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Spicy Peanut Sauce

A creamy sauce made with peanut butter, coconut milk, tofu, shallot, red curry paste, lime juice, sugar, miso, and tamari.

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 9 ingredients
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Why it works: Coconut and lime match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 3% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 934 recipes. Both carry decanal, which smells soap, orange peel. The science ↓

Spicy Peanut Sauce

Ingredients

Directions

  1. Combine ingredients in food processor.

  2. Process until smooth and creamy.

  3. Thin with water as needed.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

630Calories
22 gProtein
47 gFat
40 gCarbs
What these numbers assume: 8 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Coconut1/2 cup shredded (40g)283
Peanut1 oz (28g)161
Tofu100g firm76
Sugar1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated49
Miso1 tbsp (18g)34
Limejuice of 1 lime (44ml)11
Soy Sauce1 tbsp (15ml)9
Shallot1 tbsp minced (10g)7

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Coconut + limetop 3% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together934 recipes

    Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).

  2. Peanut + coconuttop 3% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together433 recipes

    Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).

  3. Shallot + limetop 5% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together258 recipes

    Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).

  4. Peanut + limetop 6% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together458 recipes

    Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).

  5. Coconut + tofutop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together91 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethyl caproate (fruity, apple peel).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Peanut butter
Provides the main body, nutty flavor, and rich fat that carries the sauce's taste.
Coconut milk
Adds fat and creaminess, softening the sauce and rounding its sharpness.
Silken tofu
Adds smooth body and moisture, helping the sauce blend into a creamy texture.
Lime juice
Adds acidity that brightens the sauce and balances the richness of the fats.
Granulated sugar
Adds sweetness that balances the salty, sour, and spicy notes.
White miso
Adds savory depth and umami that makes the sauce taste fuller.

The step that matters

Thin with water as needed. Peanut butter and coconut milk form a thick emulsion that stiffens as it sits. Add water a little at a time and blend again, since too much water dilutes the flavor and makes the sauce runny.

Swap the shallot

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (peanut, butter, coconut, milk, tofu, lime, sugar):

  1. Sweet potatofits better
  2. Capsicumfits better
  3. Welsh onionfits better
  4. Shallotthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against peanut, butter, coconut, milk, tofu, lime, sugar. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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