Peanut Sauce | Leanne Brown & Embodied Cooking (2024)

Peanut Sauce | Leanne Brown & Embodied Cooking (3)

This recipe is from Good and Cheap.

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This is the peanut sauce I make when I have decided to do it properly. I LOVE peanut sauce so I often make a cheaty version with just peanut butter, sriracha and a little brown sugar and soy sauce. It does the trick for my mid-afternoon or late-night hanger needs. But this is the proper version and the addition of the garlic, shallot and fresh chiles really does make it that much better and really only adds 10 minutes of cooking and clean up so not a bad trade. This is beautiful as a dip, but I love it on noodles, especially cold Asian Noodles with cucumber or as a glaze for chicken or beef and vegetables in a stir fry. Make it and you’ll use it, guaranteed.

Peanut Sauce | Leanne Brown & Embodied Cooking (5)

Peanut Sauce

Print Recipe

A spicy, sweet, aromatic and of course peanutty peanut sauce that comes together quickly, keeps well and will up your dinner and snack game all week.

  • CourseCondiment

Peanut Sauce | Leanne Brown & Embodied Cooking (6)

Peanut Sauce

Print Recipe

A spicy, sweet, aromatic and of course peanutty peanut sauce that comes together quickly, keeps well and will up your dinner and snack game all week.

  • CourseCondiment
Servings
1 cup
Servings
1 cup

Ingredients

  • 1 Tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1 jalapeño or chile pepper finely chopped (or 2 Tbsp chile paste like sambal oelek)
  • 3 cloves garlic finely chopped
  • 1 shallot (or equivalent amount of onion), finely chopped
  • 1 tsp turmeric (optional)
  • 1/2 -1 cup coconut milk (or water)
  • 1/2 cup natural peanut butter
  • 1 Tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 Tbsp brown sugar
  • 1/2 tsp sesame oil (optional)

Instructions

  1. Splash the vegetable oil in a saucepan on medium heat. Once it’s warm, add the chili, garlic, and shallot and sauté until everything’s translucent. Add the turmeric (if using), coconut milk or water, and chile paste if using instead of fresh chile.

  2. Let it come just to a boil, then turn the heat down. Add the peanut butter, soy sauce, and brown sugar and stir tocombine. It should thicken quite a bit. If the oil is separating from the sauce a bit (this can happen from the oil in the coconut milk and the peanut butter, but it's easy to fix!), add water a few drops at a time and whisk until it comes smoothly back together. Once it’s all combined, taste it and add whatever you think it needs—but think about the salt and spice in particular.

  • Sarah says:

    September 3, 2017 at 7:49 am

    Hi Leanne! I’m excited to recreate this sauce at home, but how much onion would be equivalent to the shallot in this recipe? I’m assuming a white onion would be an okay substitute, just want to know how much to chop! Thanks.

    • Leanne Brown says:

      September 3, 2017 at 4:22 pm

      Hey Sarah, I would suggest about 1/4 cup of chopped onion would be the equivalent of a shallot. You could also use scallions to mimic the milder shallot flavor.

      Reply

      • Sarah says:

        September 4, 2017 at 4:00 am

        Thank you! On to the spicy goodness..

  • Marisa says:

    September 7, 2017 at 4:29 pm

    Hi there. I made this sauce the other night and it was so tasty! My picky husband loved it!! It’d be awesome if I could make a double batch to simply have it on hand. Is this something I can make ahead and store? If so, how should I store it and how long? Thanks!

    Reply

    • Leanne Brown says:

      September 13, 2017 at 11:05 am

      Yes definitely double or even triple it! I do that often. I usually store it in a tupperware in the fridge. I’m not sure how it would freeze, but it lasts for about a month in the fridge——although I usually eat it all before that!

      Reply

  • Nora says:

    April 13, 2020 at 10:06 pm

    Just used this recipe and I think its missing a few things. First, are you supposed to chop up the cloves of garlic? It’s never mentioned in the recipe or ingredients list but it seems weird to have a sauce with whole cloves of garlic in it. Also brown sugar is mentioned as an ingredient but its never mentioned when to add it in to the recipe.

