The creamy Dutch-Indonesian peanut sauce: a warm, savory-sweet blend of peanuts, kecap manis, and sambal, spooned over satay skewers, fries, and grilled meats.
A Dutch staple adapted from Indonesian satay sauce during the colonial era, central to patatje oorlog and the rijsttafel.
Thick, nutty, and glossy, balancing roasted-peanut savor with the dark-caramel sweetness of kecap manis and a slow chili warmth. It clings richly to whatever it coats.
Frying the aromatics and sambal in oil blooms their flavor, then coconut milk emulsifies with the peanut fat and simmering thickens the sauce into a smooth, clinging coat.
Variations
thinner satésaus for dipping, with peanut butter or ground peanuts, extra sambal for spice, on patatje oorlog with mayo and onions
On the Palate
Where Pindasaus (Satésaus) Dutch sits in the Dutch flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 6
How it's made
8 steps · 10 min
- 14 min
Gently fry finely chopped onion and garlic in a little oil until soft.
- 21 min
Stir in a spoonful of sambal and let it sizzle to release its aroma.
Watch outFry the sambal until its raw sharpness softens into a rounded, fragrant smell — that bloom in the oil is the flavour base of the whole sauce.
- 31 min
Add smooth peanut butter and stir to coat in the fragrant base.
- 43 min
Pour in coconut milk and water, whisking to loosen the peanut butter.
- 52 min
Stir in kecap manis (sweet soy sauce) and a squeeze of lime juice.
- 63 min
Simmer gently, stirring, until the sauce thickens and turns glossy.
Watch outSimmer, stirring, until the sauce thickens enough to coat the back of the spoon and turns glossy — that gloss means the coconut fat and peanut have emulsified into a smooth coat.
- 71 min
Adjust with more water for pouring or less for dipping consistency.
Watch outJudge the thickness now — it firms up as it cools, so leave it a touch looser than you want on the plate.
- 81 min
Spoon warm over satay, fries, or grilled meat.
