Step 1: Preparing Your Mise en Place
- 4 shallots, roughly chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled
- 2 1/2-inch pieces galangal (or ginger)
- 1 stalk lemongrass, white part only, minced
- 3 to 4 Thai chilies*
- 1 cup toasted, skinless peanuts, divided (or use peanut butter)
- 2 tbsp tamarind pulp/paste
- 1 1/2 to 2 cups warm water
- 2 to 3 tbsp palm sugar, or sweetener of choice
- 1 tbsp kecap manis or soy sauce
To start, in a food processor, add the shallots, garlic, ginger, lemongrass, and Thai chilies and blend until you reach a somewhat smooth paste. Remove the aromatic mixture from the food processor and set aside.
*Note: For the Thai chilies, you can use either dried or fresh chilies. The fresh chilies will just give you a brighter red color peanut sauce, like the one pictured in this recipe.
Once the aromatic mixture is removed, in the food processor, add half of the peanuts and finely chop. Roughly chop the other half by hand. Place both the finely chopped and roughly chopped peanuts into a bowl and add the tamarind pulp, along with 1 1/2 cups of the warm water.
Step 2: Cooking the Peanut Sauce
- 1 to 2 tbsp oil
To cook the peanut sauce, heat a fry pan over medium-low heat. Once hot, add the oil, followed by the aromatic mixture from above. Sweat the ingredients for 5 to 10 minutes, or until the mixture has softened and begun to release its aroma.
Once the aromatics are ready, add the peanuts-tamarind-water mixture and simmer over low heat for about 10 minutes. Add a touch more water if the sauce seems a bit too thick. Note that the peanut sauce will thicken considerably as it cools.
Lastly, add the palm sugar and kecap manis. Depending on the desired sweetness you may want add more of less palm sugar.
This peanut sauce pairs well with a variety of dishes:
Malaysian Tofu Satays
Cauliflower ‘Steak’ w/ Peanuts & Herbs
Nutty Noodles
Fried Brown Rice
Roasted Asian Broccoli