Fire up the BBQ and let’s have some proper Satay. This is a traditional recipe typical of the famous “Satay Street”, Boon Tat Street, right next door to the Lau Pa Sat Hawker centre in Singapore.
For this recipe you need to leave the meat to marinade over night. This is not just to make the meat more flavoursome but to let the shallots tenderise the meat. You also want to make sure the peanuts are well roasted. If you are using roasted peanuts give them another roast.
Time: 45 minutes day before and 45 minutes on the day
Serves: 3-4
Difficulty: Take your time
Satay Sticks
300g of deboned Chicken Thighs
300g of Lamb (diced shoulder or leg)
1 blade of Lemongrass
4 cloves of Garlic
8 Shallots
30g Ginger
15g of Tumeric (preferably fresh but ground of that what you can get)
2 tablespoons of Cumin
1 Chilli
2 tablespoons of Palm Sugar or Soft Light Brown Sugar
5 tablespoons of Vegetable Oil (rapeseed or peanut)
1/2 teaspoon of ground Corrainder
14 Bamboo Skewers
Satay Sauce
200g of Peanuts
2 dried Chillies
8 Shallots
30g of ginger
1 blade of Lemongrass
200ml of Coconut Milk
3 tablespoons of Tamarind Paste
1 tablespoon of Fish Sauce (optional)
2 tablespoons of Palm Sugar or Soft Light Brown Sugar
Day Before – Satay
1. Soak the bamboo skewers in water.
2. Cut the lamb and the chicken into bite sized pieces.
3. Add all the remaining ingredients for the satay sticks into a blender or food processor. Add water as needed to make a smooth, paste-like, marinade.
4. Add the paste equally to 2 containers. Add the chicken to one and lamb to the other. Mix well and marinade over night.
Day Before – Satay Sauce
1. Roast the peanuts in the oven at 180 degrees Celsius (356 degrees Fahrenheit) until they darken to light milk chocolate colour. Leave to cool
2. Meanwhile slice the shallots and sweat until softened in a little oil. Crush the ginger and add to the shallots along the chilli and the lemongrass (bruising with rolling pin before adding). Cook for a further 2 minutes.
3. Add the coconut milk and simmer.
4. With a knife or food processor cut the peanuts into 1/3 of their original size. Add to the sauce.
5. Add the palm sugar and the fish sauce and simmer for 5 minutes.
6. Taste and add extra sugar or fish sauce as needed.
7. Cool and refrigerate over night.
On the day
1. Heat the charcoals on the BBQ to a medium high heat and set your grate to 3-5 cm above the coals.
2. Skewer the lamb and the chicken onto the pre-soaked bamboo sticks.
3. Cook the satay until the meat has cooked and the marinade has caramelised and blackened in parts.
4. Reheat the satay sauce and serve with the satay immediately.
Recipes from my kitchen, Edinburgh, Scotland 