After tasting this authentic Malaysian satay sauce, you'll never go back to any other. This Malaysian-style satay sauce is nutty and creamy, with well-balanced flavors of lemongrass, ginger, and warm spices. It's slightly sweet and spicy, with adjustable heat to suit your taste. This sauce is perfect for my Malaysian chicken satay or any barbeque dish. I've simplified the recipe so it can be made wherever you are!
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What Is The Difference Between Malaysian And Thai Peanut Satay Sauce?
Being close neighbors, Malaysians and Thais have very similar food. Malaysian peanut sauce has more herbs like coriander, ginger, galangal, and lemongrass, while Thai peanut sauce uses red curry paste as its base. Both sauces have coconut milk, but Malaysian peanut sauce uses less coconut milk and more peanuts, while the opposite is true for Thai peanut sauce.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
As a Malaysian born now living in a small town in Spain, I cook all of my Malaysian and other Asian meals at home, as unfortunately, there are no good Asian restaurants here. I've been perfecting this Malaysian satay sauce recipe over the years and here's why you'll love it!
Authentic flavors—I have fond memories of growing up eating satay with my family and friends. The nutty, creamy, herbal, slightly spicy, and sweet flavors of the dish have always been engraved in my taste buds. This recipe definitely captures all the essence of an authentic Malaysian satay sauce!
Simplified ingredients and method—I make it a point to understand the specific functions of different Asian ingredients, as it allows me to be more creative and flexible in using whichever ones are accessible to me, like in my Thai basil beef, easy beef pho, and 10-minute beef lo mein. Additionally, I've created this Malaysian satay sauce recipe that doesn't require long hours to prepare, unlike the traditional method.
Ingredients For This Recipe
Chilies—They're for the spiciness. Typically, dried chilies are used, like in my sambal sauce, but I know they can be hard to come by. Fresh chilies are simpler to use since we can skip the rehydrating process, saving us time and effort. Adjust or omit as see fit.
Lemongrass—It's what makes this authentic Malaysian satay sauce stand out. It gives an amazing herbal flavor, like in my Vietnamese beef noodle salad and quick curry laksa recipe. You can easily find them in any Asian grocery store, in either fresh or frozen sections.
Galangal—It has an earthy flavor with a mild touch of pepper and citrus and smells slightly like pine needles. It's commonly used in Southeast Asian cuisine, such as in dishes like beef rendang, quick Penang asam laksa, and slow cooker chicken rendang. I usually get mine in the frozen section of an Asian grocery store. Although not the same, you can use extra ginger instead if you can't find it.
Peanuts—Traditionally, peanuts are dry-toasted in a pan, skin removed, cooled, and finally blended into a semi-fine texture. That's too much work! I achieved the same result by simplifying the process and using store-bought toasted peanuts that I snack on. I prefer the unsalted ones, as I can control the saltiness.
Concentrated tamarind—It balances the nutty flavor by infusing a touch of sourness and instantly brightens up the whole dish. Alternatively, use 1 tablespoon of lime juice.
Fish and soy sauce—For umami, dried shrimp are traditionally used. I know they are not a common ingredient and can be difficult to find. However, I've noticed that by combining fish and soy sauce, I achieve the same umami while still maintaining the essence of an authentic Malaysian satay sauce.
I recommend using low-sodium soy sauce. You can use more for flavor without the added salt. If you're using regular soy sauce, use half the amount.
See the recipe card for complete information on ingredients and quantities.
Step-By-Step Instructions
Step 1: Prepare the peanuts. Blend the peanuts into a semi-fine texture. If you are not using store-bought toasted peanuts, dry-toast them first in a pan for 20-30 minutes or bake them in the oven at 320ºF (160ºC) for 30 minutes. Cool completely, remove the skin, and blend.
Step 2: Make the base. Using a chopper, blend lemongrass, galangal, ginger, onion, garlic, chilies, and coriander seeds into a paste.
