Thai Peanut Sauce

Originally published on May 6, 2014

This Thai sauce is perfect for dipping summer rolls into but can be used for just about anything, including fish and chicken. You don’t even have to put it over the heat if you don’t want to, but I do find that doing so helps their flavours marry a bit better and helps the overall flavour.

Ingredients:

3/4 cup smooth peanut butter 
1/3 cup water 
3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
Juice of 2 limes 
1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon white sugar
2 teaspoons chili paste, or hot sauce
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon sesame oil
Salt 

Directions:

1.) Place the minced garlic on a cutting board or other work surface. Sprinkle a generous amount of salt over top and then use the blade of your knife to press down on the pieces of garlic, moving the blade from one side to another as you do. This will turn the garlic into a bit of a paste and will mellow the flavours of it. (It will also allow the garlic to blend nicely into the sauce, as opposed to having large pieces of it floating around in the sauce.)

2.) Place all of the ingredients, including the garlic paste, into a small saucepan set over medium heat and heat until it’s just warmed through, about ten minutes, stirring occasionally.

3.) Serve and enjoy!