I have been cooking a lot of pasta lately. Julia tends to prefer it over rice. In an effort to have something different, I decided to make a rice dish. I needed some kind of a sauce, so after searching in a few of my cookbooks, I came across the Peanut Dragon Dressing recipe in the Isa Does It cookbook. It seemed super simple and I pretty much had all of the ingredients.
I do have another peanut sauce recipe that I really like and I have it made many times… it is the Peanut Sesame Noodle from SmittenKitchen, but that requires fresh ginger, which I did not have at the time. I suppose that I could have just omitted the ginger from the recipe, but I was kind of excited about this new recipe.
As I mentioned, the recipe is super simple… it requires smooth peanut butter, garlic, some water, rice vinegar, soy sauce/tamari, agave, sriracha, sesame oil, and some salt. I did not have agave so I decided to use maple syrup instead. Also, I did not use the sriracha, since Julia tends not to prefer spicy foods and I used garlic salt, since I do not care for raw garlic.
The recipe also mentions to blend all of the ingredients in a food processor or blender… I did that the first time that I made it (I used a food processor) and it made a royal mess. It was liquidy enough that it oozed all over my counter. A blender would have definitely been better. I no longer do that. I simply whisk it and it is just as good.
I love this sauce since it is so versatile and easy. The dish is now part of my weekly routine. I have served it over rice (I love jasmine rice!) and topped it with any vegetables that I have on hand… grilled/steamed broccoli, steamed carrots, avocado, steamed green beans, grilled zucchini, fresh tomatoes… the possibilities are endless! I have also topped it with some grilled chicken and some peanuts. Using some sautéed/grilled shrimp and tofu would work just as well.
The first time that I made it, it turned out a bit thick, so I have been playing a bit with its thickness… I added a bit more water to it the second time that I made it and it worked out well. It does thicken even more if you store it in the refrigerator, but of course you can thin it with a little more water before serving it.
I always search for easy weeknight dinners and this one is definitely a keeper. And Julia has converted… she is now a rice eater. :)
Another variation of the dish…
ride.hike.eat. 