Spicy Thai Peanut Sauce over Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Rice
Spicy Thai peanut sauce, drizzled over roasted sweet potatoes and bell peppers on a bed of rice. This is a healthy vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free recipe.
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on July 12, 2024
Please tell me that I am not the only girl who leaves her keys in the door. Or loses her car in parking lots. Or drops her wallet on the sidewalk. Distracted is my middle name, but committing all three of those mistakes over the past few weeks is a personal record.
I suppose I have to tell you the stories now, donโt I? Iโll start with the best one. A couple of weeks ago, I took Cookie outside before dragging myself to bed. I was exhaustedโapparently so exhausted that I left my keys in my door when I shut it behind me. Dumb, right? The next morning, I woke up and searched around for my keys. I couldnโt find them in any of the normal spots. It finally occurred to me to check the door. Aha! Keys. Relief.
Then I walked down the front steps, looked over to my left, and saw my car. My car was parked in front of the fire hydrant with a white ticket flapping underneath the window wiper. Thatโs not where I parked my car, you guys. I walked over to my car with trepidation and peered through the windows.
Everything inside my car seemed to be in order. I got in and noticed that the seat had been scooted back a few inches. All I know about the thief (borrower?) is that heโs a few inches taller than me, drives a manual transmission and has an iPhone, apparently, since he took my cord with him. That leaves a lot of suspects.
Iโm still wondering what that stranger did in my car. Maybe he just wanted to cruise around the neighborhood. Maybe he ran out of beer and decided to drive over to the gas station. Maybe he intended to steal it, but quickly realized that stealing my beat-up car was a waste of time and brought it back. Maybe he dropped off some drugs. Letโs hope not. I just wish heโd dropped off the stuff in my trunk at Goodwill while he was at it.
The other stories arenโt so exciting. I was thirty minutes late to Bevโs baby shower (sheโs having twins!) because I lost my car on The Plaza. Then my wallet fell out of my grandmotherโs little black purse in between Sur la Table and the corner. Thankfully, a good samaritan found the wallet and brought it to customer service, which is what I would have done for him. All said and done, Iโve really lucked out in all of these situations. I have a sixty dollar ticket to pay but thatโs not the worst that could have happened.
Sometimes I wish I had someone around to catch my silly mistakes in real time. I make a lot of them. I do have you all, though. You let me know when I list garlic twice in a recipe, or when thereโs a little too much pumpkin in my pancakes. You leave feedback for me in the comments section and tweet/instagram/email me photos of the recipes youโve made at home, which makes me super happy. Even if I donโt respond right away, know that Iโm listening and glad youโre here.
This recipe, for example, was inspired by a convincing comment left on my sweet potato fries recipe. Carla said, โThese are wonderful and are even more unbelievable with THAI SPICY PEANUT SAUCE. Sorry to yell, but these two things were born for each other. Ketchup, honey, mayo based sauces do not do them justice.โ
She sounded like she was onto something, so I grabbed a bottle of San-J Thai peanut sauce at the store and roasted up some sweet potato fries. She was indeed onto something. I did my best to recreate San-Jโs version based on the ingredient list. I switched from fries to roasted sweet potatoes and made it a full meal by adding jasmine rice, red bell pepper, cilantro and chives. Thanks, Carla!
Spicy Thai Peanut Sauce over Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Rice
Bold and spicy Thai peanut sauce drizzled over roasted sweet potatoes and bell peppers on a bed of rice. The sauce would also be great on stir-fries and salads, or as a dip for raw vegetables. This is a healthy vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free recipe.
Ingredients
Spicy Thai Peanut Sauce
- ยฝ cup creamy peanut butter
- ยผ cup reduced-sodium tamari or soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons honey or maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
- 2 cloves garlic, pressed
- ยผ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 2 tablespoons water
Roasted vegetables
- 2 sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced into 1 inch long, ยฝ inch wide chunks
- 1 red bell pepper, cored, deseeded, and sliced into bite-sized strips
- about 2 tablespoons coconut oil (or olive oil)
- ยผ teaspoon cumin powder
- Sea salt, to taste
Rice and garnishes
- 1 ยผ cup jasmine brown rice (or any variety of long-grain brown rice)
- 2 to 3 green onions/chives, sliced into thin rounds (green and white parts)
- Handful cilantro, torn
- Handful peanuts, crushed
- Sriracha/rooster sauce on the side (optional)
Instructions
- Prep: Bring a large pot of water to boil. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit with a rack in the middle and another rack near the top.
- Roast the vegetables: On a large, rimmed baking sheet, toss the sweet potato with a generous tablespoon of coconut oil, the cumin and a sprinkle of salt. Arrange them in a single layer, and set aside.
- On a separate, smaller baking sheet, toss the bell pepper with about 1 teaspoon of coconut oil and a sprinkle of salt. Toss until lightly coated, and arrange them in a single layer.
