Indonesian Peanut Sauce Recipe

Ingredients

1 tbsp. vegetable oil

1 shallot

2 clove garlic

1 c. coconut milk

2 tsp. red curry paste

1 tsp. terasi or blachan (dried shrimp paste), optional

2 tsp. sugar

1/2 c. water

3 1/2 oz. crunchy peanut butter

2 tsp. kecap manis (Indonesian soy sauce)

Drizzle of hot chili oil

Preparation

Step 1Heat the oil in a heavy pan and add the shallot and garlic. Cook for 4-5 minutes until softened.Step 2Add the coconut milk and bring to a boil. Stir in the curry paste, shrimp paste, if using, and sugar.Step 3Whisk in the water and peanut butter, reduce the heat, and add the kecap manis. Simmer for 1 minute, then transfer the sauce to a serving dish and serve warm, drizzled with a little chili oil, if using. Kept in the refrigerator in a sealed container, this sauce will last for 3-4 days.

Recipe courtesy of The Sauce Book: 300 World Sauces Made Simple, by Paul Gayler.