Thai Spicy Peanut Sauce

This sauce is amazing because it works with many different mediums.  I prefer it on pasta. Also, it tastes exotic and familiar at the same time. Lastly, it tastes amazing fresh and best of all...reheated for those times you have no interest in cooking or doing dishes.  I will also include an alternate (and easier) recipe at the end for those without a Cuisinart food processor or blender at their disposal. Makes 4-5 servings.

Ingredients:

1 cup roasted peanuts

1 sprig of cilantro (optional)

3 tablespoons of soy sauce

1 tablespoon of hot sauce (preferably Asian origin, but avoid Sriracha if you can because it comes with a lot of spices already added to it)

2 cloves of garlic

2 chicken bouillon cubes

1 tablespoon ginger (fresh grated preferred but powdered or jarred will do)

Put the peanuts in the food processor. Easy.

Peel and add the garlic cloves. Rinse, dry, and add the cilantro (no stems). Again, cilantro is optional.  Some say that you can have a genetic aversion to its taste.  I say it's just an acquired love.

Add the ginger, bouillon cubes, and hot sauce.  I really like Sambal Oelek Chili Paste. It has a true chili taste that you can't find anywhere else. It goes beyond just being hot for the sake of spiciness. 

Also, take this opportunity to put three cups of water on the stove and bring it to a boil.

Pulse the food processor a few times before turning it on high. Wait for the mixture to start to cake up slightly before adding your soy sauce.  Then blend until it becomes close to a paste.  This is also a good time to put on water for any pasta or rice you plan on making.

Add your peanut paste to the boiling water and bring the stove down to medium heat.  Sit there and occasionally stir until sauce boils down a bit.  It should thicken within ten to fifteen minutes.  The sauce thickens because the starches from the peanuts breakdown from the heat.  Don't forget to enjoy the smells wafting up from the pan.

This is your finished product. I had leftover rotisserie chicken than I added for extra substance.  Feel free to improvise in that area.  Set out the soy sauce and hot sauce on the table for anyone who wants more saltiness or spiciness.  The alternate recipe is included below.

To make the recipe a little easier on yourself do this:

Replace and the peanuts with peanut butter, and replace the bouillon cubes and water with chicken broth (or just make the broth with the bouillon cubes).  Bring the broth to a simmer in a sauce pan and add the peanut butter, then turn the burner to low heat. Finely mince or mash your garlic cloves and cilantro, and then add all the ingredients one by one and stir until all combined.  Leave the sauce to simmer for a five to ten minutes and serve on pasta, rice, etc.  Bon appétit!