Grilled Corn With Peanut Sauce - The Washington Post |

Tom McCorkle for The Washington Post; food styling by Gina Nistico for The Washington Post

The sauce — anchored by peanut butter, coconut milk and chiles — takes grilled ears of corn to the next level. Cookbook author Rukmini Iyer based it on the sauce she makes for Indonesian gado-gado, but once you make it for this, the combination might just become a summer staple. If you don’t have access to an outdoor grill, cook the corn under the broiler or use a stovetop grill pan.

Active time: 15 mins; Total time: 45 mins, plus grill setup time

Make Ahead: The prepared sauce can be refrigerated for up to 5 days before you grill the corn.

Storage Notes: Refrigerate the corn and the sauce separately for up to 5 days. Reheat the corn in the microwave before serving.

When you scale a recipe, keep in mind that cooking times and temperatures, pan sizes and seasonings may be affected, so adjust accordingly. Also, amounts listed in the directions will not reflect the changes made to ingredient amounts.

Prepare a charcoal or gas grill for direct heat, medium-high (400 to 450 degrees; see NOTE).

Cut off the stalk end of each cob (the end opposite the silks) right through the first row of kernels. Run water over the ears to soak them thoroughly, put three of them on a microwaveable plate and microwave on HIGH for 5 minutes. Hold each ear by the silk end and shake up and down, letting the ear fall out, twisting and pushing from the silk end if it needs some help. Repeat with the remaining ears of corn.

In a large bowl, coat the corn with the oil and season with the salt.

In a small bowl, whisk together the peanut butter, coconut milk, chile, lime, soy sauce, chives and ginger.

When the grill is hot, grill the corn, turning often, until it’s browned or charred to your liking, 3 to 4 minutes per side. (If using a grill pan, heat it over medium-high heat until smoking before cooking the corn, turning it often and working in batches if necessary, 3 to 4 minutes per side. If using the broiler, position a rack in the closest position, transfer the corn to a sheet pan and broil, turning often, 5 to 6 minutes per side.)

Transfer the grilled corn to a serving platter and spoon the sauce on top, or divide among plates and serve the sauce alongside, letting guests spoon the sauce on top.

NOTE: To prepare the grill: If using a gas grill, set it to 450 degrees. If using a charcoal grill, fill a chimney starter with charcoal, light it and when the coals are gray and ashed over, pour them into the grill. Add more charcoal, if necessary, and cover. When all of the coals are hot, about 10 minutes, your grill should be medium-hot. (Use a grill thermometer or test the heat by holding your hand, palm-down about 5 inches from the grate. If you can hold it there for 4 to 5 seconds, the heat should be at medium-high heat, or between 400 and 450 degrees.)

Adapted from “The Green Barbecue” by Rukmini Iyer (Countryman Press, 2022).

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