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Indonesian Peanut Sauce

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BY The Editors

PUBLISHED June 6, 2025

The creamy and nutty Indonesian sambal kacang sauce accompanies meat satays across the archipelago. After roasted peanuts are pulsed, the sauce comes together quickly. – Hugh Mangum

 

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Indonesian Peanut Sauce

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Makes 3 1/2 cups (1 lb /450 g) 1x

Time 20 minutes

Scale

Ingredients

  • 2 1/3 cups (12 oz/350 g) roasted peanuts
  • 1 tablespoon tamarind paste
  • 4 tablespoons canola oil
  • 2 tablespoons fish sauce
  • 2 teaspoons sugar

Instructions

In a food processor, pulse the peanuts into a coarse powder.

In a large skillet, combine the peanut powder and the remaining ingredients. Pour in 1 cup (8 fl oz/ 240 ml) of room-temperature water. Cook over medium heat for 5–10 minutes, until the mixture turns creamy. If needed, add a little more water to thin out the sauce.

The sauce can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

– Excerpted from Barbecue © 2025 by Hugh Mangum. Photography © 2025 by Nico Schinco. Reproduced by permission of Phaidon. All rights reserved.

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