O jolly good ol’ SATAY!

First time tried my hands on making satay, with some common sense, and also with the help of some online recipes, I managed to replicate the uniquely Malaysian satay! Satay is believed to be inspired by kebabs and other Arabic grillades, however, it has been adapted to the local tastebuds, and thus a new dish was born!

Known for its tender grilled meat on bamboo skewers dipped in the sweet peanut sauce, which gives it a tinge of sweetness, a twist of spiciness and contrasting textures of the crunchiness of the whole peanut and the tenderness of the meat—a heavenly combination to entice one’s tastebuds!

For marinating the meat, for maximum result, leave overnight in the fridge for the seasonings and the spices to infuse flavour and at the same time to tenderise the meat. I have enlisted all the ingredients I used as the marinade.

Chilli powder
Garlic powder
2 stalks of lemon grass (smashed and finely chopped)
Tumeric (powder or if use tumeric root, grind finely)
Salt
Sugar
Honey
Coriander
Ginger powder
Pepper
Corn starch (for tenderising the meat)
Sweet soy sauce — optional (The Indonesian ABC brand is recommended)

And for the peanut sauce, you could opt for using roasted whole peanut, but for convenience sake, I used crunchy peanut butter, which imparts creaminess to the sauce. Blend all the ingredients into paste.

Dried chillies (Amount subject to liking)
Garlic
Shallots
Lemon grass
Tamarind paste
Ginger
Coriander powder

Heat oil and fry the paste till fragrant. Add in peanut butter, tamarind juice, water, sugar, salt, water and sweet soy sauce. Simmer the sauce in low heat until it forms a thick, smooth consistency. Serve hot with satay!