Honey Sriracha Peanut Sauce

A sweet and spicy creamy peanut sauce that is a great dip for vegetables or spring rolls.

I have had this recipe pinned since I first saw it over a year ago from The Cafe Sucre Farine. Honey and sriracha.  I'm all about sweet and spicy so as soon as I saw this recipe I knew I had to make it.  As with many great recipe ideas I pin, I planned on making it right away but then I started thinking about another meal or dish and the recipe sat in Pinterest until I remembered it.  I have been trying to eat more vegetables for lunch and as snacks so when I was cutting celery and other veggies this recipe popped back into my head.  Peanut sauce is like a grown-up version of celery and peanut butter so it was a natural combination.  Eating veggies is a wonderful treat when they are dipped in this sauce.  It would make a great veggie platter for a Fourth of July cookout, or for any party.

Make a veggie platter for #thefourthofjuly w/ Honey Sriracha Peanut Sauce.  [Tweet this]

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I fell in love with peanut sauce the first time I had spring rolls at a Thai restaurant when I lived in Houston.  There is just something about peanut sauce.  It's salty, sweet, sour, peanutty, and perfectly dippable.  Not only is it great for spring rolls, but it's also a great dip for vegetables and can be thinned for a great salad dressing.  Peanut sauce is pretty simple just peanut butter and water then add whatever flavors you like.  It's easy to add a little of this and that until it tastes just right.  Honey Sriracha Peanut Sauce from The Cafe Sucre Farine is a great recipe.  I made a few adjustments like adding more sriracha (I like a bit more spice) and using only honey instead of honey and brown sugar.  I want to try it again using fish sauce instead of soy sauce just because I love fish sauce flavor (they are both used to add that salty component).  This recipe did not disappoint.  I loved it.  Veggies are so much better dipped in this sauce.

Veggies are so much tastier dipped in Honey Sriracha Peanut Sauce.  [Tweet this]

Honey Sriracha Peanut Sauce

Modified slightly from The Cafe Sucre Farine

Cook time:  10 minutes
Servings:  5

Ingredients:

1 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup honey
3 Tbsp soy sauce
1/4 cup hoisin sauce
2 Tbsp sriracha (more or less depending on how spicy you like it)
1 tsp hot chili oil
2 tsp ground coriander
1/4 cup lime juice (about 2 limes)
1 1/4 cups water

Combine all of the ingredients (if you are unsure about how much spice you can handle start with 3 tsp of sriracha and add more at the end if you'd like it spicier) in a medium saucepan over medium heat.

Stir continuously while bringing to a boil and boil until the sauce is your desired consistency (about 5 minutes).  If the sauce gets too thick add a little more water to thin it.

Serve warm or at room temperature.  Makes about five 1/2-cup serving.

Enjoy.

If you'd like to try another peanut sauce check out:

Peanut Sauce

Peanut sauce is great with veggies alone but check out these recipes that would be great with some peanut sauce too:

Vegetable Spring Rolls

Smoked Marlin Lettuce Boats

Larb (Minced Meat Salad)

You may also be interested in How to roll a spring roll:

How to Roll a Spring Roll

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Tutorial: How to Roll a Spring Roll

A tutorial showing how to roll a spring roll (also called a fresh roll or summer roll).

Making spring rolls at home is not as difficult as it seems.  Don't be afraid to give it a try.  Even if your first few don't come out great with a little practice it becomes easier.  Here is how I roll spring rolls.

Dip the rice paper in warm water (do not let it soak).  Fully submerge the rice wrapper in the water and quickly remove it.  I'm using a 12 inch wrapper (they come in many sizes I find it easier to use the bigger size)

Spread the wet wrapper on your work surface (it will still be stiff, but will soften as it sits).

Make a small pile of your ingredients in the center of the wrapper.  Ingredients can include carrots, cucumber, lettuce, meat, tofu, sprouts, herbs, and rice noodles.  You could even try fruit.  The possibilities are endless.  I made these without rice noodles (because I was serving them with sticky rice).

Peel one side of the spring roll wrapper up off your surface and fold partly over the ingredients.

Repeat with the opposite side.

Then fold the front side over the ingredients and, gently pressing the air out, roll tightly.

Leave spring roll seam side down and cover with plastic wrap until ready to eat.  Spring rolls are best the same day they are made but they are still edible the next day just a little tough.  By the third day they are very tough and dry.

The hardest part of making spring rolls, for me, is to get them wrapped tight enough.  Just know that the wrappers are pretty tough and can take a lot of pressure.  I served these spring rolls with 3 kinds of dipping sauce.

From left to right:  Nuoc Cham, Peanut sauce, and Mango puree.  Enjoy.

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Vegetable Spring Rolls with Peanut Sauce

Noodles, lettuce, sprouts, carrots and herbs rolled tightly in rice sheets served with a peanut sauce for dipping.

 

Spring rolls are a great way to eat vegetables.  You can make all kinds of spring rolls stuffed with just about anything.  I've had them with tofu, chicken, shrimp, and pork.  They are all delicious and fresh and surprisingly filling.  I wanted a vegetable side to serve with my Sweet and Sour Beef Soup so I made these with just vegetables.  These can be served as a side, a snack, or even a light lunch.  Spring rolls can be difficult to roll but here are a few tips I've learned along the way.

• Use the larger rice sheets until you get good at rolling (I use 12 inch diameter sheets)
• Do not soak the sheets until soft, only dip the whole sheet in warm water and remove it immediately (the sheet will continue to soften as you load it with ingredients)
• Roll as tightly as you can (you will get better)
• Roll like a burrito (fold the sides in over the ingredients then roll up)
• Do not be too worried about tearing the rice sheet they are surprisingly sturdy and stretchy

• You will get better with practice, but don't worry if they don't look perfect (they will taste good) 

For more information check out my tutorial How to Roll a Spring Roll .

 

 Ingredients:


lettuce
bean thread noodles or rice noodles
bean sprouts
jullened carrots
cilantro
Thai basil

Place the ingredients on the center of a rice sheet a few inches from the edge.  I used 12 inch diameter sheets so I would have plenty of room.  I put down a leaf of lettuce, then noodles, then sprouts and carrots and top with the herbs last .  Fold the sides of the sheet over the vegetables and roll up as tight as possible.  Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Peanut sauce:

1/2 cup peanut butter
2 Tbsp hoisin sauce
2 tsp sriracha
1-2 Tbsp fish sauce
1-2 Tbsp coconut milk
1 tsp white vinegar or lime juice
up to 1/2 cup water

Combine peanut butter, hoisin, sriracha, fish sauce, coconut milk, and vinegar in a small sauce pn over low heat.  slowly add in the water and mix, allowing the peanut butter to melt.  Add water until the sauce is the thickness you prefer.  Taste and adjust seasoning.

Make as many rolls as you like, and serve with a side of peanut butter sauce for dipping.  The rolls are best eaten the day they are made, but are okay the next day if you wrap them tightly in plastic wrap.  Any longer and the rice sheets will dry out and become tough.  My first few experiences making spring rolls took a very long time and they fell apart because they weren't tight enough.  But I have gotten better and fresh spring rolls are awesome.  It is definitely worth the hassle to attempt these at home, and maybe your experiences will be easier.  Next time I make these I will try to take pictures throughout the process to help better explain how it's done.

Enjoy.

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