The Secret To Thai Peanut Sauce That Rivals Your Favorite Restaurant

You come home from a great meal at a Thai restaurant and can't stop thinking about the peanut sauce you so generously dipped your satay into time after time. This must be simple to make at home, you think. All you need is some red curry paste, coconut milk, soy sauce, peanut butter, and sugar, right? Yet, for some reason, it just never tastes quite as good as the restaurant. Chowhound spoke exclusively with chef Aom Srisuk, who runs the kitchens at Pomelo and Good Catch in New Orleans, to figure out why. According to Srisuk, it all comes down to using the freshest ingredients possible.

Srisuk, who opened the two restaurants with her husband, Frankie Weinberg, came to the United States in 2018 after 15 years of owning and operating restaurants in her native Thailand, so she's used to being able to buy things like coconut milk made from shaved coconut meat or freshly made curry paste at the local markets in her native country. For anyone trying to cook Thai peanut sauce outside of Thailand, she acknowledges the unlikelihood of obtaining such fresh, choice ingredients. 

While restaurant owners often have access to distributors that can supply unique ingredients for international cuisines like Thai food, consumers may not have many options. Instead, Srisuk says, " ... I suggest working with well-respected Thai brands. Experiment with your cooking and choose the curry paste and coconut milk brands that you prefer when cooking other dishes, and use those in your peanut sauce."

Aom Srisuk says that no single ingredient — not even a great peanut butter — is the star of your peanut sauce. "Every ingredient, from the coconut milk to the curry paste to the palm sugar and tamarind, works together to bring forward this iconic flavor," she explains. But she does emphasize the importance of using palm sugar instead of the white sugar often suggested in recipes. She says, " ... It provides a much greater depth of authentic flavor that white sugar just cannot replicate."

Srisuk notes that, in Thailand, it's rare to use peanut butter in your peanut sauce. Chefs usually grind their own peanuts. While you can often do the same in or near the peanut butter aisle at a supermarket or health food store, Srisuk suggests using a natural, unsweetened chunky peanut butter, which has a similar texture to home-ground. Among the natural peanut butter brands Chowhound suggests are Once Again and MaraNatha.

Finally, the chef cautions, "Don't be rushed to cook it. Let it gently simmer for a while on low heat, allowing the flavors to come together, stirring constantly until the texture is right." Once you've followed Srisuk's suggestions, you might think about mastering some of the other dishes you should be ordering at a Thai restaurant beyond pad Thai — perhaps some Thai-inspired coconut and pumpkin soup?