Thai Peanut Satay Sauce
By Lee Jackson ↣ Published on: August 21, 2020
A Thai Peanut Satay Sauce (Sate Kai) is guaranteed to liven up anything food comes into contact with! Add some real personality to your next grill, salad or vegetable dishes with a hit of nutty, fragrant spice.
We should never settle for dull! We should always strive to pack In as much flavour and personality to our food as we can. No other culture does this as well as Thailand, so many dishes that are overflowing with colour, flavour and spice. Bring some of that magic to your table with this Thai Peanut Satay Sauce (sate Kai) - a cornucopia of everything you'd expect from South East Asia - it'll transform the most ordinary of ingredients into something very special.
The perfect South East Asian hawker food
South East Asian recipes gives life to food, and of course your taste buds. The fresh, flavour-filled food, packs a punch and comes in a mind-boggling array of options.
One of my favourites is Satay (small skewers of marinated meats, grilled over hot coals). Satay originated in Indonesia and Malaysia, and is enjoyed all across the South East Asian region, including Thailand. The special peanut sauce, served alongside satay is also popular in Thailand and devoured by the gallon. This recipe is the Thai version of satay sauce.
Stuff you'll need
Unlike many Indonesian and Malaysian satay sauce recipes, the Thai version doesn't feature coconut milk, and in my version the spice levels are ratcheted up to 'spicy'. The recipe marries all the ingredients you'd expect to create the four taste cornerstones of Thai cuisine.
- Sugar. (sweet) Might seem like a lot, but follow the amounts - you'll see why!
- Lime juice. (sour) For an authentic hit of Thai personality, lime juice is essential.
- Fish Sauce. (salt) Thai food wouldn't have the its personality without the umami saltiness of fish sauce.
- Chillies. (spice) You decide how hot you want it. More chillies = more spice.
When everything marries with the peanuts we're left with a creamy, light and flavour-packed little sauce that screams Thailand!
Step by Step
You can create your satay sauce in two ways. By pestle & mortar or by machine. Both deliver delicious results.
- Pestle & mortar
If you want to create it the most traditional of ways, then get yourself a large pestle & mortar and start pounding the dry ingredients. For this recipe I start with the chillies and then add each dry ingredient afterwards and pound until super smooth. I then stir in the wet ingredients.
- By Machine
You can use a stick blender (shown , food processor or blender to create your sauce. I mostly use my stick (immersion) blender (shown below) as it's super easy and creates less mess. For this option, I put all the ingredients in at the same time and blend until smooth. Simple!
Pro Tips to make your life easier
- My pro tip would be to save yourself a lot of time and energy and use a blender to create the sauce. This may well not be the most authentic way, but life's too short for pestle & mortars sometimes!
- Make the sauce in advance and have it in the fridge. You can eat it cold, room temperature or warmed in a pan/microwave. Personally I prefer it at room temperature.
Serving and storing suggestions
- Peanut Satay Sauce will stay fresh in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 7 days.
- You can freeze the sauce for up to 3 months
- I love to serve my sauce served with many grilled meats. Try my Thai Satay Skewers or Thai-Style Grilled Chicken (Gai Yang) recipes. Satay sauce is also wonderful as a salad dressing (you may need to water it down a little) or as a dipping sauce for raw vegetables like beans, carrots, cauliflower and cucumber.
How spicy? You decide
You can dial the heat up or down as you like. Test a little chilli before to see how hot they are as the levels can vary. The chillies I used were like little vipers - I even had a little coughing fit testing mine! To cool things down, you can also remove the seeds to take some of the sting out if you're feeling especially nervous.
Ready to get cooking?
This Thai Satay Sauce is perfect any time of year, summer BBQs are brought to life, winter roasts, spring salads all benefit from the unique hit of fragrance and flavour. Thai Satay sauce has it all, and more. Are you ready to transform your table with this Thai delight?
Any Questions? (FAQ)
Have a question about Peanut Satay Sauce? Let me know in the comments.
What is Satay Sauce made of?
In Thailand, satay sauce (Sate Kai) is made from dry roasted peanuts and chillies combined with a combination of aromatics like shallots, lemongrass, spices and more.
Is Satay Sauce the same as Peanut Sauce?
Generally speaking, yes. Satay is available across South East Asia, originating in Indonesia and Malaysia/Singapore. The ingredients and flavours differ by region but the use of peanuts is the one common factor, so at its core satay IS a peanut sauce.
Is Peanut/Satay sauce healthy?
Nuts are good! But satay sauce can be high in fat and sugar, so satay sauce shouldn't really be considered a healthy food. Used in moderation as a dipping sauce, it's perfectly good for you!
Where does Satay Sauce come from?
Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore, but satay is eaten across South East Asia, including Thailand.
More delicious Thai recipes
I love to cook Thai food at home, mostly curries! I can't get enough of the fresh, light and heat packed dishes. Here are some of my favourite recipes:
Video Recipe
Ingredients
- 6 garlic cloves (peeled)
- 8 Thai chillies (roughly chopped)
- 1 cup peanuts (roasted, unsalted)
- ½ cup golden brown sugar
- ½ lime (juice of)
- 2 tbsp fish sauce
- 3 stems of cilantro
Instructions
- Using a pestle & mortar or a stick blender, blend together all the ingredients until smooth. If it’s too thick, add a tbsp water at a time to loosen up a little. The texture should be rich and creamy, and stick to anything that’s dipped into it.
- Keep in a sealed container in the fridge for up to a week.
Notes
- Using a blender is a quick and easy way to create your peanut sauce. I prefer an immersion blender as it creates way less mess.
- Make in advance and refrigerate or freeze until needed. It'll stay fresh in the fridge for up to a week and in the freezer for 3 months.
- If you're REALLY in a rush, you can substitute the whole peanuts with peanut butter. Be sure to buy a non sweetened variety. The less additives the better.
Nutrition
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