Kickin' Peanut Sauce

I got this peanut sauce recipe from The Chinese Takeout Cookbook, by Diana Kuan. Everything we've made so far has been fantastic, but the most useful recipe it's added to our repertoire is the peanut sauce. She uses it for "Cold Sesame Noodles" with spaghetti noodles, julienned carrot & cucumber, scallions, and sesame seeds. That's a great recipe, but the sauce works just fine on its own. I've had it on chicken, noodles, rice, or anything else that I could dip in it. We started out making the individual recipe contained in the book, but discovered that quadrupling it gives the perfect amount of sauce to fit in a Mason jar. It keeps very well in the fridge.

This jar was full five days ago.

All measurements are approximate.  Adjust heat by adding more chili sauce, Franks Hot Sauce, crushed red pepper, or whatever you want.  But don't add heat before trying it... it's pretty good as it is.

Ingredients for Single Batch:

Group 1:

• 2 t minced garlic
• 2 t grated fresh ginger
• 1 T canola oil

Group 2:

• 3 T tahini
• 2 T peanut butter
• 2 T soy sauce
• 1 T sesame oil (I used canola)
• 2 T rice vinegar
• 2 t chili sauce
• 2 T sugar
• 3 T water (as needed for proper consistency)

Ingredients for Quadruple Batch (Mason Jar):

Group 1:

• 2 T, 2 t minced garlic
• 2 T, 2 t grated fresh ginger
• 3 T canola oil

Group 2:

• 3/4 C tahini
• 1/2 C peanut butter
• 1/2 C soy sauce
• 1/4 C sesame oil (I used canola)
• 1/2 C rice vinegar
• 2 T, 2 t chili sauce
• 1/2 C sugar
• 3/4 C water (as needed for proper consistency)

Steps:

1. Add group 1 to saucepan and heat until fragrant (about a minute).  Remove from heat and let cool.
2. Mix group 2 with a blender, food processor, or really excellent whisk.  Add water last.
3. Add group 1 to group 2 and mix.
4. Enjoy hot or cold as a marinade, sauce, or condiment.  Or eat it by itself... I'm not in a position to judge.