Thai Peanut Sauce

I thought of starting off with something super simple, and what better than making my own Satay Sauce! This sauce is so much better in taste due to it’s fresh produce, and also way healthier as we do not use Peanut Butter to make this sauce. I was pleasantly surprised with the texture, flavor, and the overall accessibility of this sauce in the terms of inventing new dishes or just aiding the classics as a simple dip. Here is how I made it.

Thai Peanut Sauce
Adapted from thaifood.about.com
Serves 4-6 people as a dip, can be stored in closed jars for as long as 2 weeks in a refrigerator.

Ingredients:

1 cup roasted, skinless Peanuts
2 tablespoons Dark Soy Sauce
2 tablespoons Fish Sauce (This can be substituted with an additional 2 tablespoons of Dark Soy for vegetarians)
1 tablespoon Demerera Sugar
2 tablespoons Lemon Juice
4 cloves of Garlic
1 inch Ginger (Optional. I did not use it)
1 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper (I used flakes but they got crushed to being smooth anyway)
1 teaspoon Tamarind Pulp (Soak a couple of tamarind pods in 3 tsp hot water for 10 min. Blend and strain)
1/3rd cup water
1/3rd cup Coconut Milk

Method:

Roast the peanuts, let them cool to room temperature. Remove their skins by rubbing them between your palms. Now add in all the ingredients to a blender and blend till smooth. Check for taste and add more Chili if desired. The sauce does thicken up quite a bit when you refrigerate it so if you like the consistency to be thinner, add some more water to it.

Enjoy it as a dressing on your salad, as a dip for a platter full of vegetables, over your noodles, as a dip for Chicken Satay, the world is your oyster! Do let me know how you used your homemade peanut sauce 🙂

Another variation to this recipe is that you may add in an onion that is sliced and sautéed till brown (not black) and add in with the other ingredients while blending.