Peanut Sauce

Name: Peanut Sauce
Ingredients: 3 small dried red chiles, stemmed and seeded, or cayenne or hot red pepper flakes to taste; 3 garlic cloves, peeled; 2 shallots, peeled; 1 lemongrass stalk, white part only (page 143), thinly sliced; 2 teaspoons ground turmeric; 1 tablespoon peanut or neutral oil, like corn or grapeseed; 1 cup coconut milk, homemade (page 584) or canned; 1 tablespoon palm sugar or brown sugar; 2 tablespoons nam pla; 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice; 1 teaspoon salt; 1/2 cup chopped roasted peanuts or crunchy peanut butter

12 ingredients

6 steps

Ingredients

3 small dried red chiles, stemmed and seeded, or cayenne or hot red pepper flakes to taste
3 garlic cloves, peeled
2 shallots, peeled
1 lemongrass stalk, white part only (page 143), thinly sliced
2 teaspoons ground turmeric
1 tablespoon peanut or neutral oil, like corn or grapeseed
1 cup coconut milk, homemade (page 584) or canned
1 tablespoon palm sugar or brown sugar
2 tablespoons nam pla
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped roasted peanuts or crunchy peanut butter

Directions

1

Combine the first 5 ingredients in a food processor and grind until fairly smooth; scrape down the sides of the machine once or twice if necessary.
2

Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium heat and saute the chile-garlic mixture until fragrant, about 1 minute.
3

Add the remaining ingredients and whisk until smooth.
4

Simmer until the sauce thickens, about 15 minutes.
5

This may be stored, covered and refrigerated, for up to a week; gently rewarm over very low heat or in a microwave before using.
6

Simpler and leaner, this is a good last-minute addition to stir-fries: omit the lemongrass, turmeric, coconut milk, and lime juice; substitute soy sauce for the nam pla.