Sri Owen’s Peanut Satay Sauce

Ingredients

• 100 g peanut oil (groundnut oil) or coconut oil
• 220 g raw peanuts (groundnuts) with thin red skins
• 500 g water
• 150 g shallots or onion, peeled, quartered
• 3 garlic cloves, no need to peel
• ½ tsp ground chilli powder/cayenne – see tips
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• ½ tsp ground cumin
• ½ tsp coconut sugar
• 15 g tamari or dark soy sauce
• 1 level tsp fine sea salt
• 60 g tamarind paste (see tips), or 60 g freshly squeezed lemon juice from 2-3 lemons
• 1 tsp shrimp paste – optional

Method

1. Line a dinner plate with paper towels (kitchen towel), place a bowl on top of TM lid and weigh peanut oil and raw peanuts into it. Transfer peanuts and peanut oil to a wok or saucepan over a medium heat and fry, stirring continuously, approx. 5-10 minutes until the few nuts that have lost their skins turn golden, the skins darken slightly and the peanuts start to smell roasted – don’t let them turn brown. Immediately transfer roasted peanuts with a slotted spoon to the lined plate and set aside to cool completely; set wok with oil aside to cool.
2. Transfer cooled roasted peanuts to TM bowl, discard paper towels (kitchen towel) then grind peanuts 2-5 sec/speed 8 until fine. Transfer ground peanuts back to plate and set aside.
3. Place 100 g water, shallots, garlic, chilli powder, coriander, cumin, coconut sugar, tamari, sea salt, tamarind paste, shrimp paste if using, and 60 g of the reserved peanut roasting oil in TM bowl, then blend 45 sec/speed 10.
4. Scrape down lid and sides of TM bowl with spatula then cook 10 min/Varoma/speed 1.
5. Add remaining 400 g water and reserved ground peanuts then cook 20 min/Varoma/speed 2. Taste and adjust the seasoning with ¼-½ tsp sea salt if desired, then serve hot or at room temperature with barbecue chicken skewers or another cooked meat/fish/shellfish of your choice. Can also be served cold as a dressing for the classic Indonesian vegetable salad ‘gado-gado’ or as a dip with vegetable sticks.

Janie’s Tips

1. Sri’s satay sauce can be stored for up to 1 month in a glass jar in the fridge or frozen in a freezer safe container up to 3 months. If frozen, thaw it out completely then serve cold, at room temperature, or reheat in a saucepan stirring continually – if it has become too thick, add a little water as needed and continue heating and stirring until it reaches the right consistency.
2. Chilli powder can be reduced to ¼ tsp for less spice e.g. when serving to small children.
3. Shrimp paste is made by fermenting small dried shrimps (prawns). It adds an authentic Indonesian flavour and is available in many supermarkets, Asian grocers and online. Don’t be tempted to substitute anything else for shrimp paste – I have tried several substitutions and none of them worked… this satay sauce is delicious without it too.
4. For a smooth result, after the cooking in step 5, blend 1 min/speed 5-10, increasing speed gradually to speed 10.
5. This satay sauce is dairy free (DF) – please read ingredient labels to ensure all your ingredients are dairy free.
6. For gluten free (GF), use GF tamari and GF shrimp paste and read ingredient labels to ensure all your other ingredients are gluten free too.
7. Suitable for vegetarians and vegans if shrimp paste is omitted.
8. For an easy recipe to make your own tamarind paste, see Fast and Easy Indian Cooking.