Thai Satay Sauce | Nam Jim Sate | น้ำจิ้มสะเต๊ะ

Rich and creamy and oozing with peanut flavor, the dipping sauce that accompanies Thai chicken satay is so good that you'll want to use it on everything! This peanut sauce is made with coconut milk and peanut butter to ensure maximum creaminess.

Jump to:

• What is Nam Jim Sate?
• Ingredients
• Instructions
• Substitutions
• Storage
• Recipe

What is Nam Jim Sate?

The peanut sauce that accompanies Thai chicken satay is known as "nam jim sate". In Thai, "nam jim" translates to dipping sauce, and "sate" is, well, satay. This phrase therefore translates directly to "satay dipping sauce". It is a sauce that is specifically used for satay, and is not normally served with any other Thai dishes.

In Thailand, this dipping sauce is made by cooking red curry paste with coconut milk, then adding crushed roasted peanuts, tamarind paste, fish sauce, and palm sugar to taste. It does not contain hoisin sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, or other ingredients that may be found in peanut dipping sauces from other cuisines.

The recipe below is our "easy" version of Thai peanut sauce with coconut milk. It utilizes ingredients that may already be in your pantry (vinegar instead of tamarind paste, white sugar instead of palm sugar, and peanut butter instead of roasted peanuts). This recipe also uses roasted chili paste rather than red curry paste. This results in a peanut sauce that is not very spicy, making it perfect for kids.

Ingredients

Our easy version of Thai peanut sauce contains the following:

• Coconut milk: I use canned coconut milk for this recipe instead of fresh. Be sure to shake the can before use so that you're not using just the cream at the top.
• Roasted chili paste: Known as "nam prik pao" in Thai, this chili paste is a savory, sweet, slightly spicy paste made from roasted chilis, garlic, shallots, and dried shrimp.
• Peanut butter: Crunchy natural peanut butter is best, as it most closely represents the roasted peanuts that are in the traditional recipe.
• Sugar: White granulated sugar works well. If you have palm sugar and feel so inclined, you can substitute it.
• Fish sauce: Fish sauce provides the saltiness for this recipe.
• White vinegar: Vinegar is used for a bit of tang, to cut the creamy coconut milk and peanut butter. White vinegar, not rice vinegar or cider vinegar, works best.

Instructions

This recipe for Thai peanut sauce comes together within a matter of minutes. You can easily cook it while your satay is on the grill.

Substitutions

We prefer this easy version of Thai peanut sauce to be made with roasted chili paste, known as nam prik pao in Thai. It has a nice round flavor with a hint of spice. Red curry paste is bolder, and definitely more spicy. If you prefer a more robust spice to your peanut sauce, you can definitely substitute the roasted chili paste with red curry paste. This is, after all, how the sauce is usually made in Thailand.

Storage

You can store Thai peanut sauce in the refrigerator for several days. When you're ready to eat it, just heat it up in a saucepan on the stove or in the microwave. You may need to add a bit of water to re-establish the right consistency.