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Malaysian Satay Peanut Sauce

4.85 stars

Satay peanut sauce is a dipping sauce usually served with grilled skewered meat or compressed rice known as 'nasi impit' in the Malay language. This authentic savoury peanut sauce is sweetened with palm sugar and has a very subtle hint of sourness.

Grace Teo
@grace

Preparation 20 mins
 Cooking 50 mins

Condiment

Satay Sauce, Kuah Kacang

Malaysian, Singaporean, Thai, Indonesian

Ingredients

Servings:  
300 g peanuts
4 lemongrass stalk(s)
3 cm galangal
3 garlic clove(s)
8 chilli peppers (dried)
2 shallot(s)
3 tbsp oil
400 ml water
1⁄4 tsp salt
60 g palm sugar (gula melaka)
1 tsp tamarind paste

Nutrition per Serving

469 kcal
38 g
32 g
16 g
Date: 12 Dec 2019 (Thu) 6th Condiment: Kuah Kacang (Malaysian Satay Peanut Sauce) [140] [127.8%] [Score: 10.0]
Nov 29th, 2019 - Yummy.
Nov 24th, 2019 - Satay sauce fried rice.’
Nov 18th, 2019 - I used my satay sauce to fried rice. It tastes superb delicious. Even best with fried shallots topping. Yuuuuummm~
Why is mine look less dark compared to stall-selling? I put in 5 dried chili instead of 8 so kids can dip them too :P
Wanted to learn this peanut sauce since long. Yum yummilicious!! Thanks for the recipe.

Satay sauce which is also called peanut sauce is a popular dip or gravy known worldwide. Often accompanied with grilled skewered meat (satay), the very mildly spicy yet sweet sauce with a subtle hint of sourness goes really well with skewered meat. Due to the freshly pounded peanuts in the sauce, it easily coats the marinated grilled meat. This delicious satay sauce cannot be compared with peanut sauces which uses peanut butter. The best satay peanut sauce must have a good balance of all the flavours namely sweetness, spiciness, sourness and savouriness to tantalize your taste buds.

This recipe has been tried and tested numerous times by viewers with very positive feedback.

Difference in Malaysian satay sauce

Since satay is available in many Southeast Asian countries, it is understandable that there are many variations of satay and peanut sauce. However, Malaysian satay sauce does not contain coconut milk or ingredients such as soy sauce or fish sauce.

Tips to remove the skin of peanuts

As shown in the video, the peanuts are soaked in water to soften its skin. That way, it would be easier to remove the skin. You can also fry the peanuts in oil. After that, wrap the peanuts with a clean kitchen towel and rub them among each other. The skin will fall off during the process. To save the hassle, roasted peanuts without skin can also be used.

Should I increase the amount to make more?

Yes! Just be mindful to constantly stir the sauce especially if you plan to double or triple the amount of ingredients. This is to prevent the sauce from being burned. Having the right proportion of ingredients would ensure a truly amazing and delicious peanut sauce.

How to store satay sauce?

Satay sauce can be made in advanced and kept refrigerated for up to 5 days. Otherwise, store it in the freezer for up to 6 months. Thaw the peanut sauce before using. You can either steam or microwave it shortly before serving.

This peanut sauce is certified delicious and is a must-try. My friends renamed this recipe, “Grace’s awesome peanut sauce” because of its delectable taste and has given it a two thumbs up! Give it a shot and tell me what you think.

Steps to Prepare

Malaysian Satay Peanut Sauce Step 1

Step 1 of 4

    • 300 g peanuts

Toast peanuts in a pan without oil until fragrant. Remove skins by soaking them in a bowl of water. Then, blend/crush peanuts into a grainy texture and set aside.

Malaysian Satay Peanut Sauce Step 2

Step 2 of 4

Blend lemongrass, galangal, garlic and dried chillies. In a pan, heat oil over medium heat to fry sliced shallots. Once shallots begin to change colour, add the blended ingredients and sauté until fragrant.

Malaysian Satay Peanut Sauce Step 3

Step 3 of 4

    • 400 ml water
    • 1⁄4 tsp salt

Add blended/crushed peanuts, water and a pinch of salt. Mix well and increase heat to allow the sauce to boil.

Malaysian Satay Peanut Sauce Step 4

Step 4 of 4

    • 60 g palm sugar (gula melaka)
    • 1 tsp tamarind paste

Once the sauce boils, add 'gula Melaka' (palm sugar) and allow it to simmer over low to medium heat. After 20 minutes when the sauce thickens, add tamarind paste. Add sugar to taste (optional).

Published: December 12, 2014

2 Discussions

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6 months ago

Gunu Bajaj

Hi there i tried this recipe and i made double the quantity..i didnt have galangal and instead of fresh shallots i used fried shallots and churned them with garlic,lemom grass and chillies. My aauce tirned out to be very thick and dry.i put lots of water as well to keep it creamy but it didnt turn out tasty...any suggestion of improving it..its a lot of ingredients and i dont want to waste it...if you could help please...thanks

6 months ago

Mira - Community Happiness Manager

Hi Gunu, Skipping galangal shouldn't be any problem. I don't know if it is a good choice to use fried shallots since they might be a bit bitter. Anyway, the flavours of the sauce comes from balancing salt, palm sugar and tamarind. You will the taste of saltiness, sweet and sourness in the sauce. I hope I helped!

4 months ago

Nisha Parekh

I just made the sauce mine was a very thick consistency where it was too dry I don't know how to make it better I just continue to add more water and it never turned out to look like yours at all. Do I weight the crushed peanuts or whole peanuts as i think 300g dried soaked and then crushed is too much also my paste was not red at all. Please advise

4 months ago

Mira - Community Happiness Manager

The paste in Step 2 should be red. Did you use small dried chillies? Was the paste sautéed until fragrant? It changes into a deeper shade of red when it turns fragrant. Weight the 300g dried peanuts first, then soaked them. The final dish should not be red but brown/yellow. Adding water is the right thing to do if it's too dry. Cook the sauce over low heat for the flavours to emerge.

4 months ago

Nisha Parekh

Thank Mira