satay is a delicacy of indonesian origin, but it has spread in many asian countries (thailand, malaysia, singapore, philippine, brunei). the only difference is the use of different marinades, according to local preferences.
satay is considered the national dish of indonesia, the street vendors serve it everywhere, but you can also find it in the luxurious restaurants.
satay can be made with both pieces of meat (chicken, pork, lamb, beef, fish, seafood), and the tofu, as vegetarian version.
today we will cook a chicken satay with thai influences, full of flavor and exotic fragrance. we will serve with "home-made" peanuts sauce and a super spicy cucumber salad, all of thai origin.
ingredients:
-2 whole chicken breast
-200 ml coconut milk
-1-2 citronelle rods
-1 blade of green onions
-1 lime
-1 thai pepper (if you have courage, put more)
-soy sauce
-thai fish sauce
-curry-powder
-fresh ginger - a walnut quantity
-massaman curry-paste
-a few cloves of garlic
-salt
-brown sugar
-black-pepper
-peanut-oil
-2-3 tablespoons of peanut butter ("crunchy" variant - to feel bits of peanuts)
here are the ingredients for the marinade: soy sauce, curry powder, pepper, sea salt, ginger, citronelle, green onion, lime zest and juice, pepper, garlic, coconut cream.
coconut cream is found in supermarkets, but you can use only the more consistent cream from a box of coconut milk (if you don't shake before you will find, when open the box, that the pulp is collected at the top). it is very creamy. take a tablespoon of cream from the top and mix well the rest of the box to blend.
for preparing the thai satay marinade, start by mixing a tablespoon of coconut cream with a tablespoon of peanut oil.
pour 2 tablespoons of soy sauce, lime juice and mix.
it already has a brown, walnut color. scrape ginger over the marinade.
add 2 ground cloves of garlic, grated skin from a lime, one teaspoon of curry powder, black pepper, a teaspoon of salt.
chop the pepper and green onion. add the marinade over them.
cut the citronelle rod's ends, then cut it in two, lengthwise.
chop finely the citronelle rod and add it in a bowl.
taste and add more lime juice if necessary.
mix well.
cut the chicken into cubes and add them to the marinade.
cover with plastic foil and let it marinate for about 3 hours in refrigerator.
then make skewers from bamboo sticks (previously soaked in cold water for one hour, not to burn).
and a close-up:
let the skewers for 30 minutes at room temperature before you grill them.
meanwhile, prepare the peanut sauce. you need a hot wok.
pour a ladle of coconut milk and let boil. then add 2-3 tablespoons of massaman curry paste. (is a little spicy curry)
mix well until smooth.
pour a tablespoon of fish sauce.
reduce heat and add a teaspoon of brown sugar. mix well.
add 2-3 tablespoons of peanut butter. you will see that the sauce will look like a mayonnaise.
the sauce color darkens and becomes thick and, if you let it more on heat, it will not be good.
at this point add one cup of 200 ml coconut milk, to thin the sauce to a dip consistency.
keep the flame low and stir constantly until it becomes silky, smooth and creamy-liquid (about a minute). let the sauce cool to room temperature and serve warm.
the satay chicken skewers can be fried on grill or in the oven. traditionally they are made on grill. i did both, because i had many skewers.
the ones in the oven were placed on a tray with aluminum foil coverings and baked under the grill at 180 degrees, rolling them often and pouring the remaining marinade. in 30 minutes they were ready browned and juicy.
i put some of them on the grill and they have a slightly smoked aroma that goes well with thai flavors.
when browned, roll and pour the marinade on the side that is already browned.
the grill came much closer to the original, but if you do not want to smoke the house, you can do them also in the oven (and they are so very tasty).
serve hot with peanut sauce and a very spicy salad of cucumbers.
bon appetit!