This is such a good, easy Peanut Sauce for stir fries and noodles. Anything you make with it is so tasty! Use with stir fry ingredients of choice using my “formula” – chicken, beef, prawns/shrimp, tofu or vegetarian.
I’m a big fan of peanut sauces, so there’s a few to choose from here! If you’re after a Peanut Sauce for dipping, use the sauce in this Thai Chicken Satay recipe. For a peanut salad dressing, use this Asian Peanut Salad Dressing. If you want a creamy Sesame Peanut Sauce, use the sauce in this Sesame Peanut Noodles recipe.
Ingredients
PEANUT SAUCE
- 1 tbsp fish sauce (Note 1)
- 1/2 tbsp dark soy sauce (Note 2)
- 1 1/2 tsp sugar
- 2 tsp cornflour / cornstarch
- 1 garlic clove , minced
- 1 tsp grated ginger
- 1 tsp curry powder (any type)
- 1 1/2 tbsp / 30 g crunchy peanut butter, regular (Note 1)
- 3 tbsp water
TO USE THE SAUCE:
STIR FRY
- 1 SINGLE batch Peanut Sauce (above)
- 2 tbsp oil
- 1/2 onion, sliced
- 1 – 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped or minced
- 180- 200g / 6 – 7 oz protein of choice, sliced
- 3 – 4 cups vegetables of choice, chopped / sliced as required and grouped by cooking time (Note 4)
NOODLE STIR FRY – YOU WILL NEED
- DOUBLE batch Peanut Sauce (tap Servings & slide)
- Stir fry ingredients above
- 100g / 3.5 oz dried rice noodles OR 180g/6 oz fresh noodles of choice , prepared per packet
GARNISH (OPTIONAL):
- Finely chopped coriander / cilantro, crushed peanuts
Instructions
PEANUT SAUCE:
- Place all ingredients other than water in a bowl. Mix to combine. Then add water and mix again.
FOR STIR FRY:
- Heat oil in a skillet or wok over high heat. Add garlic and 1/2 sliced onion. Cook 1 minute.
- Add protein of choice or sliced tofu. Cook 2 minutes until just cooked.
- Add vegetables in order of time to cook, starting with the veggies that take the longer. Cook briefly until just cooked but still crisp.
- Add delicate veggies (eg bean sprouts, spinach and other leafy greens) and Sauce. Toss until Sauce thickens (add extra water if needed).
- Garnish with peanuts and coriander / cilantro, if using. Serve over rice – or for a low carb, low cal option, try Cauliflower Rice!
FOR NOODLES:
- Follow Stir Fry directions. Add NOODLES with the Sauce in step 4.
- Toss for 1 – 2 minutes until Sauce thickens and coats noodles. Remove from heat, garnish and serve immediately!
Recipe Notes:
1. Peanut Butter – Regular peanut you use for sandwiches or unsweetened peanut butter is fine here.
2. Fish Sauce – don’t skip this! It’s key for getting enough complexity in the flavour of this Peanut Sauce with so few ingredients. The sauce smells a bit fishy but that smell disappears once cooked.
3. Dark Soy Sauce has more flavour than light and all purpose soy sauce. It also darkens the colour of the Peanut Sauce. You can substitute with normal soy sauce.
4. When cooking stir fries, add the vegetables that take the longest to cook first, then delicate leafy things like the leaves of Asian greens, spinach and bean sprouts right at the end. For Asian greens, separate the stems from the leafy parts, and put the stems in first.
Broccoli / broccolini / cauliflower – cook prior to adding as they won’t cook in the quick cook time for this recipe.
5. STORAGE: The Sauce can be made and kept for 3 – 5 days. If keeping for longer than than 3 days, leave out the ginger and garlic and add it when using (for freshness and also because minced garlic goes off).
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