Satay

Malay Satay — those little skewers of meat with peanut sauce and ketupat (Malay rice cake) is a very popular dish in Malaysia. Walk down any street in the country and the mouthwatering aroma of Satay exudes from practically every corner you pass: road side Malay stalls, hawker centers, pasar malam(night markets), kopi tiam (Chinese coffee shops), and even high-end restaurants…


Usually it is grilled in a charcoal grill but since I cant grill outside because of the snow, I used my stove top grill which worked great.  Made some peanut sauce to go along with it too.  This recipe is a keeper. 


Ingredients for Marinade


1 shallot 
1/2 tsp turmerik
2 stems of lemongrass (white part only)
1 thumb size piece galangal
4 garlic cloves
1 1/2  tsp sambal oelek or 2 red chillies
2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tbsp soy sauce
1/4 cup oil
1 tbsp brown sugar
4 tbsp coconut milk
3 tsp fish sauce (optional)


1 lb chicken thighs, trimmed and cut thinly


Peanut sauce


1/2 cup crunchy peanut butter
1 cup coconut milk
1/2 cup water
1-2  tbsp sambal oelek
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp fish sauce (optional)
2 tsp lemon juice


Method

1. Soak the skewers for about 30 minutes. The kitchen sink works best for this.
2. Process the ingredients for marinade in a food processor or blender. Do not add liquid.  You can add the oil to assist the processing. Taste test the marinade-you will taste sweet, spicy, salty. Add more sugar or fish sauce ( salt), you can also add more chili if you want it to be spicier. Pour the marinade over the meat and stir well. Let it sit for about 1 hour or longer (up to 24 hours) in a refrigerator.
3. When ready to cook, thread the meat onto the skewers.
4. Grill the satay on your BBQ or on your indoor grill, basting it with the leftover marinade or you can broil it in the oven with a baking sheet or broiling pan. Depending how thin your meat is,the satay should cook by 10-20 minutes.

For the peanut sauce, put all the ingredients in a saucepan and let it come to a gentle boil. Adjust seasoning to your taste. The sauce will thicken up once cooled. If it needs more water, add a little bit.

Cumin seeds, Coriander seeds, shallot, soy sauce, sambal oelek, lemongrass, garlic, galangal