Satay is one of the well-known dishes from Malaysia and every family has their own recipe. I find many satay recipes are too sweet for my taste so I have reduced the amount of sugar, but you can add more if you prefer. You can substitute lamb or beef for the chicken, and to achieve the best result I recommend marinating the meat the night before. Makes 22-24 skewers.
Malaysian satay
3 | Shallots, coarsely chopped |
2 stalks | Lemongrass, white part only, coarsely chopped |
4 cloves | Garlic |
3 slices | Fresh ginger |
800 g | Chicken thighs, cut into strips (Main) |
½ tsp | Ground coriander |
½ tsp | Ground cumin |
¼ tsp | Turmeric powder |
2 Tbsp | Brown sugar |
1 Tbsp | Oil |
1 tsp | Salt |
¼ | Cucumbers, coarsely chopped |
½ | Red onions, cut into wedges |
Peanut sauce
6 | Dried chillies, seeded and soaked in hot water for 5 minutes |
2 | Shallots, coarsely chopped |
2 cloves | Garlic |
1 stalk | Lemongrass, white part only, coarsely chopped |
2 slices | Galangal |
2 slices | Fresh ginger |
¼ cup | Vegetable oil |
1 tsp | Chilli powder |
¼ cup | Peanut butter |
2 Tbsp | Tamarind puree, soak 1 Tbsp of tamarind paste in 4 Tbsp hot water to get the puree |
2 Tbsp | Palm sugar |
Directions
Malaysian satay
- Blend shallots, lemongrass, garlic and ginger using hand blender or food processor until it becomes a smooth paste.
- Mix the paste with chicken, coriander, cumin, turmeric, sugar, salt and oil and combine well. Cover with plastic wrap and marinate in the fridge for 2 hours or overnight.
- Soak bamboo skewers in water while you are marinating chicken to prevent them from burning.
- Thread the chicken on to the skewers and brush oil on top.
- Grill in the oven for couple of minutes on each side or you can use a grill pan or barbecue to cook them.
- Serve with cucumber, red onion and peanut sauce (below).
Peanut sauce
- Blend chillies, shallots, garlic, lemongrass, galangal and ginger using hand blender or food processor until it becomes a smooth paste. Add oil and mix well.
- Heat a medium pot and add the paste and chilli powder, cook for 8 -10 minutes until fragrant and colour is slightly darker.
- Add peanut butter, tamarind puree, palm sugar and a cup of water to the pot and bring to the boil. Stir occasionally.
- Reduce the heat to medium and cook for 10-12 minutes until the sauce has thickened and oil is on the surface of the sauce. Season with salt. Serve with satay.
Pantry notes
- Look for tamarind paste and palm sugar in some supermarkets, speciality food stores and Asian grocers.
- Be sure to use only the inner, white part of the lemongrass. The outer leaves are too tough.
- Look for galangal at Asian grocers and farmers' markets. If you can't find it use ginger.
- See theglossaryfor more ingredient notes.