Lately, my spouse and I have been eating our way through Family Thai: Bringing the Flavors of Thailand Home by Arnold Myint and Kat Thompson (2025). It’s an excellent cookbook full of full-color photographs, and the food has been delicious, so I strongly recommend buying it if you like Thai food. As I’ve been making some of these dishes, I’m making my notes on this website. I’m making a few changes, particularly because I like spicy food but my tolerance isn’t up to the level of the original recipes.

This recipe makes a dip which you can use with chips or fresh veggie sticks. I’ve also put it on chicken tenders and it was absolutely wonderful — so feel free to use this in any way you like! Maybe with noodles or rice, or as a salad dressing.

The flavor is peanutty, creamy, and slightly sweet and pungent from red chili paste. You can make it spicy if you add chiles, or leave it unspicy if you’re serving it with something else that is spicy and you want a contrasting flavor.

2 tbsp. sunflower or vegetable oil
1/4 c. onion, finely minced
4 garlic cloves, minced
3 tbsp. red curry paste
2 tbsp. tamarind sauce or pad thai sauce
1 1/2 c. crunchy peanut butter
3/4 c. water
2 tbsp. fish sauce
1 tbsp. sugar
3 tbsp. soy sauce
coconut milk
potato or tortilla chips
vegetable sticks
Optional: 1 tbsp. toasted ground chile, crushed dried chiles, or fresh chiles
Optional: cilantro, chopped

In a medium saucepan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until softened (about 2 minutes), then add the garlic (and chiles if you’re using them). Stir to keep the garlic from burning.

Add the red curry paste and tamarind sauce, cooking to heat the paste. Add the peanut butter and water to thin out the sauce. Stir until it reaches a thick gravy consistency.

Reduce the heat to low and add the fish sauce, sugar, and soy sauce. Remove from heat. If the sauce breaks down and the oil separates, let it cool and whisk it until it reaches a creamy texture. A little extra water can also help.

Swirl in coconut milk to taste and garnish with cilantro and/or extra chile if desired.

Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to a week and reheat before serving, stirring to recombine.