Today a shorter post: a recipe for peanut sauce that comes together quite quickly, great for days and nights when you don’t have a lot of time.
Every time we have noodles with peanut sauce and vegetables – hot or cold – my husband asks why we don’t have it more often.
Until now.
Because now I’ve made a sauce I’m pretty happy with. I say ‘pretty happy with’ because I do like it, but depending on my mood and what vegetables I’m adding to this dish I still like to adjust a bit.
Sometimes I want more chilies or cilantro. When I eat it cold I like to add more soy sauce. If I’m sick with a cold, I increase the ginger. Are you going to put shrimp in the finished dish? Then a little extra of each the chilies and lime would be great, too.
But the base is still a good, peanut sauce: quick, easy, and not too spicy for those who don’t want it to be.
PEANUT SAUCE ingredients:
- 1½ – 2” piece of ginger, peeled and grated
- 1 large garlic clove, grated
- ½ tsp chili sauce (such as sambal olek)
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp sugar
- juice of 1 small lime (divided)
- 1 – 2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
- ¼ cup natural peanut butter
- ¼ cup water, as needed
- 1-2 tbsp chopped peanuts
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
I use an immersion blender for this, but the blender and food processor work, too; use the food processor if you’re doubling the recipe. And you could stir it all with a sturdy whisk or fork until it’s smooth, too; It’s just more work.
PEANUT SAUCE method:
Grate the ginger and garlic into the measuring jug or bowl or whatever you’re mixing in, then add the chili, salt, sugar, 1/2 the lime juice, cilantro, peanut butter and soy sauce.
Mix until well combined; add water 1 tablespoon at a time to thin and smooth the sauce, and make a salad dressing-like consistency.
Taste and add more lime or soy if you want it. Maybe it will need a little more chilies for your taste.
I like to serve some limes wedges alongside at the table for each person to add a fresh squeeze, as they choose. Maybe extra soy sauce, too, or chiles, depending on who is eating this. And I always put out a dish of salty, chopped peanuts.
This makes a small jarful, around 1 Cup. Enough to make a peanut-noodles-and-vegetables dish for a family, 2 times.
