Peanut satay sauce is one of the most delicious Asian sauces and together with seasoned, skewered and grilled meat, satay is one of our favourite street foods. With ready-made satay sauces available to buy from supermarkets, it’s so convenient to keep some at home and use on everything.
Satay sauce is versatile enough to go with any meat, but it can also be used in a vegetable stir-fry as well as a salad dressing or mixed into rice.
How our review works
We tested 3 brands of peanut satay sauce and asked: How do they compare in prices and weight, key ingredients and nutritional values? How do they compare in reheating methods? How do they compare in texture and taste?
Biona Organic Satay Peanut Simmer Sauce 350ml, $8.30
Brahim’s Satay Sauce 180gm, $2.60
Ayam Satay Sauce Mild 250ml, $5.30
First let’s compare the prices and weight, key ingredients and nutritional values.
Biona Organic, $8.30 for 350ml (approx. $2.40/100ml)
It contains the most plant power, including tomatoes, onions, and ginger juice. It also contains coconut milk and rice syrup. There are 177 calories and 0.98 gm of sodium in 100gm of sauce.
Brahim’s, $2.60 for 180gm (approx. $1.40/100gm)
Its special ingredient is shrimp paste and other aromatic herbs and spices like lemongrass, tamarind and chilli. There are 205 calories and 0.5 gm of sodium in 100 gm of sauce.
Ayam, $5.30 for 250ml (approx. $2.10/100ml)
This one contains the special ingredients candlenuts, coriander, and curry powder in addition to tamarind, lemongrass, and coconut milk. There are 215 calories and 0.25 gm of sodium in 100 gm of sauce.
Chicken satay sandwich
We’re going to use the sauces to make an easy chicken satay sandwich with English muffins because English muffins are great when toasted, and they’re a perfect reason for having satay for breakfast.
How do they compare in reheating methods?
Biona Organic
Although there weren’t any reheating instructions on Biona’s packaging, just simply out the amount you need into a small pan, place it over the stove and simmer on a medium-low heat until bubbles start to break the surface.
Brahim’s
Brahim’s reheating instructions are simple – boil it in the bag for five minutes and it’s ready to be served.
Ayam
Ayam’s serving suggestion is to heat gently but not to bring it to a boil. Although the sauce comes out of the can like jelly, it does loosen up when heated.
How do they compare in texture and taste?
Biona Organic
It has the smoothest consistency of all, which looks more like a thick and creamy sauce than a peanut satay sauce. It has a strong vegetable flavour which makes this brand stand out from other satay sauces.
Brahim’s
This sauce is very similar to the traditional ones served at Satay Club that tends to be a bit runnier and contains lots of crushed peanuts. The taste also matches the traditional satay sauce – sweet, crunchy and aromatic.
Ayam
It has the chunkiest consistency of the three brands and clearly contains lots of crushed peanuts. It features a mouthfulness and thick flavour and it also tastes like a mild curry sauce with lots of crushed peanuts.
Real Life Review
Biona Organic Satay Peanut Simmer Sauce
Brahim’s Satay Sauce
Ayam Satay Sauce Mild
3 Must-know Facts
- Biona Organic Satay Peanut Simmer Sauce has a strong vegetable flavour which makes this brand stand out from other satay sauces.
- Brahim’s Satay Sauce’s the middle of the three brands in terms of nutritional values – it doesn’t contain the most calories or salt content.
- Ayam Satay Sauce Mild seems to be a versatile condiment which can be used as a dressing for pastas and noodles and can add flavour when mixed into rice or dolloped onto hot vegetables.
Overall Review
Biona’s thick and creamy satay sauce actually makes it a great sandwich or burger sauce.
It’s definitely worth keeping a few pouches of Brahim’s satay sauce handy for moments when you need a tasty dipping sauce for satay skewers, barbecue or as a salad dressing.
Ayam’s satay sauce seems to be a versatile condiment which can be used as a dressing for pastas and noodles and can add flavour when mixed into rice or dolloped onto hot vegetables
Meet our reviewer: Trish Caddy is a trained restaurant chef and a food trend analyst. Raised in Singapore and England, she is proud of her Cantonese and British heritage and loves all kinds of Asian and Singapore cuisine and fusion food. You can see more of her food experiments at @dishheads on Instagram.