Ingredients
1 cup fresh-tasting dry roasted peanuts, unsalted
1/3 cup water
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. dark soy sauce
2 tsp. sesame oil
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
2 Tbsp. fish sauce (If vegetarian, use vegetarian fish sauce or regular soy sauce)
1/2 tsp. tamarind paste OR 1/2 Tbsp. lime juice
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper, OR 1 tsp. Thai chili sauce (more or less to taste)
1/3 cup coconut milk
Preparation
Place all ingredients in a blender or food processor. Blend or process until sauce is smooth. If you prefer a runnier peanut sauce, add a little more water or coconut milk. Do a taste test, adding more fish sauce if not salty enough, or more cayenne if not spicy enough. If too salty, add a squeeze of fresh lime juice. If you’d prefer it sweeter, add more sugar. Serve warm or at room temperature as a dip with fresh veggies, with chicken or beef satay, fresh spring rolls, or other Asian finger foods. Or mix with noodles to create a Thai-style noodle dish or cold noodle salad. Enjoy! Note: This sauce will thicken as it sits - just add a little water or coconut milk to thin it out, as needed. Otherwise it stores well if kept covered in the refrigerator (keep up to 2 weeks, or freeze).
