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Peanut Sauce

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sauces & condiments•indonesian•vegan, contains nuts
30 minutes•6 servings•

Ingredients

  • 1 cups roasted unsalted peanuts
  • 3 each red chilies – stemmed, chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic – chopped
  • 1 each shallot – chopped
  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 2 tbsp palm sugar – finely grated
  • 1 1/2 cups water
  • 1 tbsp tamarind paste
  • 2 tbsp kecap manis
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 tbsp lime juice – freshly squeezed
Peanut sauce

Instructions

1. Chop the garlic, shallot, and red chilies.

2. Heat the vegetable oil in a skillet over medium heat. Fry the chopped garlic, shallot, and chilies until fragrant and lightly golden, 2–3 minutes. Remove from heat.

3. Grind the roasted unsalted peanuts in a food processor or mortar to a coarse paste.

4. Add the fried aromatics and palm sugar to the peanuts and process or pound to a rough, cohesive paste.

5. Scrape the paste into a saucepan and add the tamarind paste, kecap manis, salt, and water. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat, stirring frequently.

6. Simmer 8–12 minutes, stirring often, until the sauce thickens to a spoon-coating consistency and a slight sheen of oil rises to the surface.

7. Stir in the lime juice. Taste and adjust salt if needed. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Peanut sauce, known in Indonesia as bumbu kacang or saus kacang, is a rich, nutty, and gently spicy condiment with a glossy texture that clings beautifully to grilled meats and blanched vegetables. The roasted peanut base offers warmth and depth, balanced by palm sugar’s caramel notes and the tang of tamarind and lime. A touch of chilies provides heat without overwhelming, making the sauce versatile for dipping, drizzling, or tossing.

Originating in Indonesia, peanut sauce is essential to satay and popular salads like gado-gado and pecel, and it appears with rice cakes, noodles, and snacks across the archipelago. Through migration and trade, variations spread throughout Southeast Asia, influencing Malaysian and Thai interpretations that sometimes add aromatics like lemongrass or coconut milk. Despite regional differences, Indonesian versions typically center on roasted peanuts, palm sugar, tamarind, and sweet soy, reflecting a balance of sweet, sour, salty, and heat that defines the local palate.