SECRET SAUCE
With BBQ season upon us, and plenty of outdoor soirees planned this weekend, I thought it was time to share a secret with you.
I have a few scars from burns and cuts, but the greater residual effect after years in the kitchen is that I have carpal tunnel from using tongs to excess. In particular, from making Thai saté with peanut sauce. During “high season,” I may well have made more than a 1000 pieces a week for a few months. That’s a lot of tonging! A friend of mine was a pastry chef at a large, swanky restaurant and got the same thing from scooping a whole lot of ice cream and sorbet. I don’t recall if she went off ice cream after that, but I have ever considered food on a stick a necessary crowd pleaser and continued to serve saté, albeit plant-based these days. jump to recipe
Long ago I catered a wedding where there was no kitchen or heat source other than a grill, so everything either had to be done ahead and served room temperature, or come off the grill. The bride was a vegetarian, so we did chicken and eggplant saté, both of which were gobbled up. But then, both were served with my peanut sauce. Other than those with the unfortunate allergy (more on that below), everyone seems to love anything served with peanut sauce, and mine has a few secret ingredients.
I learned in cooking school that Dijon mustard was a terrific secret seasoning agent. A small amount gives depth of flavor, and a little hit of “acid” not unlike what you get from a squeeze of lemon or splash of wine. It isn’t a liquid though, so it adds a little body as well. It’s not commonly used in traditional Asian peanut sauce, however. Secret number one in my sauce.
Secret number two, and this is a biggy if you can’t eat peanuts: Tahini! Tahini is roasted sesame paste, and tastes very similar to peanut butter. I replace a bit of the peanut butter with tahini for a less “obvious” peanut butter flavor. You could make the whole of it tahini though, if allergies are an issue.
I may be shunned by purists for these adjustments, but I am just fine with that, as were those who ate my saté, it would seem.
This sauce can do so much more than saté, though. Any noodle, Asian or otherwise, can be served with peanut sauce – just add lightly cooked vegetables and protein. Personally, I think you’ll want to finish with chopped scallions, no matter what, and cilantro if you like the stuff. Those two together give it that je nais se quois finish that I just love.
Because I’d decided to share my “secret sauce” with you this week, I had to make it of course. I wasn’t feeling noodle-y though, nor did I feel compelled to make saté. I had, however, been meaning to make roasted cabbage, of all things. So, I tossed hunks of red and white cabbage with coconut oil (although any oil would do) and Tamari (a type of soy sauce), then popped them in a hot oven until they looked roasted, about 10 minutes with convection.
I tossed my roasted cabbage with the peanut sauce, and et voila! That was one yummy, and pretty side dish. I highly recommend this combo, although truthfully a quick sauté would be pretty similar, if things are heating up where you are.
If you have any grilling planned this summer, you’ll want to whip up a batch of my secret sauce to share with friends. Whether or not you share the recipe is up to you, though!
Use regular coconut milk, not “lite” for this. The real trick here is tasting to decide if the salty/sweet/sour are all balanced. Add tamari for more salty, sugar for more sweet, and more lime juice or vinegar for sour. Perhaps you need a bit more of all three, you decide. The garlic will intensify, so only use one clove if making this ahead. For thicker sauce, use the “cream” in the can of coconut milk, or add more peanut butter. For more authentic flavor use palm sugar, which I understand is easier on the environment than the oil.
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
- ¼ cup Tamari or soy sauce
- ½ cup coconut milk
- 2 Tbsp. lime juice or rice vinegar
- 2 tsp. brown sugar
- 1-2 cloves garlic
- 1” piece fresh ginger, thinly sliced
- 1 Tbsp. cumin
- 1Tbsp. coriander
- 3 Tbsp. peanut butter
- 1 Tbsp. tahini
Instructions
- Put everything in the blender and puree until smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning.
