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Indonesian Peanut Sauce

by Dawn T in Rouxbe Recipes

Bursting with flavor, this rich peanut sauce is a perfect accompaniment to so many dishes.

  • Serves: 4 to 6
  • Active Time: 30 mins
  • Total Time: 30 mins
  • Comments: 18
  • Views: 7593
  • Success 91%
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Step 1: Preparing the Peanut Sauce

Preparing the Peanut Sauce

For the peanut sauce, roughly chop the macadamia nuts. Using a medium-size fry pan, toast the nuts over medium-low heat until golden. Set aside. Using the same pan, toast the coriander and cumin seeds until fragrant. Grind the coriander, cumin and chili flakes until quite fine. Set aside.

Dice the onion and shallot. Saute over medium heat for 3 or 4 minutes or until golden. Add the spices and coconut cream and let cook for a few more minutes. Add the coconut milk, palm sugar, kecap manis, salt and pepper. Cook for another few minutes before setting aside to cool slightly.

Meanwhile, pulse the nuts a few times. Add the above sauce and blend to combine. This peanut sauce is best served at room temperature.

  • 1/4 cup roasted, Spanish peanuts
  • 1/8 cup macadamia nuts
  • 1/4 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1/2 tsp coriander seeds
  • 1/2 tsp dried chili flakes
  • 1/2 medium red onion
  • 1 small shallot
  • 1 tsp peanut or vegetable oil
  • 2 tbsp palm sugar (can substitute with brown sugar)
  • 1/4 cup coconut cream
  • 1/4 cup coconut milk
  • 1 tbsp kecap manis (Indonesian Sweet Soy Sauce)
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Related Tips & Techniques

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How to Buy Coconut Milk

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What is Palm Sugar?

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Grinding Your Own Spices

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What is a Mortar and Pestle?

 Dd_roastingnuts_thumbnail

How to Roast / Toast Nuts
Ddonions_mince_thumbnail

Mincing, Dicing and Cutting Onions

 Dd_salt_thumbnail

Learn About Gourmet Salt

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Using the Right Pan & Heating to Saute

Related Cooking School Lessons

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How to Sauté
Jurie H

No spice mill

Is it possible to grind the spices using a mortar and pestle if you don't have a spice mill?

Dawn T
Rouxbe Staff

Absolutely!

You can definitely use a mortar and pestle. the spice mill I use is actually just a $10 coffee grinder. But a mortar and pestle would be just as good, if not better.

Refie R

Finally!

I added a comment on Malaysian Satay's Recipe long time ago to eat it with peanut sauce.. Now they have the recipe. I haven't tried yet. This is really special because usually peanut sauce doesn't have the macadamian nut. So, i think by adding the macadamian nut will make the sauce more tasty and special.

Dee F

This was so good

i finally made this the other day and everyone loved it. I served it with chicken and the flavors were just great, it was so good that we ate every last bit.

Dawn T
Rouxbe Staff

Just Made a Double Batch

I served it with Vietnamese salad rolls and it was a delicious combo.

Amit N

no spice mill needed

A mortar and pestle is far better, even for the humus recipe.
i cant really explain it, but a mortar and pestle result a richer natural flavor

Julie N

Question

How long will this last after I have made it, if it has not all been consumed? I am assuming it needs refrigerating, given the coconut cream and milk, as well as the nuts.

Dawn T
Rouxbe Staff

RE: Question About Peanut Sauce

When I make this I usually double the recipe to ensure I have leftovers. I have kept any remaining sauce in the refrigerator for over a week and it was perfectly fine. Cheers!

Naouar Z

Do you know if this sauce freezes well?

See title..

Dawn T
Rouxbe Staff

RE: Freezing Peanut Sauce

Haven't tried this myself but it likely will. Cheers!

Laura C

Additional uses for peanut sauce

Could you suggest additional uses for this sauce besides the Vietnamese rolls and the skewers? It resembles the consistency of Mexican mole (I am from Mexico) but mole is served hot and and is less thick. Because mole is so versatile, I was wondering if this sauce could be used in a similar way. I could not find more links on the site for this recipe. Thanks for you thoughts.

Kimberley S
Rouxbe Staff

RE: Additional Uses for Peanut Sauce

You could toss different types of Asian Noodles or pasta with it to make a cold salad. It could be used as a thick dressing for a salad (or you could thin it down with a bit of water/stock or vegetable oil). You can make a bowl of grains, top it with vegetables & a protein and pour the sauce over that. The sauce could even be used as a marinade...or to top a meaty piece of cooked white fish. Really, wherever you want these types of flavors to be, you can use the sauce. Cheers!

Daniel R

Gado Gado

One of my favorite uses of satay sauce is an Indonesian dish called Gado Gado, in which they mix in a bunch of veggies into the sauce. The one that I really liked was made with green beans, pickled cucumbers and beansprouts, and then they topped it with bits of Krupuk. My mouth is watering thinking about it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gado-gado

Daniel R

by the way

Raw cucumber must be the best vegetable to eat with satay sauce, just dip it right in there. It is also delicious as a condiment for french fries.

Indonesian fried rice (nasi goreng) is also delicious with a little ketjap manis, a pinch of sambal and some satay sauce mixed in. Actually, nasi goreng with chicken satay is one of my very favorite dishes, as a matter of fact I might make it this weekend :)

In Holland (which is where I grew up) there are cafeterias where you can actually get french fries with satay sauce and mayonnaise, and some people even go to extremes and put, mayo, ketchup, raw onions and satay sauce on them :)

Daniel R

Also

Dipping krupuk into satay sauce is also really good :)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krupuk

Sorry for the flood, I'll stop now. I just REALLY like Indonesian food :)

Laura C

Additional uses for peanut sauce

Thanks to both Kimberly and Daniel. Now I have a better idea of what to do with this sauce. I have not made it yet but I have purchased the ingredients.

William D

Substitute for coriander seeds?

I've making a bunch of thai lately (which can be similar to Malaysian and Indonesian,) and I keep seeing coriander seeds. I'm living in Shanghai, and surprisingly, I can't track these seeds down yet. I see coriander, but never the seeds.

Is there a good substitute?

Dawn T
Rouxbe Staff

Re: Substitute for Coriander Seeds?

Though I have not tried it myself, one of the more common substitutes for coriander seeds is to mix equal parts of fennel, cumin and caraway seeds.

Other than that you could always order coriander seeds online. Cheers!

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