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.
Peanut Sauce for Stir Fries
This Peanut Sauce for stir fries is one of those gems that belies the short list of simple ingredients. It has depth of flavour and complexity that you find in restaurant peanut sauces yet is much more straight forward to make.
The satay and peanut sauce spectrum is broad – very broad – with variations all across the world, not just from Asia. In Australia, the most well known is probably Thai peanut sauce that are served with Thai satay skewers.
This one is not from any particular cuisine, though Australians will recognise it as similar to the Satay Peanut Sauce flavour served in Chinese restaurants, owing to the hint of curry flavour. It’s adapted from this Quick Satay Stir Fry, a gem of a recipe from a reader that I’ve made dozens of times since receiving it!
This is just a really great, simple Peanut Sauce that will make any stir fry or noodles really tasty!
The secret to really tasty Peanut Sauce
Contrary to popular believe, you do not need tons of peanut butter for a great peanut sauce for stir fries! In fact, a tasty peanut sauce comes down to the combination of other seasonings that makes this extra tasty:
- Fish Sauce – more depth of flavour than soy sauce or salt. Don’t worry, once cooked it doesn’t taste fishy!
- Soy sauce – I use dark soy for colour but light or all purpose is fine too.
- Peanut butter – commercial sweetened spread or natural unsweetened is fine here
- Curry powder – the secret ingredient in peanut satay sauces!
- Garlic and ginger – fresh is best!
- Cornflour/cornstarch – to thicken the sauce
- Sugar – for a touch of extra sweet
Use this peanut sauce for stir fries – or use it to make this stir fried Peanut Sauce Noodles!
This is the curry powder I use – Clive of India which is widely available in Australia at supermarkets. Yes, this is an Indian curry. It doesn’t really matter what type of curry powder you use because it’s just a subtle background flavour. I promise!
How to use this Peanut Sauce
To make a stir fry, you will need:
-
1 batch of Peanut Sauce
-
200g/7oz of chicken or other protein
-
4 cups of vegetables
Here’s the written recipe for the Peanut Stir Fry, if you would like a step by step and also there is a recipe video.
To make a NOODLE stir fry, you will need:
-
DOUBLE batch of Peanut Sauce
-
The stir fry ingredients above
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100g/4 oz dried noodles OR 180g/6 oz fresh noodles (your choice what type – egg, rice, thin, thick)
Here’s the written recipe for the Peanut Noodle Stir Fry, if you would like a step by step and recipe video – pictured below.
Hope you enjoy! – Nagi x
For Peanut and Satay Sauce Fans!
I’m a big fan of peanut sauces and satay. Choose the one you’re after!
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Thai Peanut Dipping Sauce – use the sauce in this Thai Chicken Satay Skewers
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Indo / Bali Peanut Sauce – use the sauce in this Bali Chicken Satay
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Peanut Satay Curry Sauce – deep, complex flavours or a Malaysian satay sauce, see this Chicken Satay Curry. It’s basically Malaysian Satay chicken, in curry form rather than on skewers. ie loads and loads of satay sauce!!
-
Asian Peanut Dressing for Salads – use the dressing in this Chinese Chicken Salad with Asian Peanut Salad Dressing or the Satay Peanut Dressing in this Satay Chicken Noodle Salad.
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Creamy Sesame Peanut Sauce for noodles and noodle salads (warm and room temp) – use the sauce in this Sesame Peanut Noodles or this Noodle Salad with Creamy Sesame Peanut Dressing
Peanut Sauce for Stir Fries
WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT
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Peanut Sauce for Stir Fries
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:
Nutrition Information:
LIFE OF DOZER
Dozer’s golden retriever boarder continued to send me daily updates even when I was off the grid. This is the first one I saw when I returned to civilisation. He looks like he’s behaving……. he respects her a whole lot more than me!!
Hi Nagi love the recipe however I used kikkoman all purpose soy instead of dark soy and it’s soooo salty. Is dark soy less salty?
I increased the quantities (to eight servings!) hoping to feed me and three ravenous teenagers for dinner and lunch tomorrow (including one coeliac and one recovering vegetarian). It was such a hit that there is nothing for lunch tomorrow….
This is delicious. My husband asked me, “did you make this sauce??” And said it was the best he’d tasted. I followed everything as written and made noodles with veggies and tofu. So good! Thank you for this recipe.
Forgot to leave the 5 stars. 🙂
You are the sauce QUEEN! I needed the peanut sauce for another recipe and this was amazing. For the next time if I want some extra spice, I’ll add a pinch of red pepper flakes, but I can’t wait to use this again. Thanks for the yummy recipe!
Bravo Nagi! This delivered big time on flavour and ease! I’ve been making another satay sauce that’s a lot more complicated (but good) and this is probably even better!
Fantastic satay sauce recipe. Thank you so much Nagi.
Such a good recipe, I subbed out the Keen’s powder for plain old garam masala and tumeric, and it worked great, tastes just like the local Chinese takeaway!
Wow the sauce is amazing, thank you.
Can I substitute oyster sauce for the fish sauce as I am out!
Hi there ! I use sweet chilli sauce instead of fish sauce
this is now my go to for satay sauce…i use it for stir fry and make a slightly thicker version for dipping sauce…foolproof and so easy
Loving all your recipes. Thank you so much
You’re so welcome Audrie!! N x
This is the best sauce, I’ve made it several times now with various proteins. Kids love it and so easy to prepare in advance for a super quick dinner!
Hi Nagi, your recipe is amazing! I need some help, i got a layer of sauce sticking to the bottom of the wok and wonder what i did wrong. Too much heat, to little water? Any idea? Thank you
Holy moly. This was SO AMAZING! I had tofu that I had drained a couple of days ago and left in the fridge. I decided to stir fry the tofu in this sauce since I had almost everything in this recipe. The sauce was so easy to make and so delicious! I had way too much tofu for one person but I couldn’t stop eating. Should have made some rice or thrown in some vegetables, may be next time. Thank you Nagi, this recipe was pure bliss.
Can i use all purpose flour instead of cornstarch? i don’t have it as of the moment
Hi Nagi, I would love to make this but I have two very young kids who can’t eat spicy food. If I leave out the curry powder would it alter the flavour profile much?
Hi, in case Nagi doesn’t reply, the curry is not very hot, it’s the fresh ginger that gives the sauce heat so if you’re cooking for littlies leave it out or halve the amount 🙂
Love love love this! This quick satay sauce is one of my family’s favourites and we have it weekly.
There are 2 moments when you think it’s all gone terribly wrong:
1. when you first mix the ingredients without the water, it looks like it will never come together – but it does!
2. when you add the water. Everytime I think to myself “oh no, what have I done!” But again, it comes together beautifully
Thanks so much for this Nagi! It’s delicious 🙂
Can you add coconut cream or milk? is there any reason the recipe doesn’t call for it?
You could add it if you like Lauren, I find it doesn’t need it here though 🙂 N x
Absolutely love this recipe, I use it on tofu puffs with egg noodles, spring onions and bean sprouts and it’s so flavourful. However I find that it’s just a bit too thick and I’d love to make it go further – what’s the best way to dilute it without losing too much of the flavour? I don’t want to make it too watery if I add extra water.
Hi Rachel, I’m so glad you love it, I absolutely LOVE tofu and peanut sauce! Just add an extra tbls of water to thin out the sauce slightly if you prefer it runnier – N x