This is the sauce for Bon-bon chicken, but it is great as a dip for vegetables, or for topping grilled pork or chicken. It is especially nice with broccoli stems that have been peeled and cut into cubes or sticks, or with blanched and chilled florets.
INGREDIENTS:
½ cup peanut butter ¼ cup toasted sesame oil (I like Kadoya black sesame oil best) 4 teaspoons sugar (or to taste) 1-2 teaspoons salt (This will depend on how salty your peanut butter is) ½ cup water 1-3 tablespoons of red chili oil (Optional. Maybe not for the kids’ lunchboxes!)
METHOD:
Put the peanut butter and sesame oil into a largish bowl. Sprinkle the sugar and half the salt over the peanut butter, and mix in with a sturdy whisk. Add half the water and start to stir. Once that is worked in, add the rest of the water and stir in.
Taste for balance. You may need to add more salt, sugar, and/or sesame oil. Adjust as necessary, and stir to a nice smooth paste.
If you want to add chili oil, add a little at a time, tasting to reach desired heat.
Keep in a sealed container in the refrigerator. This will keep 1-2 weeks.
Chef’s Notes and Tips:
Besides using this on chicken salad, I use it on vegetables as a dip. It is great for dipping cold shrimp into, and makes a great bowl of noodles. Just heat some chow-mein style noodles with some vegetables, and top with the sauce. Be sure to leave a little water on the noodles so the sauce thins out a little and heats up. This is also nice on cold noodles, but add a little water to thin it out so it will cover the noodles rather than gluing them together. Use for a broccoli dip, or make a salad with the stems-either grated into a slaw or peel and cut the stalks into cubes and blanch them, then chill them with the sauce.
Yield: Around 1¼ cups
Source: Chef Andrew E Cohen
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