Sisters’ Satay Sauce

We were there a few weeks ago for a little shopping, laughs, the occasional (hah!) glass of wine, fun and some cooking. One of the items we collaborated on was a peanut satay sauce. Satay sauce, while it may have originated in Indonesia, appears in many different cuisines: Thai, Singaporean, Malaysian and Vietnamese. This recipe is a quick “cheater” – you aren’t grinding peanuts or toasting spices, so it comes together pretty quickly.

I love a good satay sauce, the lightly spicy peanut sauce that matches so well with chicken. You can serve it with skewers or do what we did and cut the chicken up into chunks for dipping. A great appetizer or a perfect part of an “around the island” meal when you are chatting, laughing and drinking wine! Bonus, it is also gluten-free and safe for celiacs and only lightly spiced – very important for two of my sisters!

Amy Li said it best when she said, “Having a sister is like having a best friend you can’t get rid of. You know whatever you do, they’ll still be there”. So today I want to dedicate this post to my siblings, Louise, Deinah, Larissa and Alice! Cheers ladies, I’m so lucky you are all in my life!

Prep time: 5 minutes; Cook time: 15 minutes; Serves: 1 1/3 cups

What you need:

• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 1/2+ cup water
• 1 lime, juiced (about 3 tbsp – you may not use all of the lime juice)
• 2 tbsp onion finely chopped
• 1 garlic clove minced
• 1 tbsp sriracha sauce
• 1 tbsp sweet chili sauce (if you don’t have sweet chili sauce, you can use 1 tbsp sriracha +  1 tsp honey)
• 1 tbsp soy sauce (use Tamari or gluten-free soy if cooking for celiacs)
• 2 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tbsp honey ***use only if you are using unsweetened peanut butter – if you are using sweetened peanut butter (i.e. Kraft), omit

What you do:

• In a small pot over medium heat, add the sesame oil
• When hot, add the onions and garlic, reduce heat to medium-low and cook until translucent (about 5 minutes), making sure not to brown the onion/garlic mix

• Add the peanut butter, 1/2 cup water, sriracha sauce, sweet chili sauce and soy sauce, whisk to combine and smooth. (If you are using unsweetened peanut butter, add the honey)

• Add 2 tbsp of the  lime juice and stir

• Cook until just hot, do not boil
• Taste and adjust – if you want it spicier, add a little more sriracha. Sweeter? A touch of honey. Saltier? A splash more soy sauce. A touch more sour? Add the last tbsp of lime juice. This is all about how you like it! (I ended up adding about 1/2 tsp of honey and a splash of water at the end, as per Pete’s taste.)

• If you think it is too thick, add a splash more water
• Serve with grilled chicken

• Enjoy!

• Easy appetizer!

• Main course dinner

• Sisters’ Satay Sauce

• Happy National Siblings Day!

• (Stay tuned for a reboot using this sauce and your leftover grilled chicken! Coming up soon!)