Try not to reheat this peanut sauce as it has a tendency to separate. Serve with chicken satays or vegetables for Gado Gado or as a crudité dip or with Asian spiced barbeque foods. Once you try this sauce, you'll never contemplate a bought version again - the sweet underlying flavour of the kaffir lime is sensational.

Ingredients

• 1 cup oil, peanut preferably
• 6 whole, fat, juicy garlic cloves, peeled
• 1 tomato, seeds removed and chopped
• 1 tblsp ground laos
• 150 grams peanuts
• 2 tblsp fresh ginger, grated
• 2 chillies chopped (deseed only if wished)
• ¼ cup fried onions
• 2 lime leaves (kaffir lime leaves are best)
• 1 tblsp palm sugar, grated
• juice 2 limes
• 3 tblsp kecap manis (Indonesian Soy Sauce)
• 2 tblsp light soy sauce
• ¼-½ cup warm water

Method

1. Heat the oil in a wok and quickly fry the garlic and tomato for one minute. Remove with a slotted spoon and toss in the laos while hot.
2. Add the peanuts to the wok and cook only until just brown. Remove with a slotted spoon to kitchen paper to drain.
3. Put the peanuts and toasted tomato mixture into a food processor with the ginger, chillies, onions, lime leaves, palm sugar, lime juice, kecap manis, soy sauce and process until smooth adding more water if wished.
4. For a thinner sauce add extra warm water. For a creamy peanut sauce, add coconut milk or cream to taste.