“There are three items in Thai cuisine that I absolutely love: Thai Iced Tea, Fried Banana with Coconut Ice Cream, and Chicken with Thai Peanut Sauce. Finding the right Peanut Sauce recipe necessitated a little research into Thai Curries. I don’t handle spice well, but Thai Peanut Sauce wouldn’t taste right without a little curry. I found a blog which suggested Massaman Curry Paste for a more mild flavor, and it was exactly the flavor I was looking for.
From my Grandma’s recipe I used ‘cream of coconut’ (since I had it in the cupboard) which is a sweetened coconut mixture used in making Pina Coladas. Hint: look for it in the liquor isle of the grocery store. When using cream of coconut, be sure to buy unsweetened peanut butter, or the sauce will turn out a bit too sweet. A more traditional way to make this would be to start with actual coconut milk, still use unsweetened peanut butter, but then add sugar to taste.” – April Ferre
Thai Peanut Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 16-Ounce Jar Natural Unsweetened Smooth Peanut Butter
- 1 15-Ounce Can Cream Of Coconut (See Note 1)
- 2 Tablespoons Soy Sauce
- 2 Tablespoons Lemon Juice
- 2 Tablespoons Massaman or Red Curry Paste (See Note 2)
- 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in medium saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring constantly until well combined and heated through. Do not let the mixture scorch the bottom of the pan. Remove sauce from heat and cool slightly.
- Serve over chicken or fried tofu with parboiled bok choy or fresh spinach and rice.
- Sauce will keep in the refrigerator for weeks or it can be frozen. Refrigerated peanut sauce may need to be thinned with a little water or coconut milk upon reheating.
Notes
- Or one 13.5-ounce can Coconut Milk and 3/4 cup sugar (or to desired sweetness).
- The amount of curry paste can be adjusted to vary the heat to your taste. Use Red Curry Paste for spicier palates or Massaman Curry Paste for a milder, though slightly different flavor.
2012 Modified Recipe – April Ferre – From a combination of my Grandma’s recipe (Jean Hansen) and a blog post at www.shesimmers.com