Peanut Sambal

Nutty, spicy and savoury with an inviting crunch, this versatile peanut sambal is your go-to relish from dips, dressings to even the base of your sauces.

Yield: Makes 2 cups
Prep Time: 10 mins
Cook Time: 25 mins
Difficulty Level: 1/5

Ingredients

• 6 green onions
• 2 fresh small red Thai chillies, chopped coarsely
• 2 tbsps lime juice
• 1 tbsp peanut oil
• 1 cup (140 g) roasted salted peanuts
• ¼ tsp shrimp paste
• 410 ml can coconut milk
• 1 tbsp tamarind concentrate
• 2 tsps brown sugar

Steps

Finely chop two of the onions.

02. Quarter remaining four onions then blend or process with chili, juice and half of the oil until chopped coarsely; add nuts, blend or process until mixture is chopped finely.

03. Heat remaining oil in medium frying pan; cook shrimp paste, stirring, about 1 min or until fragrant. Add coconut milk, tamarind, sugar and processed onion mixture; bring to a boil then reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, about 4 mins or until sauce thickens slightly.

04. Stir in finely chopped onion off the heat.

TIP

If shrimp paste is unavailable, substitute 1 tbsp fish sauce. Tamarind concentrate is made from dried tamarind pulp and is a popular souring agent that adds an appetising tang and fruity background flavour to curries and sauces.

Photo: bauersyndication.com.au