Peanut Salad Dressing

This salad dressing is perfect for peanut lovers! This vegan, simple peanut dressing is not overly spicy. Similar to satay sauce, which is made from raw, ground, roasted peanuts, but much easier to make.

One of my favourite ways to eat vegetables is with this peanut dressing. We frequently think of the Indonesian dish Gado Gado when we discuss vegetable salad with peanut sauce. Sort of like mixing any kind of vegetable with peanut sauce. In other words, the peanut dressing serves as the true core of this salad. By drizzling on a sweet, savoury peanut sauce with a hint of sour flavour from tamarind paste, this peanut dressing will make the basic veggies utterly delicious to everyone.

 I tried this recipe with water spinach (kangkong), shredded carrots, tomatoes, boiled egg, fried tofu, and cucumber. I even mix the sauce with rice vermicelli. Taste amazing. You may try it with cabbage, beansprouts, cauliflower, breed beans and chayote. As far as you get the sauce right, the rest is up to you. And of course, this peanut sauce can also be used as a dipping sauce for meat.

The dressing was pretty thick because I enjoy the richness of a thick sauce, but you can adjust the consistency by simply adding more water or coconut milk.  The sauce should be served warm because it thickens when cooled. You can keep the leftover in the refrigerator, it will last for at least a week.

INGREDIENTS

5 dried chilies, seeds removed

5 shallots, cut into small chucks

7-8 cloves garlic

½ tsp ground coriander

240ml coconut milk

½ cup water

100g roasted peanuts

4-6 tablespoon tamarind paste (1 ½ tbsp of tamarind pulp mixed with 60ml of warm water)

3 tbsp palm sugar

1 tsp salt

 

Options for the Salad

3 firmed tofu

3 full boiled eggs

½ length of cucumber

½ length of carrots

2 regular tomatoes

A bunch of green water spinach

 

METHODS

1. Roast the peanuts in a preheated oven at 150°C for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring them halfway through. When they are golden brown, take them out of the oven. Grind them into a coarse meal texture once they have cooled.

2. To remove the dust, briefly soak the dried chiles in water, then wash and pat dry with paper towels. In a dry sauté pan over medium heat, toast the dried chilies while turning continuously until they have some charred spots and smell smoky. Then remove from pan and set aside.

3. To lessen the spiciness, use scissors to cut the toasted dry chilies into large chunks, remove the seeds and pith from the dried chiles. Thereafter, use a grinder to powderize the dried chiles.

4. Pour the warm water over tamarind pulp, smash up a bit with a spoon and let soak for 10-15 minutes.

5. In a mortar and pestle, pound together shallots, garlic, ground chilies and coriander powder into a rough paste.

6. In a small pot, add ¼ cup of the coconut milk and bring to a boil.  Add the curry paste and continue cooking until it has thickened and decreased, stirring continuously. Cook the paste for another minute when it has thickened. Add salt, water, tamarind, palm sugar, ground roasted peanuts, and the remaining coconut milk. Over low heat, simmer the dressing for 30 minutes, frequently scraping the bottom to keep it from burning.

7. Given that it will be served with heaps of vegetables, taste it, and adjust the seasoning as necessary. Let it cool a little bit before pouring the dressing over the salad. It should still be warm.

8. Cut the firmed tofu into triangular shapes, deep fried it until it’s nice and golden brown on the outside.

9. Bring a wok with salt water and drizzle with a little cooking oil. Blanch the water spinach in the boiling water for 1-2 minutes. Remove it from the water and soak it in a pot of cool water. This will stop the intensity of heat from boiling water to prevent the spinach from cooking and retain the bright green colour.

10. Cut the full boiled eggs into half; cut the tomatoes into wedges; sliced the cucumber and hand julienned carrots.

11. Place all the salad ingredients on individual plate, pour or drizzle the sauce on top of the salad and SERVE.