- Roast the sweet potatoes on the middle rack for about 35 minutes, tossing halfway, and roast the peppers on the top rack for about 20 minutes, tossing halfway. The vegetables will be tender and caramelized on the edges when they are ready.
- In the meantime, cook the rice: Once the water is boiling, pour in the rice and give it a stir. Boil the rice for 30 minutes, then turn off the heat and drain the rice. Return the rice to the pot and cover the pot. Let the rice steam that way for 10 minutes. Remove the lid, fluff the rice with a fork and season with salt to taste.
- Make the sauce: In a bowl, whisk together the sauce ingredients. If the sauce is too thick or too spicy, whisk in a little more water.
- Serve: In bowls, divide the rice and roasted vegetables. Drizzle each bowl generously with sauce, and top with a sprinkle of green onions, cilantro and peanuts.
Notes
Storage suggestions: Leftover sauce should keep well, refrigerated and covered, for a couple of weeks. Wake up the flavors with a little bit of apple cider vinegar or tamari if necessary.
Make it gluten free: Tamari is a Japanese soy sauce that has a great flavor and is gluten free, unlike most other soy sauces. I like the San-J brand.
Make it vegan: Use maple syrup instead of honey for vegan sauce.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionistโs advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
This amazing. Next time Iโll add broccoli.
My friends always request me to make my satay tofu& rosemary rice with shredded lettuce on the side, but as my satay sauce is only peanut butter, coconut cream,sweet chilli&apple cider vinegar, Iโm Gunna try your satay a try,thanx heaps for the recipe
This recipe is ace! Easy to make and the flavours are amazing! We loved it!
Delicious! Itโs one of my favorite recipes ever. I actually donโt like peanut butter in sandwiches, desserts, crackers โ but I tried this recipe anyway since I love sweet potatoes, brown rice, and several Thai dishes. And Iโm SOOO glad I tried it because it its super delicious!
So good that of course I got your cookbook from Amazon. Now just need to decide which recipe to make first
SO DELICIOUS! I agree with all the other comments and this is my new favorite dish. Will be making this weekly. I added broccoli and I bet zucchini and mushrooms would be great too (any veggies, really). I squeezed some fresh lime juice on top too. Yum.
I just found your blog a few days ago and have already tried two dinners. I had this one tonight and it was delicious! Iโll be checking out more of your recipes and have my eye on your book. Thank you!
Welcome to the blog, Noreen! I hope you try more and enjoy them. Thank you for your review!
Have made this a couple times now & people are always so impressed! Nobody believes me when I say it is actually super easy & cheap. The flavors are lovely. Thanks for sharing such a great recipe!
This is my familyโs favorite recipe! Itโs so good with all types of rice, and is the best! The sauce is so creamy and the perfect amount of spicy and the roasted veggies are the yummiest!
Wonderful to hear you loved it, Emily! Thank you for taking the time to review.
Hi Kate. Love this recipe! Oh my gosh, it is SO Good. Definitely using it for guests next time. Thank you. The sauce is addictive!
Iโm glad you loved it! Thank you for sharing, Malia.
That is a blasphemous way of boiling rice. Other than that, great recipe.
Hi, Iโm sorry to hear you donโt like this recipe approach.
Great flavors. Easy to follow instructions. Fairly quick. Easy cleanup. I am going to make this again and again. โฆIโve been reading up on your recipes for a couple of years now, and this is my first comment. Thank you for sharing all that you do!
Another perfect recipe. Thank you!
Youโre welcome, Simrit! Iโm glad you enjoyed it.
Omg, this peanut sauce! Just rediscovered this recipe. Added roast cauliflower tonight. So much yum :)
This is amazing! I canโt stop dipping tortilla chips in it while I wait for my fish to thaw. Whenever I google a recipe, I scan for Cookie and Kate results. If I see one, thatโs automatically it โ I stop searching. Youโve never let me down!
Brilliant recipe and very easy to make. I swapped out rice for egg noodles just for personal preference and that worked nicely. Thanks!
Weโve cooked a few of your recipes now (the red thai curry is a favourite!) so subscribing to your newsletter has been a long time coming. I look forward to the recipes and great ideas!
Thank you, Enya! Iโm happy you are enjoying my recipes.
YOU ARE AWESOME!!! Love your receipes
Thank you, Meggie!
I make this at least once a week. Truly one of my favorite meals. I add roasted broccoli and red onion.
This was sooo good! My son cooked it as written, but he increased the cumin to 1 teaspoon. We discussed using chipotle chili powder to change it up and using the peanut sauce on a salad. This will be on repeat at our house! Thank you.
That was a ripping peanut sauce with the raw garlic. Halved the recipe for just myself but should have doubled the peanut sauce!