Free Thai Recipes

Few flavors conjure up taste memories of South East Asia as the flavor of peanut sauce. Many recipes for peanut dipping sauces exist, differing depending on the region of South East Asia that it originates from.

The recipe for peanut dipping sauce that follows takes its influences from Thailand where the dishes are dependent on the characteristic blending of the flavors of salty, sweet, sour, pungent and hot to tease and please the taste buds.

There are a lot of ingredients in the recipe that follows for Thai peanut dipping sauce, but once you have gathered them, the preparation is quite simple and fast. There is a lot of satisfaction to be had in making your own sauce to serve rather than opening up a jar of prepared sauce.

This recipe for Thai peanut dipping sauce is a perfect accompaniment for marinated chicken skewers cooked on the barbecue, or for shrimp, pork chops or to use in any recipe which calls for a peanut sauce.

Ingredients

• 1/4 of a large onion or one small shallot, finely chopped
• 1 1/2 T peanut oil
• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
• 1 T of fish sauce or soy sauce
• 8 oz (one can), coconut milk
• 2 T tamarind puree
• 1 1/2 T palm sugar
• 1 1/2 T lime juice
• 4 Fresh chilies
• 2 T prepared Thai red curry paste
• 1 C crunchy peanut butter

Method

Place peanut oil, onion (or shallot), and garlic in a small sauce pan. Turn the heat on to medium low and cook the mixture until the vegetables are soft and translucent.

Add fish or soy sauce, coconut milk and remaining ingredients up to the peanut butter and simmer for 1-2 minutes over low heat.

Remove sauce pan from heat and stir in the peanut butter using a wire whisk.

Check the dipping sauce for heat and tartness. You may want to add more chilies or lime juice to adjust the flavor to your liking.

The sauce should not be too bland or too sweet. Let the sauce out by whisking small amounts of water or coconut milk in to it at a time if dipping sauce is too thick.