5-minute Peanut Chili Sauce (Sambal Kacang)

This quick and easy 5-minute peanut chili sauce (sambal kacang) is the BEST you’ll ever taste! Perfect for drizzling over bowls, tossing with noodles, or as a dipping sauce!

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Peanut sauce vs. peanut satay sauce

There’s a sauce or chili sauce for almost every Indonesian dish. And the most common one is satay sauce that goes well with grilled chicken skewers. Peanut sauce (sambal kacang) is very simple to make, while satay sauce contains more spices like candlenuts and takes a bit longer to prepare.

So, today is all about dipping sauce. This garlicky, spicy, nutty dipping sauce works well with potato croquette, fried rice vermicelli, grilled chicken, spring rolls, or anything fried, such as fried tofu. And the best part, you can have it ready in five minutes. Yes, it is super easy, creamy, and blog-worthy!

Indonesian peanut sauce vs. Thai peanut sauce

You might have noticed there is a long list of Thai peanut sauce recipes out there. It looks similar but different.

• Indonesian peanut is less sweet compared to the Thai version since it doesn’t use brown sugar or soy sauce; hence, it is a pure combination of sugar, salt, and lime or vinegar
• Thai version uses coconut milk and ginger (inn some recipes)
• When it comes to consistency, Indonesian sauce is not too watery or too thick while Thai sauce is slightly thicker

The ingredients

• Peanuts. I usually use raw skinless peanuts (kacang tanah kupas kulit); however, you can substitute with creamy or chunky peanut butter spread
• Garlic to add earthiness in the flavor
• Chilies I use are cayenne pepper and Thai chili pepper. Add more chilies if you prefer spicy
• Salt, sugar to enhance flavors
• Lime juice or vinegar to balance it out
• Water to thin the sauce

How to make easy peanut sauce

This 5 minutes peanut chili sauce is very easy to make, even if you’re a newbie in the kitchen.

1. Make a paste by grinding the peanuts, garlic, and chilies in a food processor.
2. Add salt, sugar, lime, and hot water. Adjust the seasoning and add more water if the sauce is too thick.

Can I cook peanut sauce?

If you use raw skinless peanuts, I recommend you to sauté the peanuts over medium heat until toasted and fragrant with 2 tablespoons of oil until golden brown (about 4-6 minutes). Then, you will need to make a paste by grinding the peanuts, garlic, and chilies in a food processor. Then add the rest of the ingredients and cook on low heat until the sauce boils.

Storing

This peanut chili sauce can be stored in a clean jar in the fridge for up to 7-10 days. Just be sure to bring it to room temperature before serving.

What can you eat with peanut chili sauce?

This sambal kacang goes well with almost anything, such as potato croquette, fried rice vermicelli, grilled chicken, spring rolls, or anything fried.

This tasty, so easy to make and extra versatile 5-minute peanut chili sauce is one of my favorite kitchen weapons! And you will love it, too!