Thai peanut sauce
half jar of peanut butter (I have been using peanut butter powder and water)
1 can coconut milk (I have also successfully used coconut cream and more water)
1tbsp powdered ginger
1.5tsp soy sauce or 1tsp salt
1tsp garlic powder
1tsp onion powder
optional:
coriander, sriracha sauce, sugar (1 tbsp), lime juice, tahini, fish sauce
Note that all my measurements are total guesses. I have never actually measured when doing this recipe so tread carefully.
Dump the coconut milk in your bowl and add water and peanut butter. I’m guessing you want about half as much peanut butter as you have coconut milk, but start with a little less than that and taste as you go, adding water and peanut butter until you have the right combination and consistency. You should be able taste both the coconut and peanut butter somewhat equally and it should be slightly thinner than you want because it will thicken in the fridge. I find a wire whisk is almost a necessity here.
Now add your seasonings little by little, the ginger, onion and garlic. You want to go heavier on the ginger than the other seasonings. Go easy on the salt unless you are certain it needs more. I frequently forget the lime juice but that is a great addition. Sometimes a tablespoon of sugar can help round out the other flavors but just like the salt be careful not to go overboard. It’s okay to go a little overboard with the ginger though as the ginger should be kind of stealing the show from the peanut butter.
Obviously you can take this to the next level by using fresh ginger, onion and garlic but that will take a little more time and effort to properly balance the flavors. I usually find it’s not worth the extra effort but I might if I was serving this at a party where I wanted to impress.
Remember that the flavors will become more potent after its sat in the fridge for a couple hours. Remember it’s okay to add more seasonings after its had time to sit. Experimentation and tasting as you go is key.
If you want it spicy I recommend waiting until you have all the other flavors the way you want it before spiking it with sriracha sauce. Otherwise the spice will confuse your tastebuds as you are tasting and experimenting. The sriracha, while necessary for someone like me, absolutely should not be the star of the show here so don’t overdo it. It will also become more potent after it sits in the fridge. You can set aside half of your peanut sauce before adding the sriracha for folks who cannot handle spicy.
The most common thing I do with this is shred up a bunch of cabbage and keep it ready in the fridge then I mix up bowls of thai peanut coleslaw on the fly and top it with dry roasted peanuts. This sauce can also be used as a dip for vegetables and I’ve also had good luck just pouring it over a chicken breast or fish filet and baking it in the oven.