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Red-Curry Peanut Dipping Sauce

Packed with peanuts and spiked with Thai curry paste, this chunky sauce nearly explodes with flavor and spice. Placed near the chicken satés or the crab-and-pork spring rolls, a bowl of it will quickly disappear.

Recipe information

  • Total Time

    50 min

  • Yield

    Makes about 2/3 cup

Ingredients

1

/4 cup roasted salted peanuts

1

tablespoon packed palm or dark brown sugar

2 to 3

teaspoons Thai red curry paste

8 to 10

tablespoons water

2

tablespoons peanut or vegetable oil

3

garlic cloves, finely chopped

1

/4 cup finely chopped shallot (about 1 large)

2

fresh Thai or serrano chiles (2 to 3 inches; preferably red) including seeds, thinly sliced crosswise

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Finely grind 3 tablespoons peanuts in a food processor along with sugar. Finely chop remaining tablespoon peanuts by hand.

    Step 2

    Stir together curry paste (to taste) and 6 tablespoons water until paste is dissolved.

    Step 3

    Heat oil in a 10-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then sauté garlic, shallot, and chiles, stirring, until golden, about 4 minutes. Add ground peanut mixture and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Stir in curry mixture and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in chopped peanuts.

    Step 4

    Cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes, then thin with water, 1 tablespoon at a time, to desired consistency.