I once stumbled across noted Food Network chef Michael Smith’s signature peanut sauce recipe, and I was quite disappointed – I know he has traveled and tasted many great things across the world, and his recipe seems like an utter injustice to all his training. Personally, I’m not a big fan of his culinary concoctions – to me, his recipes seem to lack in boldness and character, possibly because he is catering to a North American audience with limited, if any, exposure to flavorful food ;p I never understood how he has achieved so much acclaim in Canada, especially considering how people here are becoming increasingly adept at appreciating ‘exotic’ influences, even in the most remote and rustic (redneck) realms. Nonetheless, there is something very refreshing in his approach towards cooking – “A recipe is merely words on paper; a guideline, a starting point from which to improvise. It cannot pretend to replace the practiced hand and telling glance of a watchful cook.” In comparison to flashier foodies, I may call him lacklustre, but what he really lacks is pretentiousness – and therein lies his undeniable charm. Simplistic though his words and recipes may seem, there is something very profoundly pleasing about his manner – “Remember, words have no flavour, you have to add your own!”
Thus inspired by Smith, I once set off on a mission – “In Search of Peanutty Perfection” – a la Heston Blumenthal (who is at the opposite end of the culinary spectrum). I have tried many different variations of peanut sauce in a variety of venues – restaurants, hawker stands, local night markets, supermarket products, friends’ mother’s cooking, to name a few – and every single variation had something unique to offer. Needless to say, in Southeast Asian cultures, where peanuts comprise a characteristic component of local cuisine, it is inevitable that each household will have its own rendition of something as ubiquitous as peanut sauce. After about a year of experimentation, I discovered that each cultural influence incorporates unique ingredients within this earthy condiment: for instance, while traditional Indonesian and Thai recipes necessitate the usage of galangal, the Chinese and Vietnamese can easily substitute the same with ginger and ginseng… the list of preferred ingredients is thus endless. Each regional variant seems to successfully complement the respective dishes and delicacies. Since I do not have nearly as much time or money at my disposal as Heston Blumenthal, instead of engaging in further research, I arrived at the premature conclusion that there is no such thing as ‘the perfect peanut sauce’ – presumed perfection is relative, at best.
That being said, to the average North American (read as non-urban, and thus a slight contradiction of my aforementioned defending statement), the words ‘peanut sauce’ may connote something sweet and gloopy, potentially the product of microwaved processed peanut butter (yeuch!). An over simplification, or even a stereotype on my part, but I have actually witnessed inexcusable culinary crimes of this sort while living in college dorms. Perhaps I am being too harsh on my fellow students, who, while subsisting on a steady diet of instant noodles for time and budgetary concerns, are willing to forgo all sense of taste and nutrition, but come on, could one not add even a dash of soy sauce, hot sauce and vinegar… perhaps I am asking for too much from this segment of the student population, whose ambitions lie in challenging not their tastebuds but their livers by consuming copious quantities of beer (I guess I shouldn’t be too surprised that contemporary college culture puts precedence on alcohol). Not being able to withstand such blasphemy any longer, I have renewed my mission to create a recipe for a peanut sauce so ‘perfect’ that it would make even the most putrid protein (canned fish, ugh!) taste great.
From my experience, an ideal peanut sauce is all about balance of flavours. One can find recipes on the internet that range from using as few as 3 ingredients to as many as 30 – but it really does not have to be as complicated, so long as a few essential components have been properly combined. After a few trials and errors, here is my ultimate recipe (the proportions are approximates, and guided by my preference):
1) In a saucepan, lightly sauté shredded ginger, finely chopped garlic + green onions, lime zest and in about 1 tbsp sesame oil on medium heat.
2) Once sautéed, add 1 tbsp soy sauce (or ½ tbsp fish sauce) and 1 tbsp honey. Reduce heat to low and mix. You can also add more lime juice for more tang.
3) Add 3-4 tbsp of all natural chunky peanut butter (not the processed kind, since it has too much sugar and other crap in it). Stir gently to achieve smoother consistency.
4) Now add ½ – 1 tbsp of Sriracha hot sauce (the one you see with the rooster logo).
5) For a lighter consistency, add about 1-2 tbsp of water. For a richer flavour and creamier texture, add 1-2 tbsp of coconut milk. Keep stirring on low heat, and avoid separation.
6) Turn off heat and let it cool.
Hopefully you will be able to taste what I have deemed a ‘perfect confluence’ of flavours – sweet (from the peanuts and the honey), smokey (from the sesame oil, and the Sriracha sauce), earthy (peanuts, garlic and ginger), slightly pungent (green onions and fish sauce), sour (lime zest and lime juice) salty (fish sauce, soy sauce), spicy (Sriracha hot sauce), and umami (if you use coconut milk). This sauce can be used as a dip on the side for satays, as a base for cooking vegetables and meats, or even poured on top of cooked noodles – just throw in some bean sprouts for even more freshness and crunch! I’m quite sure Michael Smith would be proud!
There are all sorts of variations I would like to try within this recipe itself – such as using freshly roasted and self ground peanuts instead of peanut butter, red chilli powder or chilli flakes instead Sriracha hot sauce, palm sugar instead of honey, orange zest and orange juice instead of using limes… etc, but for now, this shall suffice. I know that this ‘pursuit for perfection’ does not even compare to Heston’s calibre, but hey, I’m doing what I can to keep my tastebuds alive!
I didn't take this picture... but I'm sure my dinner would've looked just like this, if not better!
“No man in the world has more courage than the man who can stop after eating one peanut.” ~ Channing Pollock
Reorganized Ramblings 
“perhaps I am asking for too much from this segment of the student population, whose ambitions lie in challenging not their tastebuds but their livers by consuming copious quantities of beer (I guess I shouldn’t be too surprised that contemporary college culture puts precedence on alcohol)”
Such condescension! As if you don’t consume considerable quantities of alcohol yourself (and eat instant noodles after!)
Haha, actually, I don’t :p The alcohol being referred to here is beer, which I despise! And if I were to eat the occasional packet of instant noodles, I would most certainly jazz it up by throwing in more flavor, vegetables, etc :p So that condescension is quite rightful :p