Savoury And Sweet, Here’s Peanut Butter Not As A Spread, But As A Sauce

Peanut butter lives in the pantry. But what happens when it leaves the jar not as a spread, but as a sauce?

Oh yeah, this is more than your typical PB&J. Think beyond the jar, and you’ll notice how handy a spread peanut butter really is. Interestingly, anything less than 90% peanuts in a jar are, by law, considered as a peanut spread than peanut butter. Contrariwise, as most know, there’s neither dairy nor butter in the paste. It’s simply a name that sounds as comforting as how a spread (or butter) should, inherently.

Let’s stir things up here—not just as a spread, but as a sauce. There’s bottled potential, and we’re dipping right into it.

Ramen hack

For the TikTok throng, the ramyeon hack since 2024 has spiralled all across the platform. Instant noodles have strung by way before its online heyday, and to have a kitchen tip topping a hearty bowl like ramen is a “game-changer”, as they say. The hack? Peanut butter. Besides the creamy consistency, peanut butter is the one jar every pantry has in store. So really, it’s the ultimate lazy and easy trick to do.

Take your seasoning packet, a shade of sesame oil, chopped garlic, chilli oil to kick things up a notch, and a spoonful of peanut butter; stir it with some noodle water whilst you boil them. And there we have it! Behold your instant noodle, but now it slurps more indulgently.

Peanut butter noodles

Just as easy, though with more steps to take to perfect it. First, select your strand: udon, ramen, or spaghetti, even. When boiling them, have some water saved on the side. Start the sauce with peanut butter—obviously, then light soy sauce, a splash of sesame oil, chilli oil to jazz it up, and vinegar for that bright tang. Plus, many peanut butter noodle dishes recommend honey as well. It’s a subtle sweetness that breaks up the salty soy, savoury-spicy seasoning, and earthy peanut butter. Not to mention that glazing shine honey carries into the dish, turning it into a sauce that clings and coats.

To my taste, I much prefer a steaming hot bowl. But all the above components, along with the water saved aside, can be stirred together before your noodles incorporate. By the same token, I’d start with the wet—blending peanut butter with the oil and sauces in a bowl. In the pan, stir minced—or chopped—garlic before the wet mixture marries into the heat. Hereon is where the leftover water rains in. Fold the sauce until concentrated before tossing in your noodles. Finally, spring onions and dried chilli to finish.

Stir-fry sauce

Peanut butter is perfect as a stir-fry sauce. It’s an everyday spread kept in your kitchen corner, so why not turn it into a dish while you’re at it? Chicken breasts coated in this thick stir works beautifully; stir-fried veggies in peanut butter sport a satisfying crunch among a creamy wash, and tofu too makes for delicately blank blocks to paint the paste with. Nuts to top as your nutty finale.

On the sides

Can’t forget about the sibling with more bite to its dollop—crunchy peanut butter. While it isn’t a personal pick, I imagine this spread serves a sharper crowd. Peanut butter in Southeast Asia is truly where it transforms from comfort to craft. Imagine it as a sauce with backbone, because that is peanut butter here in Malaysia, as it is in some other countries as well.

Satay peanut sauce

Satay peanut sauce, or ‘kuah kacang’ would be the one and only way to enjoy your satay with. Boiling it down to not only the chunky peanut butter, but with coconut milk as a base, it’s one creamy, fire-friendly dip.

First, prep. Soak dried chillies as well as dried shrimps in hot water. Ready some shallots, garlic, galangal, and ginger—peeled before chopping. Then, a lemongrass stalk—whereupon stripping its hard outer layer, next to ridding the top and bottom, work in a quick whack for its fragrance to reveal itself before slicing it diagonally. By now, drain your softened dried chillies and dried shrimps. Toss all the above ingredients into the blender with ¼ either water or vegetable oil, and there’s the paste.

Fire up your oil to sauté your aromatics; it’s patience at play here as consistent stir-frying is a must. The paste will absorb the oil at first, but it will release as it blends. Keep it a steady stir for close to 10 minutes so that your paste is cooked down with as few raw edges as possible—oil splitting, as we know it. Next up, slip in chunky peanut butter, coconut milk to loosen, rounding it off with tamarind paste, and palm sugar together with dark sweet soy sauce—2 tablespoons, each. Bring it to a boil before turning the heat down to a simmer, and until your sugar melts, it’s recommended to leave the satay sauce to deepen. Finally, top it up with water for a consistency you’re happy with, or when it dries down, and there’s your satay peanut sauce!

Hotpot dipping

It’s no surprise to learn that this isn’t a dip I prefer, yet it’s a little recipe that even I see no fault in forging. The charm of hotpot lies in its abundance and accessibility. Picture one space where no pick is too many and no plate is too full—that’s hotpot. It’s no different when you turn to its sauce station.

Fresh, fried, or dried, each presented in slices and slivers, just the right fit to load onto saucers as you dunk your chopsticks in. Thus, preparing spicy peanut sauce is as easy as beans. Open with a spoonful or two of peanut butter, minced garlic, a splash of sesame oil, ½ lime, 2 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp fish sauce, cilantro, and scallions. Finally—and this is optional—chopped nuts for crunch.

Spicy peanut sauce—or any dipping sauces, really—aren’t so much an option, more so a must to have when glutting on hotpot. Sure, hotpot broth itself is saporous as it is, but a dipping sauce isn’t to step in, it’s to pitch a lift to what bite there already steeps.

Opening image: @anjalee.co | Instagram