there are common elements in each of the two recipes. i suggest that
you start with them & then experiment to find what you prefer.

- peanut butter/sesame paste;
- sweetener (sugar/brown sugar/honey);
- thinner (personally, i use chinese black tea to give it a smoky
flavor);
- acid/astringency (lime/vinegar);
- saltiness (soy sauce/salt)

from there i'd go into adding garlic/ginger/pepper to your own
personal taste. another twist that i use specifically for making a
peanut dressing for a tofu (cubed) salad with sliced cucumber, tomato,
minced nori & dried bonito shavings is the addition of mayo.

even though the tea is usually hot i also tend to microwave the
mixture to get the peanut butter to blend, plus it has the benefit of
mellowing the garlic (which i tend to include). THEN i add ingredients
like ginger.

hope this helps.

barry

From Moosewood Cooks At Home:
2 T fresh lime juice
1 T fresh lime peel (we cut back on this pronto)
1/2 Cup peanut butter
2 teas brown sugar
1 cup veggie stock
1/2 teas salt
3 cloves garlic minced

Now then, more chinesey sauces would use soysauce and rice or perhaps
dark vinegar instead of the lime and salt. We also always add a bit of
ginger, without any fibers of course. WE also tend to add minced
chilipepper, but that's us. We have used no citrus, but pineapple juice
instead of veggie stock, in a recipe with LOTS of fire. I am partial to
minced shallots being added. If you want to use soy sauce, but desire a
light coloured product, use USU KUCHI soy sauce, made by kikkomen. We
put two parts peanut butter and on part sesame paste when we go the
soysauce/rice vinegar route. Also, as both of us like eat lots of food,
and therefore dislike rich food that prevents several more courses being
craved, we tend to make our sauce strong with garlic, peppers, etc, and
use less of it on the noodles.

Here is another that has been a spring-board for some good ones:
(From "From the Earth")

5 T veggie stock
1 teas sesame paste
3 T peanut butter
2 teas rice vinegar
2 T mushroom soy sauce
1 1/2 teas red pepper flakes from the bottom of a pan of making pepper
oil by heating peanut oil very hot and throwing in hot pepper flakes and
leaving them soak over night (I do the throwing outdoors to prevent
throat spasms in both me and the cat)
1 T sugar
white pepper to taste
2 T minced white of scallions
Garnish dish with fresh coriander leaves.

tj
who can't want for TJ the Tall to come home from being the designated
driver at a week-long bachelor bash in Florida, as she is sure he will
arrive full of cravings and ideas for Cuban food.