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Peanut Sauce

A spicy peanut sauce made with fried peanuts, garlic, chilies, kencur, kaffir lime leaves, sweet soy sauce, salt, water, and lime juice.

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 9 ingredients
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Why it works: Peanut and garlic match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 4% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 877 recipes. Both carry 3-ethyl-2,5-dimethylpyrazine, which smells roasted, nutty. The science ↓

Peanut Sauce

Timeapproximately 1 hour

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare

  1. Grind or blend the first four ingredients until coarse or fine, depending on your preference.

Simmer

  1. Put all ingredients in a pan except the lime juice.

  2. Simmer over very low heat for approximately 1 hour, stirring to prevent sticking.

  3. Stir in lime juice just before use.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

196Calories
9 gProtein
14 gFat
14 gCarbs

Counts 6 of 8 ingredients. The other 2 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 6 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Peanut1 oz (28g)161
Kaffir Limejuice of 1 lime (44ml)11
Limejuice of 1 lime (44ml)11
Soy Sauce1 tbsp (15ml)9
Garlic1 clove (3g)4
Salt1 tsp (6g)0
Galangalnot in our table0
Waternot in our table0

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. Peanut + garlictop 4% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together877 recipes

    Shared aroma: 3-ethyl-2,5-dimethylpyrazine (roasted, nutty).

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

    Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).

  3. Clove + limetop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together909 recipes

    Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).

  4. Garlic + limetop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together3,411 recipes

    Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).

  5. Clove + garlictop 10% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together11,368 recipes

    Shared aroma: linalool (floral, citrus).

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

What each ingredient does

Deep-fried peanuts
Provide the main body and nutty flavor that thickens the sauce as it cooks.
Bird's eye chilies
Supply heat and fresh pungency to the sambal.
Garlic
Adds pungent aroma and savory depth to the sauce.
Kencur
Contributes a distinctive aromatic, peppery-ginger flavor.
Sweet soy sauce
Adds sweetness, salinity and a dark, caramel-like color.

The step that matters

Simmer over very low heat, stirring often. Peanut-based sauces scorch and stick easily on the bottom of the pan. Low heat and regular stirring let the mixture thicken gradually and cook evenly without burning.

Swap the clove

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (peanut, garlic, lime, sauce):

  1. Corianderfits better
  2. Cuminfits better
  3. Gingerfits better
  4. Clovethe original

Fit is the average pairing score against peanut, garlic, lime, sauce. 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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