Easy Peanut Sauce

We love Indonesian food and I'm especially partial to Indonesian peanut sauce. Here's a fast and easy recipe I came up with. We like it on Bahmi, as a dip for spring rolls, over a simple Gado Gado salad, satay chicken, Vietnamese salad, or mixed with noodles and veggies. Peanut and other nut butters vary quite a bit in sweetness and saltiness; to account for this, add additional pure maple syrup and salt to taste, if needed. If it's still a bit bland, add more lime. Enjoy!

Easy Peanut Sauce

• 1/4 cup organic peanut butter *see notes below

• 1 Tbsp. organic, good quality soy sauce

• 1 Tbsp. pure maple syrup

• 1/2 tsp. lime juice

• 1/2 cup organic, coconut milk

• 1 clove garlic, minced

1. Mix ingredients and enjoy.

2. You may store any leftover sauce in fridge; however, it will become more solid in cool temperatures. You can bring the peanut sauce to room temperature, or add a little additional water or coconut milk, if needed, to thin it out.

Notes

Peanut butter has differing levels of sweetness and saltiness, even within the same brand. For this reason, you may need to do a bit of adjusting after mixing the ingredients to get just the right balance of flavor. If it's bland, add more lime, if it's lacking in sweetness, add more maple syrup and for savoriness, add more salt.

Ideally, you would make your own peanut butter from raw soaked and dried, organic peanuts; however, I realize that we don't always have time for the ideal, so use the highest quality, organic peanut butter you can buy. It may not be the ideal, but take your healthy eating journey a step at a time.

I have yet to find a raw, soaked and dried, organic peanut butter to purchase. Aside from that, high quality nut butters are expensive. If you're up for the challenge, save yourself some money and try making your own. It's easier than you think.

I'm aware of the aflatoxin and problems that peanuts pose for many people. You may substitute a different nut or seed butter, if desired. It will have a different flavor, but will still be yummy. Experiment to find what you prefer.

I find sesame seeds (tahini paste) to be fairly similar to peanut butter. Some people substitute sunflower butter, which is also similar, with a bit of a grassy after-taste.

If you desire a spicy peanut sauce you can add Sambal Oelek or red chili flakes to taste.