Step 3: Cook the base. Bruise one lemongrass by bashing it with a rolling pin. Put it in a pot with oil and heat until it starts sizzling. Add in the base paste and cook until it thickens and the oil separates.
Step 4: Add the rest. Add peanuts, coconut milk, coconut sugar, tamarind, water, fish sauce, soy sauce, and salt. Mix well. Bring to a boil and leave to simmer for 10 minutes, until the oil separates. Your authentic Malaysian satay sauce is ready!
Recipe Expert Tips
If you're going to make this authentic Malaysian satay sauce recipe, make sure to follow these top tips!
- Make sure the peanuts are cooled before blending them. This is for when you're dry-toasting the peanuts yourself. Cooled peanuts will blend better, and preserve their crunchiness in this Malaysian satay sauce.
- Blend the peanuts into a semi-fine texture. This will create a different texture and contrast, which is amazing! When you bite into them, you will experience the crunch of small peanut pieces. Avoid blending for too long to prevent turning the peanuts into peanut butter.
- Blend the peanuts in small batches. I blend them in 2-3 batches, to make sure they're blended evenly.
- Understanding the term "until the oil separates." This is a popular cooking method in Southeast Asia, and it involves two stages: 1) Initially, you cook the ingredients where the oil appears to blend homogeneously with them. 2) After a few more minutes of cooking, you'll notice a layer of oil separating itself from the rest. This is a sign that the ingredients are thoroughly cooked as intended.
- Use a splatter guard. To prevent messiness in the kitchen, and protect yourself from the splattering sauce as it cooks down.
How To Serve, Store, And Freeze
Serve—I love serving this Malaysian satay sauce with my Malaysian chicken satay. The flavors complement each other so amazingly. It's also great for any barbeque or grilled protein source that you make.
Store—Store this satay sauce in an air-tight container, in the fridge for up to 1 week.
Freeze—I like to flatten it in ziplock bags in smaller portions. That way, it thaws faster, and I only use the amount I need. Any airtight container works fine. This satay sauce lasts up to 6 months in the freezer. Thaw in the fridge.
How to reheat: This satay sauce tends to thicken over time. In that case, when I reheat it, I add a splash of water and adjust the salt if needed.
Recipe FAQs
In Southeast Asian countries, "satay" or "sate" refers to grilled skewers of meat, which can be beef, chicken, pork, or seafood. So, "satay sauce" refers to the sauce that accompanies the meat, which typically is a peanut-based sauce with ingredients like lemongrass, galangal, ginger, chili, and coconut milk. The satay sauce recipes vary for each country.
"Peanut sauce," on the other hand, doesn't come hand in hand with "satay" and is a more general sauce for general use, like a condiment for pasta, spring rolls, or to spread on toast. The recipe is more of a blank canvas. It also uses ingredients leaning toward the Westerners, such as peanut butter and maple syrup or honey.
Fish sauce is great to have in the pantry if you're into Asian cooking. It gives an amazing umami flavor, like in my stir-fried noodles with peanuts and easy pad Thai recipes. However, you can use soy sauce instead.
Did you try this Authentic Malaysian Satay Sauce?
Please leave us ★★★★★ ratings and feedback below in the comment section. We'd love to know how it went, what you liked, or if there's anything we can improve. Share and tag us on Instagram; we'd like to see your creation.
Thank you! -Bea and Marco
Watch How To Make It
📖 Recipe
Authentic Malaysian Satay Sauce
Ingredients
Base
- 4 red chilies , sliced, adjust or omit to likings
- 3 lemongrass , white parts only, thinly sliced
- 1 inch ginger , sliced
- 1 inch galangal , sliced
- ½ red onion , sliced
- 4 garlic cloves
- 2 tablespoon coriander seeds
Main
- ⅓ cup (65 g) coconut oil , or any oil
- 1 lemongrass , white part only
- 1 cup (150 g) roasted plain peanuts , or the peanuts to snack on
- ½ cup (120 g) coconut milk
- 1 ½ cup (345 g) water
- ¼ cup (40 g) coconut sugar , or brown sugar
- 2 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon concentrated tamarind , or 1 tablespoon lime juice
- ½ teaspoon salt , to taste
Instructions
Peanuts
- Store-bought toasted plain peanuts: Blend into semi-fine texture, using a grinder. Do it in small batches, so they blend evenly.
