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Peanut Dipping Sauce

Also just called peanut sauce or satay sauce, this dipping sauce is a flavorful part of Southeast Asian cuisine, especially Indonesian cuisine, where it’s called bumbu kacang or sambal kacang. (These translate literally to “nut bumbu spice” or “nut sambal.”)
Peanut Dipping Sauce Illustration | Uwajimaya
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Japanese

ピーナッツソース

Korean

땅콩 소스

Chinese

花生酱

There, it’s a staple sauce that’s been around for hundreds of years after peanuts were introduced to Indonesia by Iberian sailors, like the history of the introduction of chilis used in sambal.  

To make peanut sauce, peanuts are roasted or fried and then ground along with other spices, aromatics, and liquid components — in the latter case, coconut milk, soy sauce, and water are common. But like so many foods with similar histories of home cooking, there are a bunch of different recipes for peanut sauce and no single “correct” one.   

When these ingredients are combined, it creates an umami flavor that complements other dishes with its slightly creamy, rich earthy taste and texture. It’s most iconically paired with satay or other skewered meats and vegetables as a dipping sauce, but it can also work as a sauce on noodle dishes and more.  

Uwajimaya carries different varieties of sauces in our sauce and condiment aisle, but you can also get ingredients to make your own fresh peanut sauce throughout the store.