Thai peanut and lime sauce (and beef rice bowls)

• Quarantine sauce recipe

The world's quickest comfort sauce. The peanut butter makes this smooth and creamy, as if you have reduced it for hours, not cooked it for the seven minutes it takes to throw it together.

INGREDIENTS

• 4 tbsp red curry paste
• ½ cup peanut butter (I used smooth)
• 400ml can coconut milk
• juice and zest of 1 lime
• 1 tbsp maple syrup
• 1 tbsp fish sauce, or to taste
• 1 tsp sesame oil to finish (optional)

METHOD

1. Add curry paste and peanut butter to a medium saucepan and place over low heat. Stirring constantly, cook for 1-2 minutes or until the oil starts to separate and the mixture is very malleable.
2. Add the coconut milk and lime juice and zest, then slowly add the maple syrup and fish sauce to taste. Cook for another 30 seconds to 1 minute to allow the flavours to meld, then remove from the heat. Add the sesame oil, if using.
3. Store in the fridge for 3 days or freeze.

Makes 1 cup

What to do with it

Beef rice bowls

Flash-fry some beef (about 80 grams per person) or any other protein. Add to a bowl with some steamed rice and whatever vegies you have on hand – I used cucumber ribbons sliced using a peeler and some bean shoots, but any greens in the crisper would work well with this. Drizzle over a generous amount of Thai peanut sauce and serve.

Other suggestions:

• Thin the sauce out with chicken or vegetable stock, add extra sliced fresh chilli and use as the base for a laksa.
• Serve as a dipping sauce for roasted chicken.
• Roast and blitz some pumpkin with stock and sauce for a hearty soup.