Recipes > Indonesian Peanut Sauce

Indonesian Peanut Sauce

Details

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
  • Views: 64,988
  • Success Rating: 91% (?)
    0% - I fed it to the dog
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Steps

Step 1: Preparing the Peanut Sauce

Preparing the Peanut Sauce
  • 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
  • 1-2 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)
  • 1/2 tsp sea salt, or to taste
  • 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Method

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. Alternatively, you can toast the nuts in the oven.

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. Sauté 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.

23 Comments

  • Jurie H
    Jurie H
    •
    Is it possible to grind the spices using a mortar and pestle if you don't have a spice mill?
  • Dawn T
    Dawn T
    •
    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
    Refie R
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    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
    Dee F
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    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
    Dawn T
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    I served it with Vietnamese salad rolls and it was a delicious combo.
  • Amit N
    Amit N
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    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
    Julie N
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    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
    Dawn T
    •
    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 E
    Naouar E
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    See title..
  • Dawn T
    Dawn T
    •
    Haven't tried this myself but it likely will. Cheers!
  • Laura C
    Laura C
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    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
    Kimberley S
    •
    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
    Daniel R
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    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
    Daniel R
    •
    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
    Daniel R
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    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
    Laura C
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    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
    William D
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    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
    Dawn T
    •
    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!
  • Nikolay T
    Nikolay T
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    Living in Indonesia for 12 years, i would never call this Indonesian Sauce. The only thing here that match with Indonesian style is Kecap Manis. Here you never find Macadamia, it's imported and overpriced, most foreigners confuse this nut with local Candlenut, which is completely different and can not be eaten raw. To achieve an Indonesian "Bumbu Kacang" taste, Lesser Galangal (Kencur) must be used, together with Kaffir lime leaves and fried peanuts. From here you might vary with the rest of spices up to your liking.
  • Kirk B
    Kirk B
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    Hi Nikolay - many, many thanks for your insight regarding this sauce. That's the wonderful thing about exploring cuisine from around the world; the sharing of world flavors and experiences! Thank you again for engaging with Rouxbe! Chef Kirk
  • Nikolay T
    Nikolay T
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    My pleasure, Chef Kirk, to help maintain the highest standard here on Rouxbe! For me it's kinda ultimate truth here, but this recipe was totally out of the picture. Kind regards!
  • Kate G
    Kate G
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    I have hazelnuts and peanut butter on hand, can I use these as substitutes for macadamia nuts and peanuts?
  • Sandy S
    Sandy S
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    Hi Kate, Sure you can! Just keep in mind that the flavor profile will be slightly altered, and the texture/consistency may need to be adjusted. Also, (and sorry for the 'obvious' statement...) no need to toast the peanut butter. Good luck! Cheers, Sandy

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