I love peanut butter. Creamy peanut butter and milk sweet from coconuts and toasted sesame oil and oh- the saltiness of saucy soy.
But I love ‘easy,’ and I mean easy, heaps and gobs more.
I love breezy and quick and things that rhyme with simple.
(I can only think of pimple and dimple…tell me you have more)
And so, aside from the crispy fried tofu sitting in between the strands of spicy peanut buttered and sauced noodles, this Thai dish is just that: quick and easy.
Because I’m thinking you’re like me
and on Mondays and Tuesdays
and occasionally Wednesdays,
fine- Thursdays, too,
I want to eat a meal that makes my taste buds tingle, that tastes complex, exotic, and ultra-satisfying, but leaves me ample time to watch DVD season upon DVD season of Gilmore Girls. Then I want to do the NY Times crossword puzzle in bed and make a few dozen dreamy lists.
Here, I’ve whipped up a soy sauce and coconut milk meet- and quite adore– peanut butter sauce. It’s satiny and rich with salty, roasted flavor. The sauce itself- a perfect blend of creamy, sweet, sour, and savory, requires no cooking and will happily lay lustrous on any noodles you’ve got in your pantry.
Recommended: Serve with Crispy Fried Tofu
Easy No Cook Thai Peanut Sauce
Ingredients
- ½ cup creamy peanut butter
- 3 tablespoons coconut milk
- 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon fish sauce
- 2 teaspoons Sriracha or more depending on spice preference
- 1- inch fresh ginger
- 2 garlic cloves
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a food processor or blender and pulse until smooth. Let sit for at least 1 hour before serving so that flavors can blend and intensify.
You are my hero. It’s fine.
Can’t wait to try this!!! Ill let you know when I do!
I am new to the coconut milk (going to make the jerk chicken/rice/cauliflower recipes this weekend) and only using 3 Tbsp – does the milk keep a while stored in the refrigerator after opening?
Mmmmmmmm…I think I’ve found what we’re making this weekend. Last weekend was your delish chicken noodle soup (we used quinoa shells)…amazing. Thanks!
I usually have almond butter on hand but this reminded me I have a coupon for those Jif On the Go’s and can give this recipe a go! Woot!
Have a great weekend!
Wimple. :)
This recipe looks and sounds divine!
Re: Ellen & Leftover Coconut Milk
Coconut milk is really easy to save! Just give it a stir in the can and then pour it into a medium Ziplock bag. Lay the bag flat in your freezer and you’ll end up with a thin slab of coconut milk that you can break chunks off whenever you need them! It’s so convenient!
(I do this with other things too, like homemade chipotle puree, leftover pasta sauce, etc.)
THANK YOU!! I have never purchased that before – went to the store today and it was almost $6.oo for 1 can – is this typical??!! I sure don’t want to be wasting it.
That is more than I pay here at Safeway in Canada. I usually get the Thai Kitchen brand, which is located in the Asian food section. It’s about $3.50 per can, I think.
Look for coconut milk at trader joe’s. They don’t always have it, but when they do it’s the best price in town. It comes in a green/black/yellow can.
Unfortunately I live in southern Illinois and I don’t have stores like that anywhere near me – nearest Whole Foods is 3 hours away. I will check out the stores in Evansville, Ind. next time we go – that is only 1 hour away!
They have coconut milk at stores like Randall’s/Safeway, Albertson’s, Winn Dixie, Publix, Kroger, Walmart, HEB, etc. Any local grocery store in the Asian food aisle.
You can make your own coconut milk with shredded coconut and boiling water and then strain.
This looks fantastic!
Ooooh, I love easy too. And peanuts. And coconut. This looks perfect.
I love simple. I love tofu. I love peanut butter.
I love this recipe. And can I just tell you one more time how over the top excited I am about your up and coming new book? :D
Question… would this sauce work as a dressing on a salad? I’m obsessed over an asian salad at a cute restaurant in Athens, GA- 4 hours away- :( I crave it but wouldn’t have the foggiest idea how to recreate it. This is tempting!! Thanks, Andie!!
Very VERY excited about this recipe. Will be making this soon. And gah! That tofu looks so fantastic! I can’t believe you can even sell people on tofu ;)
I make peanut sauce all the time, but I never add coconut milk. Need to try that. I do love me some coconut.
Yes, please, to peanut butter, coconut and lime, all in one sauce. My taste buds are happy just thinking about it!
This looks so easy I can’t not make it!
I can’t wait to try this recipe- I love the peanut flavor, but try so hard not to eat too much dessert, so real food that taste like peanuts…my type of food. :)
Thanks for sharing!
-Miriam
HELP!!!
my sauce is thick! Im not sure why.. How can i make it smoother and more “sauce” like???
That looks delicious! Have you checked out this sriracha sauce? It’s really good…better than the rooster sauce! Thanks for sharing this great recipe.
http://organicvillefoods.com/products/condiments/sriracha-sauce/
Just happened to come upon your blog the other day. What a great journey you’ve been on and how wonderful you look now. Congrats on overcoming your struggle.
Your recipes look amazing and healthy too. I am anxious to try many of them.
Continued success to you :)
Pingback: Healthy(ish) Pad Thai « Hello
I make tons of online recipes, and don’t ever comment (until today), but I just made this for the first time and it was so quick and delicious, I had to say thank you! As a person who frequently cooks just for one, having something quick and scalable that still tastes great is truly invaluable to me. This is going on the keeper list!
I just made your pad thai sauce. With a little taste test it seemed good. We will see what the boyfriend thinks,
Pingback: Open-Faced Thai Peanut Chicken Sub Sandwiches | Bev Cooks
Pingback: Thai Tofu Salad with Peanut Dressing | Can You Stay For Dinner?
Pingback: You asked for it!
This sounds delicious and it sounds as if it is a good blend of Asian flavors (a bit of Vietnamese from the fish sauce, Korean from the Sriracha etc…). How many servings does this recipe make? Thank you for sharing!
Hey Sarah,
Thanks! The recipe makes about 3/4 cup of sauce (about 4 servings if just using sauce). For a meal, I’d recommend boiling 12 ounces of uncooked pasta and pouring all of the sauce over the hot pasta to coat. It should be suitable for 4 servings.
Andie
Hi there! This is kind of off topic but I need some advice from an
established blog. Is it hard to set up your own blog? I’m not very techincal but I can figure things out pretty quick. I’m thinking about setting up my own but I’m not sure where to begin. Do you have any tips or suggestions? Appreciate it
Pingback: Thirty for Thursday: Bookmarked