I've heard many good mothers complain that although nuts like red dates, broad beans, lotus seeds, and chestnuts are delicious, peeling them is quite a hassle. Steaming and pounding them doesn't seem to improve efficiency and is a real waste of time. In fact, peeling these "shy" nuts requires some clever tricks. I hope these tips below can be of some help.
Date Skin:
Soak the dried dates in water for 3 hours, then place them in a pot to boil. Once the dates are fully swollen and soft, they can be easily peeled.
Potato Skin:
Potato skins can be difficult to peel, but they are thin. You can rinse them under running water while scrubbing with a steel wool cleaning pad, and the skin will come off quickly.
Lotus Seed Skin:
The skin of a lotus seed is as thin as paper and time-consuming to remove. The correct method is to rinse the seeds, place them in freshly boiled water, add an appropriate amount of alkali, let them steep for a moment, then pour them out and rub them vigorously. The skin will come off quickly.
Broad Bean Skin:
Place the dried broad beans in a ceramic or enamel container, add an appropriate amount of alkali, and pour boiling water over them. Let them steep for a few minutes, and the skins can be peeled off. However, the beans themselves should be rinsed with water to remove the alkali taste.
Walnut Skin:
Steam the walnuts in a steamer over high heat for 8 minutes, then remove them and soak them in cold water for 3 minutes. Take them out and crack them one by one to get the whole nut. Place the shelled nuts in boiling water for 4 minutes, and you can easily peel the skin with a gentle pinch.
Chestnut Skin:
First, briefly soak the chestnuts in boiling water. This will cause the inner membrane to stick to the shell, so when you crack it open, you get a clean chestnut. Alternatively, you can cut the chestnuts in half, remove the shells, place them in a basin, add boiling water, and stir with chopsticks a few times; the membrane will come off. Another method is to wash the raw chestnuts, place them in a container with a little fine salt, pour in boiling water to cover them, cover and let sit for 5 minutes. Then, take out the chestnuts, cut them in half, and the skin will come off with the shell.
Walnut Shell:
Steam the walnuts in a steamer over high heat for 8 minutes, then remove and soak in cold water for 3 minutes. Take them out and crack them one by one to get the entire nut. Place the nuts in boiling water for 3-5 minutes, and with a gentle pinch, the skin will immediately come off.