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1
Combine the rice flour, cold water, and salt in a bowl and whisk until a completely smooth, very thin batter forms — it should run off the spoon in a light, unbroken sheet, with no lumps. The batter is so thin it barely coats the peanuts; if it holds a visible, opaque film on the spoon, thin it further with water.
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2
Stir the raw peanuts through the batter so they are evenly distributed and each nut is lightly wetted.
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3
Heat the oil in a wok or deep pan to frying temperature. This is where the dish lives or dies: ladle a sparse spoonful of the peanut batter onto the back of a flat ladle or directly onto the surface of the hot oil, allowing the batter to spread into a wide, irregular round. The peanuts should lie scattered within it, not clustered; the batter between them should be almost transparent — a true lace network. A batter too thick at this stage produces a solid disk, not a cracker.
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4
Fry the cracker until it lifts freely from the oil's surface and turns a pale, even gold throughout. The lace between the peanuts will be rigid and fully set; any pale or soft patches indicate the cracker needs more time.
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5
Remove the cracker with a spider or slotted spoon and drain upright in a rack or against the side of a bowl lined with paper. The finished cracker should shatter cleanly under the lightest pressure — that snap is the final confirmation of correct frying.