Have you experienced grilled or roasted chicken or a bowl of salad with peanut sauce?  You might think this is odd if you’re only used to PB&J sandwich, but this combination is a lot more common than you think. 

This thick, rich, spicy, sweet, lime-infused peanut sauce is versatile and quite popular throughout Southeast Asian cuisine.  Additionally, bumbu kacang sauce can be prepared easily in your kitchen, with most of the ingredients available in local grocery stores or Asian supermarket.

You can warm up to the idea by serving this sauce with a store-bought roasted chicken. 

The main ingredient is, of course, peanuts, which are pan-fried in a wok with a little oil, then grounded with a mortar and pestle with a few ingredients added such as candlenut, shallot, garlic and bird’s eye chili.

Water is then added to thin out the sauce until it is the perfect consistency. Finish with lime juice for a hint of tanginess that will surely bring all the ingredients together.

PEANUT APPLICATION IN RECIPES: AMERICA VS SOUTHEAST ASIAN CUISINE

I find it fascinating how different peanuts are used in American cuisine compared to Southeast Asian.  For example, in America, peanuts are mostly turned into peanut butter and spread over a sandwich or a cracker, or a dipping sauce for vegetable and fruits.  Honey or sugar might be added to sweeten the paste.

In Southeast Asian cuisines, peanut butter/paste is taken to a higher level by adding a variety of seasoning and ingredients thereby creating a complex and flavorful “peanut sauce” that accompanies a variety of main dishes.

• In Indonesian cuisine, you find peanuts in satay sauces, gado gado (Indo steamed vegetable salad), ketoprak, karedok and pecel.
• In Vietnamese cuisine, peanut sauce is enjoyed as dipping sauce for Vietnamese spring roll.
• In Thai cuisine, the peanut sauce is always served for Thai beef/chicken satay.
• In Filipino cuisine, peanut sauce is added in kare kare, which is their traditional oxtail stew.

PEANUT ALLERGY IN INDONESIA VS IN AMERICA

Growing up in Indonesia, I never knew a single person with peanut allergy.  On the other hand, in the US, .6%-1% of population suffer from this allergy that ranges from mild to severe.  

I know first-hand several people with this allergy – both kids and adults.  My child’s elementary school adopted a “peanut-free zone”, which is standard for elementary schools to prevent an accidental allergic reaction from kids sharing food with other kids who have peanut allergy.

Through research I found a couple of theories that may explain why Americans are more likely to suffer from allergy:

Hygiene Hypothesis

• In most developed countries such as America where hygiene and sanitation to keep germ at bay is a high priority (think all the sanitation liquid installed in a variety of public places such as outside of elevator building, the bathroom of the mall, hospitals/doctors’ offices). The hygiene hypothesis believes that too much sanitation may result in depriving young, immature immune systems from being trained to recognize and react appropriately to the right type of irritants.  This hypothesis implies that early life exposure to germs or an “unclean” environment may protect against allergy.  If you have a toddler running around, eating some dirt or in my case, rocks, let them be.  Exposure to germs might help properly train their developing immune system.

Diet

in developing countries may include spices with anti-allergy and inflammatory properties such as:

• Tea
• Tumeric
• Ginger
• Garlic

PREPARATION TIPS FOR THE BEST PEANUT SAUCE

Before I started this blog, I made countless of peanut sauce from the “ready peanut sauce block” which is available in my regular supermarket.  I usually doctor it up by adding a few more bird’s eye chili and lime juice. 

However, after tinkering with the recipe and ingredients, I came up with a recipe that is just as good or even better than the store-bought peanut sauce. I know you will be surprised how easy it is to make from scratch.

These are some of the tips I’ve learned a long the way:

• In Indonesia, a good peanut sauce recipe always starts with pan-frying the peanut with a little oil (my mom calls this method – di sangrai).  I bypass this technique and resort to freshly ground unsalted, unsweetened peanut from a couple of specialty stores such as Wholefood and Bristol Farm.  If you can’t find a freshly ground peanut butter, a store-bought jar is an option.  Be sure to get the all-natural option with no salt and sugar or honey added.
• I use candlenut in this recipe.  You can opt out if you don’t have it stocked in your pantry.  Candlenut or kemiri in Indonesia or kukui nut in Hawaii is used in a lot of traditional Indonesian recipes to thicken sauces and add richness.  Surprisingly, this nut is not hard to find.  It’s available in most Asian grocery stores and online at Amazon.  Be warned, candlenut is mildly toxic when raw.  Place them in a 350 degrees oven for 10-12 minutes if you purchase it unroasted.
• If you plan to serve the sauce to someone with no tolerance to spicy food, grinding the bird’s eye chili pepper with a little salt SEPARATELY is an option to try.  I got the idea from the warung sate (satay street stall) by my parents’ house, where they serve the ground chili as sambal separately from the sauce. 
• I always start my peanut sauce recipe with less water and thicker consistency.  It can be thinned down by adding more water according to your preference.  Note: the peanut sauce will thicken slightly as it cools down.
• Traditionally gula jawa (Indo coconut palm sugar) is used to sweeten this dish. Alternatively, you can substitute brown or white sugar.
• The traditional technique in making peanut sauce is by using mortar and pestle.  To save time and hard labor, I sometimes use my trusted food processor to coarsely grind the ingredients, although I do prefer the candlenut smoothly grind.

Yield: 1/2 cup

Bumbu Kacang: The Best Indonesian Peanut Sauce Recipe

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This is an awesome peanut sauce recipe. It is thick, rich, spicy, and sweet with a lime-infused sauce.

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 20 minutes

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup of natural smooth peanut butter (unsalted and unsweetened)
• ½ cup of water
• 1 large shallot
• 1 clove of garlic
• 1 candlenut (roasted in the oven at 350 degrees for 10 minutes)
• 5 bird’s eye chili (optional)
• 1 tsp gula jawa (coconut palm sugar), alternatively you can sub with brown sugar or regular sugar
• Juice from ½ lime
• A pinch of salt

Instructions

1. Combine shallot, garlic, candlenuts and bird’s eye chili in a food processor and grind roughly. Alternatively, you can use mortar and pestle for a more authentic experience.
2. In a small pot over medium heat, bring water to a boil. Add peanut butter and chili paste. Stir until well combined and sauce has thickened. Remove from heat.
3. Squeeze lime juice and stir.
4. Place in small serving bowl and sprinkle some fried shallot if available.