Indonesian chicken satay with peanut sauce
Recipe Mari Loewen, Photography Ross Cornish
For a truly authentic, Asian flavour experience take the time for this very elaborate recipe. Seven ingredients in the marinade and eleven in the dipping sauce may seem intimidating, but if you read through the recipe, and break it down, it’s far from complicated. I love to shop at Asian markets, however conventional grocery stores now carry an extensive Asian selection, so shopping for these ingredients is not difficult. A rendition from the cookbook Big Bowl, this is simply the best satay and peanut sauce I have ever had. —Mari
We can honestly say this is the best chicken satay recipe we’ve ever tried.
The recipe looks complicated, but roasting your own spices and using real peanuts in the peanut sauce truly elevate the popular dish. We made this recipe at our first-issue launch at The Bay. We skewered about 300 of these, but only used about 100 as the power kept shutting off the hibachi-like cook tops. Luckily, no one knew, and the crowd went crazy.
Ingredients
2 pounds boneless chicken breast
32 12-inch wooden skewers, soaked in water overnight
2 cups sweet Jasmine rice (we prefer Rooster brand, prepare according to package directions)
Marinade
3/4 cup tamarind paste (substitute ½ cup white wine or rice vinegar with ¼ cup brown sugar)
4 teaspoons coriander
4 teaspoons cumin
4 garlic cloves, finely minced
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup fish sauce
1/4 cup peanut oil
Peanut dipping sauce
1/2 cup peanut oil
1/2 cup raw peanuts
2 hot Serrano peppers, seeded, minced
2 tablespoons ginger, minced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 cup coconut milk
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
Preparation
For skewers, cut chicken into 2-ounce strips (across the grain) and thread each onto a skewer. This gives 16 skewers, so 4 per person for dinner to serve 4. If you wish to use this as an appetizer–and you should–use 1 ounce strips and make 32.
In medium bowl, combine spices with garlic, brown sugar, fish sauce, tamarind sauce, and peanut oil. In glass baking dish, dredge skewered chicken with marinade and chill 1 hour, turning from time to time.
Preheat grill to medium-high heat, and grill satays about 1 ½ minutea per side; do not overcook. You can also broil these in the oven, on parchment-lined baking dish 1.5 minutes per side. Remove from heat and serve over bed of rice, with peanut sauce. Serves 4 - 6.
Note about tamarind: although we gave you a substitute, of vinegar to brown sugar, if you have the time, make tamarind sauce. It has a very unique lovely sweet tart flavour. To make it, combine tamarind paste with 2 cups of the water in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Remove the pan from the heat and let stand until the tamarind has softened, about 15 minutes. Help it along by breaking up the pulp with a spoon, then add it to the marinade.
