Peanut oil

The crust sets at 230°C before the inside has a chance to go greasy.

The South fries in it because the fat survives a whole batch unchanged.

Wok heat sears shellfish sugar in seconds. A lower smoke point steams it.

Allicin turns sweet in hot fat, and this one takes the heat to get there.

Pour it smoking over raw whites and the sulphur cooks in the bowl.

Capsaicin dissolves on contact, so the whole wok gets heat, not one bite.

Cook the nut in its own oil and the roast note doubles instead of fading.

High heat kills the slime. Fry it hard, or stew it and keep the draw.

Whole-bird frying only works with a fat that holds at 175°C for an hour.

Sanshool is fat-soluble; warm the husks slowly or you get dust, not tingle.

Both run on the same roasted pyrazines. Fry the bean, not the nut.

Starchy fruit and groundnut fat is the West African plate, minus the stew.

Two roasts, one liquid. Infuse the grounds cold and dress a raw fish with it.