Satays ( Skewed Marinated Beef and Chicken )
Skewed marinated barbecued or grilled beef or chicken cutlets, dipped in spicy peanut sauce, served with ketupat nasi ( rice dumplings ), sliced onions and cucumber as accompaniment. The meat cutlets are marinated with herbs and spices that enhanced its flavor and threaded to a bamboo or a wooden /stick skewer ( made from the coconut palm frond stems ). Marinating process takes hours to allow the spices infused to the meat. They are barbecued over charcoal embers with constantly turned over from side to side to avoid the meat from burning. During the barbecued or the grilling process, the meat are spattered with aromatic oil using bruised lemon grass as brush. Thus, making it glossy , very appealing and tender .
The Satays are great as appetizers or entrees. They are favorably served during festives celebrations, formal occassions and ceremonials. The flavors has since varied from the original to curry, black peppercorn or even hot ( spicy ) and sweet.
To prepare satays :
Cut the chicken or beef into smaller pieces . Slice into 3/4 inc x 1 1/2 inc thick . Debone the chicken to cut into cutlets. It is best to choose a bird sized of 2 kg which has more meat and made into at least 80 sticks of satays . As for beef , the tender part ,sirloin and the tenderloin is recommended.
The marinated spices :
11/2 tablespoons mixed cumin , aniseed and fennel powder
1 tablespoon coriander powder
1 tablespoon turmeric powder ( as colorant )
12 shallots ( ground to paste )
6 cloves garlic ( ground to paste )
2 cm fresh galangal ( ground to paste )
4 stalks lemon grass ( ground to paste )
Brown sugar and salt
A dash of oil is required to tender the meat
Mix the above spices with the chicken and beef cutlets . The marinate should be slightly sweet in taste. Allow the meat to marinate at least 4 - 5 hours before grilling. It is best to leave it to stand overnight.
Once the meat is ready , thread the meat cutlets to the skewer . Dip or soak the skewer in water earlier to wet it as threading will be easier and to avoid the stick from burning . Once done , grill the skewed meat over charcoal fire with constantly turning the skewer from side to side to avoid burning . Spattered the meat with oil to tenderize it and to keep it moist. The satay is ready when its color transformed into deep brownish color.
 | Grilled Satays served with sliced rice cakes, onions and cucumber along with its spicy peanut sauce . Eating raw onions and cucumber while savoring Satays are essentials as these condiments can help to reduce any effects attributed by the charcoal grilling. |
The Peanut Sauce
The ingredients
- 1/4 kg of groundnut - toast until brown and crunch . Removed skin and finely ground or coursely pounded .
- 1/4 cup of brown sugar
- 1/2 cup of cooking oil
- 1/2 cup of thick coconut milk
- salt
Ground
- 15 dried chilies - seeded , washed and boiled to soften
- 2 stems of lemon grass
- 1 tablespoon of toasted coriander seeds
- 2 teaspoons of mixed toasted fennel and cumin seeds
- 1/2 cm of galangal
- 10 shallots
- 3 cloves of garlic
- 3 candlenuts
To do :
Sautee the blended ingredients untill a nice smell exuded. When oil surfaces, add the tamarind juice and the pounded groundnuts . Add water if the the mixture is too thick . Then , add in the coconut milk . Stir to combine . Add sugar and salt to taste . Allow to boil until oil forms on top .
