Sichuan Peanut Sauce Recipe

The recipe for this delicious, hot & spicy peanut sauce is originated from the Chinese province Sichuan (Szechuan), wellknown for its spicy cuisine.

Sichuan Peanut Sauce is a key ingredient for Bon Bon Chicken, also known as Bang Bang Chicken and is used as a topping or sauce for noodles, cold or warm. The hot & spicy Chinese peanut sauce tastes also very good as a salad dresssing or as an exotic dipping sauce for vegetable sticks. The tasty sauce can be prepared without cooking, but we prefer the cooked version, which combines the aromas of the different spices, pastes and sauces much better. In the original Sichuan cuisine either oyster sauce or Hosin sauce is used as an ingredient. We choose Hoisin sauce, which adds a more tangy taste.

Food Photography © The Foodist
Image: Sichuan Peanut Sauce

Recipe: Sichuan Peanut Sauce
Ingredients:
75 g minced peanuts or 3 tablespoons peanut butter
50 g white sesame seeds or 2 tablespoons Tahini (Tahina)
3-4 tablespoons light soy sauce
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
3-4 tablespoons Shao Xing rice wine
2-3 tablespoons black rice vinegar (Chiankiang vinegar)
2-3 garlic cloves, finely minced
2-3 cm ginger, finely grated
3-4 teaspoon Sichuan chili paste
2-3 teaspoonL Hoisin sauce
juice of 1 lime
200 ml Asian chicken broth
1/2-1 teaspoon Sichuan pepper
1-2 red Lombok Chili, finely minced
coriander leaves (Cilantro)

Preparation:
Fry minced peanuts and white sesame in a dry pan, then pound it in a mortar with the toasted sesame oil to a smooth paste. alternatively use peanut butter and Tahini. Roast peanut-sesame paste, Sichuan chili paste, Sichuan pepper, garlic and ginger in a pot until fragrant, then deglaze with chicken broth. Add soy sauce, Hoisin sauce, rice wine and black rice vinegar and let it simmer for about 10 minutes. Season with lime juice and serve garnished with coriander, Lombok chili, finely minced peanuts and white sesame.