    Reply

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Peanut Sauce | Leanne Brown & Embodied Cooking (12)

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Good and Cheap is a gorgeous cookbook for people with limited income,particularly on a $4/day food stamps budget.The PDF is free(ahora en Español!)and has been downloaded over 15,000,000 times. For more info, seeAll About Good and Cheap andDonation Impact.

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  • Potato and Kale Roti Rolls with Raita
    Soy Sauce Marinated Tofu on Toast, Served 3 Ways
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Peanut Sauce | Leanne Brown & Embodied Cooking (2024)

FAQs

How to emulsify satay sauce? ›

If it is completely broken, add equal volumes of oil and liquid. Start with a little bit and keep adding until the sauce comes back together into an emulsion. This may take a few iterations. You can use stock or wine for this but water works just fine if that's all you have around.

How to fix separated peanut sauce? ›

How do you fix broken peanut sauce? If your sauce has broken (or separated), simply vigorously whisk or blend again until it's well combined again.

How do you tone down peanut sauce? ›

Honey, brown sugar, or some other sweet ingredient — Balances the strong taste of the soy sauce and vinegar.

Is peanut butter and peanut sauce the same thing? ›

Often served as a dipping sauce for satay, Thai peanut sauce starts with whole peanuts rather than the peanut butter I use here. It's also sweeter and more aromatic, frequently made with coconut milk and/or red curry paste. You can check out this Thai peanut sauce recipe for reference!

What is the best emulsifier for sauce? ›

Among the most common emulsifiers are:
  • egg yolks – will cause your dressing to foam up.
  • mayonnaise – great for a more neutral flavor.
  • dijon mustard – adds kick.
  • honey – balances acidity.

What is a natural emulsifier for sauces? ›

Lecithin is a natural emulsifier and is found in soybeans, egg yolks and other foods.

What is Chinese peanut sauce made of? ›

This sauce is made using peanut butter, sauces like hot sauce, vinegar and soy sauce (tamari for gluten-free), garlic and seasoning. It can be seasoned as you like.

Why is my peanut sauce too thick? ›

If your sauce has become too thin, add more nut butter. If it's too thick, thin with more water. For a fun flavor twist, add some fresh grated ginger to taste.

How to emulsify peanut butter? ›

Mixing Method

Turn the unopened jar of separated peanut butter upside down, the idea being that as the oil then flows upwards it will slowly mix itself into the thick peanut butter.

Why is peanut sauce so good? ›

Peanut sauce reached its sophistication in Indonesia, with the delicate balance of taste acquired from various ingredients according to each recipe of peanut sauce; fried peanuts, gula jawa (palm sugar), garlic, shallot, ginger, tamarind juice, lemon juice, lemongrass, salt, chilli, pepper, sweet soy sauce, ground ...

What goes well with peanut sauce? ›

Cucumbers: Slice a cucumber into spears or chips, and you'll have an excellent dipping vegetable for peanut sauce. Cucumbers are often featured in Asian cooking because they offer a cool complement to a spicy sauce. Carrots: Carrots are delicious when combined with thick sauces.

What culture is peanut sauce from? ›

Also just called peanut sauce or satay sauce, this dipping sauce is a flavorful part of Southeast Asian cuisine, especially Indonesian cuisine, where it's called bumbu kacang or sambal kacang.

How do you make emulsified sauce? ›

These sauces are prepared by emulsifying melted butter or oil into egg yolks, through rapidly whisking the ingredients, to break the butter or oil into tiny droplets that are held in suspension by lecithin in the yolks.

How can I thicken my satay sauce? ›

How to thicken peanut sauce. If you accidentally add too much water to your peanut sauce, simply whisk in small amounts of peanut butter to adjust the consistency, You may also need to add other ingredients to maintain the flavor balance. Peanut butter powder also works in place of peanut butter to make this adjustment ...

What emulsifies peanut butter? ›

In peanut butter, E471 DMG/ GMS emulsifier serves as an emulsifier to prevent the separation of oil from the ground peanuts. As peanuts naturally contain oils that tend to separate, emulsifiers like E471 are added during the manufacturing process to create a stable and hom*ogenous product.

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