Thai Peanut Butter Sandwich

Don't sleep on savory

I started making versions of this at least 15 years ago, likely around the same time that I first reverse-engineered the sambal my friend brought me from Holland (that recipe is a winner, btw). Since peanuts feature prominently in Southeast Asian cuisines, it occurred to me that a savory peanut butter sandwich leaning into flavors from that part of the world might work really well. Spoiler alert: I was right. This is an absolute favorite, and a regular part of my rotation since I came up with it.

It’s a simple formula: quick and easy to make, and seriously good eating. One bite and you’ll say “jelly who?” out loud, through mouthfuls of delicious savory-sweet-spicy-herbal peanut butter. This idea is also adaptable; as long as you hit a few key notes the rest of the harmony is up to you and what you have handy. Because my top-secret proprietary mixture is fairly low-moisture, this is also a travel-friendly sandwich so it’s a great candidate for taking to the office, on a hike, or even on a plane.

The bread honestly doesn’t matter. Use what you like. The picture up top is a slice of my standard sourdough, made and eaten open-faced for the camera. The rest is where it gets fun.