- Toasting peanuts at home: 1) Using a pan—Dry-toast in a pan on medium heat for 20-30 minutes, stirring them now and then so they don't burn.2) Using an oven—Bake in a single layer, on a tray at 320ºF (160ºC) for 20-30 minutes. 3) Using an air-fryer—Air-fry at 320ºF (160ºC) for 15-20 minutes, stirring them once halfway through cooking time.Remove the skins by pressing the peanuts with a kitchen towel. Leave to cool completely. Blend into semi-fine texture, using a grinder.
Base
- Add chilies, lemongrass, ginger, galangal, red onion, garlic cloves, and coriander seeds into a chopper and blend into a fine texture.
Cook
- Bruise one lemongrass by bashing it with a rolling pin. Put it in a pot with oil and heat until it starts sizzling. Add in the base paste and cook until it thickens and the oil separates, around 5-10 minutes.
- Add peanuts, coconut milk, coconut sugar, tamarind, water, fish sauce, soy sauce, and salt. Mix well. Bring to a boil and leave to simmer for 10 minutes, until the oil separates. Your authentic Malaysian satay sauce is ready!
Notes
- Make sure the peanuts are cooled before blending them. This is for when you're dry-toasting the peanuts yourself. Cooled peanuts will blend better, and preserve their crunchiness in this satay sauce.
- Blend the peanuts into a semi-fine texture. This will create a different texture and contrast, which is amazing! When you bite into them, you will experience the crunch of small peanut pieces. Avoid blending for too long to prevent turning the peanuts into peanut butter.
- Blend the peanuts in small batches. I blend them in 2-3 batches, to make sure they're blended evenly.
- Understanding the term "until the oil separates." This is a popular cooking method in Southeast Asia, and it involves two stages: 1) Initially, you cook the ingredients where the oil appears to blend homogeneously with them. 2) After a few more minutes of cooking, you'll notice a layer of oil separating itself from the rest. This is a sign that the ingredients are thoroughly cooked as intended.
- Use a splatter guard. To prevent messiness in the kitchen, and protect yourself from the splattering sauce as it cooks down.
Nutrition Facts
The nutrition facts provided are an estimate per serving. Accuracy is not guaranteed.
Mihai says
I have made this a couple of times and the flavours are perfect. One issue that I have is that my food processor doesn’t quite manage to blend the lemongrass finely enough and the end result has a bit more grit than I would like to. Do you have any suggestions for preprocessing the lemongrass beyond looking for a grocery store that has fresher plants? Would blanching them for a few seconds soften them without altering the flavour?
Bea & Marco says
Hi, Mihai! We're thrilled to hear that you love the sauce! Remove the green layers because they're harder and don't blend well. Freezing the lemongrass makes them softer after thawing, which gives you lesser grits (I freeze mine all the time as stock!). Also, use a small grinder instead of a big blender, that'll definitely help. Hope it helps. Sorry for the late reply, as we've recently moved house and are still figuring things out!
Mrinal Dossal says
I am vegetarian .. can I skip the fish sauce ??
Bea & Marco says
Hi! Yes, you can skip it and use soy sauce instead. Hope it helps! Sorry for the late reply! We had to move house on short notice, but we're now slowly back at work!
Nielle says
I just found your website.
I am loving this satay sauce as it reminds me of what I had in Singapore last year.
I will make it and let you know.
Thank you for the recipe!!
Bea & Marco says
Hey, Nielle! The Malaysian and Singapore satay sauce is basically the same. And yes, do let me know when you've made it. Thanks!