Easy Thai Peanut Sauce Recipe: How to Make My Mom's Thai Satay Sauce

My mother, in whose memory this site was created, was a cookbook addict. Her philosophy in life was based upon a statement attributed to Erasmus of Rotterdam (1466-1536): When I get a little money I buy books, and if any is left I buy food and clothes. Replace "books" with "cookbooks" and you'll get my mother.

Over the years, she had passed on several of her cookbooks to me for fear that years of living in the United States would result in me abandoning the cuisine of my original country or, worse, becoming so culinarily syncretic that I can't tell how a dish is supposed to taste. Well, Mom is no longer with us, so I can't engage her in the discussion on her view on culinary syncretism and how I think it's not built on terra firma.

How I miss arguing/debating with Mom.

Easy Shrimp Satay with Mom's Peanut Sauce - Not at all traditional, but very good.
Thai cookbooks, especially old ones, are notorious for errors, typographical or otherwise, and way-off measurements. The sin of omission of key ingredients is also exuberantly committed. You really have to pay attention and exercise not only commonsense but also extreme caution. If a cracker recipe calls for a liter of coconut milk and 1/2 cup of rice flour, a red flag should go up. With that kind of ratio, you know you're more likely going to get coconut milk goo rather than crunchy crackers. When chicken is mysteriously absent from a Thai chicken salad recipe, you know something's rotten in Bangkok.

This is clear evidence that the writer and the proofreader have conspired against you. Please be understanding if you see me walk around looking frustrated and paranoid for chances are I have just finished reading a few Thai cookbooks. They have that effect on otherwise trusting and relaxed human beings.

That's why Mom's cookbooks are so precious to me. They're full of her handwritten corrections, tweaks, comments, suggested variations, reports of people's responses, etc. When it comes to marginal notation, my mom would have given the Masoretes a run for their shekels.

Mom's Peanut Sauce is perfect for this grilled chicken sandwich satay-style.
I think of these notes as Mom's posthumous road signs which have several times saved me from potholes, deer, and boulders on the road of cooking. Sometimes, some of her "road signs" even lead to cool shortcuts which yield results that are close or identical to those achieved through more laborious means.

A peanut sauce recipe in an old coconut milk-stained cookbook supplemented with my mom's handwritten notes is a case in point. If you've ever felt overwhelmed by the number of herbs and spices called for by several recipes for authentic Thai peanut sauce, here's my mom's recipe to the rescue.

All the herbs and spices are found in commercial red curry paste. No need to hunt down all 20 of them. Interestingly, Mom opted for salt instead of the more traditional fish sauce; granulated sugar and vinegar are also used as handy replacements for the traditional palm sugar and tamarind pulp respectively -- all with no lethal effects. Our family has enjoyed the sauce made this way for years.

Mom's Peanut Sauce forms the base of the dressing for this napa cabbage salad with crunchy glass noodles.

Easy Thai Peanut Sauce (Adapted from my mother's recipe)
(Makes 3.5 cups)
Downloadable Version


1 13.5-ounce can of Chaokoh coconut milk
2 ounces (approximately 1/4 cup) of Thai red curry paste (I use either Maesri or Mae Ploy.)
[Added December 13, 2010: For those who like their peanut sauce with lots of flavor but less heat, replacing red curry paste with the same amount of Thai massaman curry paste which is just as flavorful (in a different way) but not nearly as hot.]
3/4 cup unsweetened (natural) creamy peanut butter -- the kind that has a layer of oil on top* (Do not use regular peanut butter. I use Smucker's natural peanut butter.**)
1/2 tablespoon salt
3/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar or white vinegar (Do not use white wine, red wine, balsamic, or anything else -- not even rice vinegar)
1/2 cup water

Put everything into a medium heavy-bottomed pot and bring to a very gentle boil over medium heat, whisking constantly.

Let the mixture simmer for 3-5 minutes over low heat; be careful not to let the mixture scorch at the bottom of the pot.

Take the pot off the heat, let the sauce cool down to room temperature (or slightly warmer), and serve the sauce with satay or fried tofu.

Note: This peanut sauce keeps in a glass container in the refrigerator for weeks. Refrigerated sauce will thicken up considerably. All you have to do is thin it out with a little bit of water to desired consistency, reheat, and serve. The sauce also freezes beautifully.

*Originally, Mom used roasted peanuts, ground up in a mortar and pestle. For those who feel the use of natural peanut butter in this recipe is blasphemous, please feel free to go that route. But then, what is unsweetened, natural peanut butter if not roasted peanuts ground up into a paste?

**For those living in areas of the world where commercial natural peanut butter is not available, please grind up 12 ounces of roasted peanuts using whatever means most convenient for you. Then use the peanut paste in the same manner as peanut butter as directed.

Reviews of this peanut sauce:
"... I’ve made two batches of the Thai Peanut Sauce and we’ve eaten every last drop ..." - One Hungry Mama
Eve Fox serves Baked Ginger-Soy Tofu with this peanut sauce.
Elsa Lang is contemplating using this sauce as toothpaste.
The Canny Crafter gives you some ideas on how to use this peanut sauce.
Rebekah at Honeysucklelife: "... There are no modifications to make. The recipe was absolutely perfect as is ..."
By John of Stand up Paddle Surfing
By Quasi Serendipita
Grilled Chicken Salad with Peanut Sauce by Lime Cake
Just Some Cooking: "... best peanut sauce ever ..."
The Reluctant Chef: "... My mom usually not a fan of peanut sauce, I know crazy, absolutely loved it ..."
Kimberlee Stiens of Business for Good, not Evil: "... the best peanut sauce in the world ..."
Serendipitous Sustenance makes tofu and vegetable stir-fry with this peanut sauce.