Ecuadorian Peanut Sauce aka Salsa de Maní
Ecuadorian Peanut Sauce is creamy, savory, and just a little spicy—the kind of sauce you’ll want to put on everything. It’s a staple across Ecuador, especially with potatoes, pork, or yuca.
Servings: 1 cup of sauce
Ingredients
- ½ cup peanut butter
- ½ cup milk
- ½ cup water or as needed to thin the sauce out
- 2 green onions whites and greens separated
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground achiote
- 1 teaspoon oil or skip the ground achiote and add 1 teaspoon achiote oil
- 1 hot pepper deseeded and diced
- ½ lime juiced
- Freshly chopped cilantro
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Start the sauce: In a small bowl, whisk together the peanut butter and ½ cup of milk until smooth and well combined. This helps the peanut butter dissolve more easily into the sauce.
- Make the refrito: In a saucepan, heat the butter or oil over medium heat. Add the whites of the onions, achiote, cumin, and salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are soft and fragrant.
- Combine and simmer: Pour in the peanut butter mixture and stir well to combine. If the sauce is too thick, add water a little at a time—start with ¼ cup—until you reach your desired consistency.
- Finish the sauce: Let the sauce simmer gently for about 7-10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Finally, add in the chopped pepper, lime juice, greens of the onions and freshly chopped cilantro. Taste and add more salt if needed.
- Serve: Serve warm as a dipping sauce or over your favorite dishes.
Notes
Recipe adapted from Laylita's Recipes