My favourite recipe form our balinese cooking class is this peanut sauce. I could just have eaten it with a spoon! It is extra easy to make – especially when you have a food processor – and it is so very versatile. You can use it as a dip to be served with some snacks, or as a sauce for a main course. It complements meat, fish, veggie or soybean dishes equally. Delicious with gado – gado!
Their are different way to make peanut sauce: the chinese version is to roast the peanuts, but in the balinese version you fry the peanuts in oil before blending all the ingredients together.
Ingredients: 150 g unsalted peanuts, raw – 6 cloves garlic – 2 small red chillies – 1 fresh ginger root – 2 kefir lime leaves – 1 tbsp palm sugar – 1 or 2 limes – 2 tbsp soy sauc – 1 or 2 cups oil for frying (not olive oil, neutral vegetable oil) – 2-3 tbsp fried shallots.
What to make it?
1. Fry the peanuts with the garlic cloves and the ginger root until they become golden brown. Remove the peanuts form the oil with a slotted spoon
2. Place the peanuts in a ood processor and blend (but don’t go so far as to make a peanut butter!). Add a bit of water if necessary.
3. Remove the peanuts form the food processor bowl and reserve. In the food processor now add the garlic cloves, the chilli, the soy sauce and palm sugar. Blend until you obtain a paste.
4. Add in the peanuts, the lime fruit (juice it but you can add full quarters of lime to your sauce), the lime leaves and fried shallot. Mix gently to combine and check seasoning.
I think my favourite way to eat peanut sauce is either on chicken skewers or with vegetables – but the possibilities are infinite!
