I added some honey to make it more of a paste with mediocre results. But the taste was close. (This was the first attempt.)

Since I moved into my apartment, Sean and I tried using a the smoothie maker (left behind by the previous volunteer) to come up with something resembling peanut butter. The results were still dry and more like chopped peanuts than paste.

We bought a hand crank coffee grinder hoping that would do the trick. That left the peanuts black on the first attempt (from the metal or oil, we were not sure) and once it was cleaned thoroughly we had more chopped peanuts on our hands.

The missing ingredients

When Mr. Pradeep gave us peanut butter in India I grilled him about how he made it. The first secret revealed was to keep mixing the peanuts after they are chopped into pieces. Ah ha! The second secret is to use a food processor. I had already thought of purchasing one, having read online that a meat grinder or food processor would do the trick. Yet spending the equivalent of $21 on a food processor that would likely be used for this sole purpose seemed excessive. I put off the purchase.

I tried the smoothie maker again, mixing the peanuts longer this time. This helped, but the tiny blade just could not complete the job.

I tried the coffee grinder one last time before giving up on that too.

Sunday I went out in search of a food processor. I checked some electronics stores and shopping centers, coming up empty handed except for one I found for about $40.

Yesterday I bit the bullet and on my way home for lunch stopped by the shopping center where I had seen the very first one. I paid about $17 for a food “chopper.”

I washed my new appliance and left the parts to dry while I was at work. Later in the evening, waiting on my chicken quesadilla to cook, I tested the chopper with a handful of peanuts. The process seemed to be taking forever and I started to wonder if this too would leave me devoid of my beloved peanut butter. The peanuts just seemed to be breaking into smaller and smaller pieces. Finally those pieces began to stick together. This made me smile! After some more mixing, I had the closest yet resemblance to the peanut butter I know so well. It was certainly passable.

After dinner I tried a second batch with more peanuts this time. The result was even better than the small handful I used at first. Perhaps there was more oil from the peanuts to help the process along. Still, it is a little thick. I believe these peanuts do not have as much oil as some varieties. I know not the origin of the peanuts here, yet they are readily available and cost only $3 per kilo already shelled.

So now I have peanut butter; it has been such a long wait! And it was a welcome development in what has been a very long week since Sean’s departure last Wednesday morning. Insignificant things so often taken for granted can surprisingly brighten one’s day, if only temporarily.