Kuah Kacang (Malaysian Satay Peanut Sauce)
Prep 20 min Total 30 min
Kuah Kacang (Malaysian Satay Peanut Sauce) - kvalifood.com
Kuah kacang is the peanut dipping sauce served with Malaysian satay. Built on a spice paste of dried chillies, shallots, garlic, lemongrass, and galangal, it gets its body from coarsely ground roasted peanuts and its character from tamarind and palm sugar. The sauce is thinner and more gravy-like than Thai peanut sauce, and the peanuts should always have visible texture.
Makes ca. 500 ml
Ingredients
- 250 g raw peanuts, skin-on or skinless
- 8-10 dried red chillies
- 6 shallots (~80 g), roughly chopped
- 3 garlic cloves (~15 g)
- 3 lemongrass stalks, bottom third only, sliced
- 3 cm galangal, sliced
- 1 lemongrass stalk, bruised
- 3 tbsp neutral oil
- 500 ml water
- 60 g palm sugar (gula melaka), chopped or grated
- 1 tbsp tamarind paste, dissolved in 2 tbsp warm water
- 1/2 tsp salt
Directions
Dry-roast the peanuts in a pan over medium heat, stirring constantly, until golden and fragrant, about 8-10 minutes. If skin-on, rub them in a towel to remove loose skins. Let cool completely.
Pulse the cooled peanuts in a food processor to a coarse, uneven texture with some powder and some pieces. Do not over-process.
Soak the dried chillies in hot water for 15 minutes, then drain. Blend the chillies, shallots, garlic, sliced lemongrass, and galangal with 1-2 tbsp water until a thick paste forms.
Heat the oil in a heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Add the bruised lemongrass stalk and fry for 30 seconds. Add the spice paste and cook, stirring frequently, for 12-15 minutes until the paste darkens and the oil begins to separate at the edges. This step is not optional.
Pour in the water and dissolved tamarind. Bring to a boil. Add the crushed peanuts and stir to combine.
Reduce the heat to low. Add the palm sugar and salt. Simmer for 20-30 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent sticking, until the sauce thickens to a gravy-like consistency. It will thicken further as it cools.
Taste and adjust with more palm sugar, tamarind, or salt as needed. The sauce should be nutty, slightly sweet, mildly sour, with gentle heat.
Notes
- The peanut texture should be coarse with visible pieces. This is what sets it apart from Thai or Western peanut sauces.
- The spice paste must be cooked until the oil visibly separates. Undercooked rempah tastes raw and harsh.
- Palm sugar (gula melaka) has a distinctive caramel-molasses flavour. Brown sugar works as a substitute, but use about 20% less since it is sweeter.
- For tamarind, paste from a block (soaked and strained) gives the best flavour. Concentrate from a jar is more intense – reduce to 2 tsp and adjust.
- Coconut milk is optional: adding 100-200 ml after the water creates a richer version. If using, reduce water by the same amount.
- Keeps 5-7 days refrigerated. Reheat gently with a splash of water.
See Also
Sambal Oelek
