Name: Peanut Dipping Sauce (Sambal Kacang I)
Yield: Makes ⅓ cup (80 ml)
Cuisine: Indonesian
Ingredients: 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, plus more if needed; 2 medium-hot finger-length red chilies, such as Fresno, cayenne, or serrano, seeded (optional) and chopped, or 1 tablespoon sambal oelek; 1 clove garlic, minced; 1½ oz (40 g) raw peanuts (preferably skin-on like Spanish peanuts) or 2 tablespoons store-bought chunky peanut butter; 2 teaspoons distilled white vinegar; 1 tablespoon shaved palm sugar or brown sugar; 2 bird’s eye chilies or Thai chilies, stemmed (optional); 3 tablespoons hot water; ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt; 1 teaspoon kecap manis (optional)

Preparation info

Makes
⅓ cup

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

Mortar and Pestle

By Patricia Tanumihardja

Published 2024

About

A little loose and laced with the extra zing of vinegar, this is the perfect dipping sauce for Otak Otak. If you can’t find raw peanuts, buy roasted ones (preferably unsalted), skip the roasting, and grind them right away. Better yet, if your grocery store has a DIY peanut butter machine, that’s the best substitute. Plus, since it’s usually in the bulk section, you can purchase however much you’d like. If using peanut butter, whisk it in with the spice pas