Whenever we visit our favorite South East Asian restaraunt, I look forward to their peanut sauce more than the food .... which of course I absolutely love. I have noticed that they usually serve it with the starters ... mostly grilled / barbequed stuff ... or with the dimsums or momos.
But I like it so much that I ask for it even if we are having rice and curries. And the guy serving us would smile indulgently and set a small bowl in front of us.
Early this weekend when we were enjoying a dinner there, I decided to make this chutney (yeah ... am a desi ... so it will be chutney ;-) ) at home.
So the both of us tried to identify the ingredients in it by taste and smell.
We pretty much zeroed in on the ingredients.
The waiter was good at nodding his head at our guesses ... he was nodding 'yes' a little too much ... so I am still in doubt.
Trade secret I guess.
And in case you are wondering ... the chutney did not taste of any of the stuff that is usually used in SEA food.
So I set off to make the chutney. The only difference is I did not add the onions and added less chillies as the ones I have at home are spicier. Hence the whitish colour ... while theirs looks reddish.
And the quantity of peanuts should be much more than the coconut ... I guess the coconut is used to give a mildness to the sauce ... and a soft texture.
Need : Roasted peanuts, garlic, a little ginger ( the waiter mentioned galangal ), a little freshly grated coconut, dry red chillies, a little salt & sugar to taste ( I did not need the sugar as the coconut was very sweet).
How to : Grind the coconut, garlic first in a mixer. If you don't want even the teeny bits of peanut in your mouth, then add the peanuts now. Make a paste ... add a little water if necessary.
Then add the chillies and give a couple of more whirrs. Not too much.
Done! This is a great accompaniment to almost anything. I stored in a medium sized jam bottle in the fridge.
It has been pretty windy the whole of last fortnight .... with the nights turning positively chillier.
Today morning saw a very thin sun ... and already the clouds are taking up their places in the vast blue. Am looking forward to the monsoons ... but just thinking of what it would do to the light that I so much depend on for my snaps .... makes me shudder.
I mean ... just look at those two snaps ... :-(
Ciao folks !!
