Peanut Sauce for Satay Recipe

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People often asked me how to make a peanut sauce. At first, my reply was 'peanut sauce?' The only peanut sauce that I know is satay dip. However, I've seen 'Thai peanut sauce' at various supermarkets. I assume that that is what people were asking me for. I've also heard that people put meat and/or vegetable in the sauce and eat it with rice. But in Thailand, this sauce is strictly for satay!

4 Servings, Prep Time: 10 Minutes, Total Time: 10 Minutes

3/4 cup coconut milk
1 tablespoon red curry paste
2 tablespoons fish sauce
2-3 tablespoons peanut butter
3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon tamarind paste

Tips and Techniques

In Thailand, people use peanuts ground up in a mortar instead of peanut butter and the sauce is granular with just a little creaminess. However, I use peanut butter because peanut butter is essentially finely ground peanuts and more convenient and common in American kitchens. The peanut butter I prefer is chunky natural, freshly ground (instead of the brands that have sugar or vegetable oil added). Smooth peanut butter will do too, if that is what you have in your kitchen.

Method

Add the coconut milk to a cold sauce pan and start to heat it up at medium heat. As it is heating, stir in the curry paste and break the paste into small pieces. Mix well. When you see red oil simmering to the top, add the peanut butter and the rest of ingredients. Stir and taste. You should be able to taste the fish sauce, sugar and tamarind flavors. If it becomes too thick, add a few teaspoons of water to thin the paste.

Serve with satay and cucumber salad. Place the sauce on a flat plate for easy dip, saucer dish is the best.