You know it. That first moment you discover a flavor combination so unimaginably perfect that you simply must have it again and again and again. Such was the case with peanut butter and basil for me. Since then, I’ve been cramming the duo into dishes and desserts like there’s no tomorrow.
My new obsession is more of a trio: Peanut butter, sweet potato + cilantro.
Being that I’m such a huge lover of Thai food – John and I eat it most weeks – it seemed natural to fuse it into other types of cuisines and foods I love. One such food is sweet potatoes.
They’re so versatile in both sweet and savory settings, and I could eat one every day and never tire of them. So it was only a matter of time before I slapped vegetables and peanut sauce on them and called it a meal. Plus, I loved the Mexican-inspired version so much I had to recreate it again.
The concept for this dish is simple: roasted sweet potato rounds, sauteed greens with soy sauce + garlic, peanut sauce, fresh carrots + cilantro all stacked together in one Thai-inspired dish. Perfect for lunch, a snack or a light dinner. These would even make a great small bite preceding a bigger meal. Oh the possibilities.
The sweet potatoes are perfectly complemented by the crunchy greens. The carrots and cilantro add a fresh, flavorful crunch. And the peanut sauce is the liquid gold that holds it all together. The only way it could be improved is by adding some sriracha over top, which I highly highly recommend. Peanut sauce and sriracha were meant to be together, I’m telling you. Learn about the Thai origins of peanut sauce and sriracha here and here.
Thai Sweet Potato Stacks with Peanut Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 medium sweet potatoes (sliced into 1/4 inch rounds)
- 2 Tbsp toasted sesame oil (divided // or sub refined coconut or olive)
- 1 bunch green onions (rinsed and chopped // 1 bunch yields ~1 cup)
- 2 heads baby bok choy (rinsed and chopped // 2 heads yield ~1 cup)
- 1 clove garlic (minced)
- 1 Tbsp soy sauce (gluten-free as needed)
- 4 Tbsp peanut sauce
TOPPINGS optional
- Fresh cilantro
- Chopped carrots
- Sriracha
- Crushed peanuts
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (176 C) and lightly spray a baking sheet with non-stick spray or brush with oil. Add sweet potatoes and toss with half of sesame oil (1 Tbsp as original recipe is written // adjust if altering batch size). Line in a single layer and cook for 20-25 minutes or until softened and slightly browned.
- In the meantime, prepare peanut sauce (follow link for instructions), and saute garlic, green onions and baby bok choy in remaining sesame oil + the soy sauce, until soft. Set aside.
- Once sweet potatoes are ready, remove from oven and begin stacking them with a small amount of vegetables and peanut sauce between each layer. Alternatively, just make a mound of sweet potatoes and top with veggies and sauce “nacho” style. You will have leftover peanut sauce, which keeps covered in the fridge for up to a week.
- Top with chopped carrots, cilantro, sriracha and enjoy. Reheats nicely the next day.
Amaya says
Have you ever tried half red miso, half peanut butter — just add water for your peanut sauce. It’s easy and great. With that said, I am going to experiment and try your peanut sauce. I’ve tried many of your recipes and never been disappointed.
I haven’t! Let us know how it goes! Thanks for the kind words.
Steven says
It was delicious and making it again today. We have an Asian farmers market here and I get fresh bok choy, Chinese spinach, sweet cauliflower, kohlrabi, and this recipe is one of my favorites
We’re so glad you enjoy it, Steven! Thanks so much for the lovely review!
Chelsea Frank says
The peanut sauce link is still broken, just FYI. Do you still have the recipe online? I have made this and it was delicious, pulling it back up because my bok choy is almost ready to harvest :D
Thanks for letting us know, Chelsea! It has been fixed :D
Nicole Lee says
What could I add to this dish to make it a full meal for dinner? Any suggestions?
Liz says
Hi – I just made this for dinner and it was delicious! I made the peanut sauce earlier in the week to use as a salad dressing, so it was ridiculously quick and easy. The combination of the sweet potatoes, peanut sauce, and crunchy greens was perfect! My local market didn’t have any bok choy so I used some broccolini instead (which is nothing like bok choy I realize, but it looked fresh and seemed like an interesting alternative). It worked great, but I’m sure it would have been even better if I’d used the bok choy. Thanks for the great recipe.
Kristin says
Tried to get to the peanut sauce recipe with the link provided, but the page wouldn’t load :(
Markishungry says
Looks good, no link to peanut sauce makes this recipe useless :(
Fixed! Sorry about that!
Romy says
Hi, this looks so tasty! I cannot seem to find the link for the peanut sauce. Could you point me toward it please? Thanks;0) Romy
Holly @ EatGreatBEGreat says
Love this recipe!
Jess says
oh my! what a beautiful presentation :) I love stacks, sweet potatoes and Thai food so, this recipe is definitely going to into my favorites. ps: I love your recipes!
Erin @ The Spiffy Cookie says
There’s so many beautiful colors in this, and I love the presentation
Grace @ Perpetual Nomming says
Wow I love the color on black background! This looks delicious :)
xx
dixya@food, pleasure, and health says
can i have this for breakfast because its making me hungry!!!
Chung-Ah | Damn Delicious says
Amazing! I love everything about this!
Linda Mullen says
I am a sweet potato lover also and looking forward to trying this! I love your photography also. Here is another great sweet potato combination (in case you haven’t come across it yet): Sweet potatoes, chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, gorgonzola cheese and cilantro. For less, um, adventurous types, you can do sweet potatoes, barbecue sauce, feta and cilantro. I usually mash the sweet potatoes with the sauce and make a sort of casserole with it. I’m thinking those little fried onions would make a good topping – it seems to need a crunch.
Eileen says
These sound so good! Peanut and sweet potato, together at last. :) I also never know what to do with bok choy besides a simple steam & soy sauce–this sounds like a perfect solution!
Christine Somers says
I am Southern so I am pleased and surprised to see the sweet potato used in something other than a pie or in a casserole.
Jessica@AKitchenAddiction says
Love the sound of this combination of flavors! Wish I were eating this for lunch!
Jocelyn (Grandbaby Cakes) says
Wow, this is so gorgeous! I adore sweet potatoes so this is right up my alley. And as usual, your photography is gorgeous!
De says
I’m with you, I could totally eat sweet potatoes everyday and be completely content. I love your sweet potato recipes! Hopefully I’ll get to try this soon!
Stephanie @ Girl Versus Dough says
This food is so dang pretty! And anything with peanut butter, to me, is the business. YUM!
Tieghan says
YES!! I LOVE this!! I eat thai anything, but this looks killer!! Plus, it is so pretty!
Katrina @ Warm Vanilla Sugar says
I am ALL over this. Love this recipe!
Ashley M. [at] (never home)maker says
Yum. I also just love the colors in the photos. Nice.