Peanut Butter

[Ellyn]

It's high-energy, filling as a spread, and delicious with jelly or chocolate.

In Asian cuisine, however, it also proves very versatile as a base for savory sauces and stews.

For satay (Malaysian barbecue), particularly goat satay, peanut butter adds body and flavor to a soy-sauce-and-brown-sugar mix, that goes very well with the meat. This satay sauce can be literally spiced up with chili pepper paste and some tart citrus juice.

In the Philippines, there's a stew called kare-kare (not to be confused with curry), where the characteristic orange-brown stew coloring is basically peanut butter mixed with broth of the meat that the stew is made of (6 tablespoons to 2 1/2 cups) with a teaspoon of powdered achuete so that the color isn't too much like peanut butter.

With the right brand, the interfering sweetness can be negligible...unless you like a little sweetness to contrast the salty and savory meats.

 

[LuckyGirl08]

I never knew that peanut butter was used for was used for any other type of food but cookies. The only time I use peanut butler is if I make a PB&J sandwich, peanut butter & crackers or peanut butter cookies. I never tried it with anything else.

 

[Food4thought]

I've used PB in sauces to go with pasta and for rice dishes. I've also used it for a sauce to go with a variety of cooked vegetables. I particularly like it with carrots and cabbage and it's a good way to add protein if you don't eat meat or can't afford to buy meat.

 

[lizzief79]

I adore peanut butter and could quite happily eat it straight out of the jar! I did make a satay sauce with it once. It is something that I really enjoyed, but my partner isn't fond of peanuts. The kids loved it though. Your recipes sound really interesting. I have to ask though- what is achuete? This isn't an ingredient I have come across before.

 

[Ellyn]

Your recipes sound really interesting. I have to ask though- what is achuete? This isn't an ingredient I have come across before.

It's more commonly known as Annatto, lipstick tree fruit (or lipstick fruit tree, one of the those), or achiote. Apparently it's a common natural coloring for cheeses! I didn't know that before looking up the Wikipedia page for it.

 

[Jade]

I honestly don't like the taste of peanut butter in savory dishes, but I don't hate it either. I've tasted hints of it being used in some stews and I found them okay. I don't really like peanut butter all that much even in pure form, but if I'm in the right mood it's alright.

 

[nutmegprincess]

I do not like peanut butter as a spread.
However, I am from the Philippines, and I can tell you that kare-kare is one super delicious dish! It's really good when you use cow innards. It is also paired with bagoong or fermented shrimp. I am craving for it now.

 

[Ellyn]

I can tell you that kare-kare is one super delicious dish! It's really good when you use cow innards. It is also paired with bagoong or fermented shrimp. I am craving for it now.

I'm crazy for peanut butter in whatever form, but I've been craving kare-kare recently, too. When I was a little kid, I was a super picky eater so I would only have the tripe with bagoong and some of the sauce. Now I want a big serving with the meaty bits and the stewed Baguio string beans on hot rice with a dollop of super dark bagoong.

 

[nutmegprincess]

I'm crazy for peanut butter in whatever form, but I've been craving kare-kare recently, too. When I was a little kid, I was a super picky eater so I would only have the tripe with bagoong and some of the sauce. Now I want a big serving with the meaty bits and the stewed Baguio string beans on hot rice with a dollop of super dark bagoong.

We can totally get along with our love for kare-kare! It's really good when the vegetables are still crunchy. My mom has tried making seafood and chicken kare-kare. They are good but the beef version is still way better.