EASY Vegan Indonesian Peanut Sauce

Indonesian peanut sauce is probably my favourite part of all Indonesian cuisine!

Traditionally used in various dishes, from dipping satay- to salad dressing. It's incredibly versatile! My favourite way to use it is to drizzle (more like pour lol) it on top of my 'fried rice', or use it to dip in some baked tofu/tempeh or even potato chips!

The traditional way to make it is to grind the peanuts together with the other ingredients to form a paste using a mortar & pestle first, but my version is a simplified one hehe :p

If you like peanut butter, I'm 100% sure that you'll love this recipe! Give it a try and let me know what you think! ;)

Recipe

• 1/2 c peanut butter (use PB2 -> powdered peanut butter + water, for a lower fat version)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 red chili, chopped (use more/less to taste)
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1/4 c Indonesian sweet soy sauce -> kecap manis *see note below
• 1/2 c thick coconut milk
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 c chopped roasted peanuts
• juice & zest of 1 lime
• water

Method

1. Pour a bit of water into a small pot over medium heat. Toss in the chopped onion, garlic, chili when the water starts to sizzle. -> trick to stir frying without using oil hehe ;) Stir fry for a few minutes until lightly browned and aromatic.
2. Add in the rest of the ingredients except chopped peanuts, stir until evenly combined.  Simmer for a few minutes. Stir in extra water/coconut milk if too thick (it should be thick & creamy but still kind of pourable)
3. Let it cool down for about 15 minutes, puree in a blender/food processor until smooth. Stir in the chopped peanuts for some added crunch!

*note: 

If it's not common where you live, try looking for it in Asian grocery stores, or buy it online! This is what it looks like (I personally recommend the Bango brand but I think ABC is more common outside Indonesia). 

If it's really not possible for you to get it, then you can use 1/4 c coconut sugar + 1/4 c soy sauce/tamari instead but it won't be as good as the real version (still yum though <3)