My mother-in-law spent two years in Malaysia with the Peace Corps in the 60s. During that time she was exposed to all sorts of wonderful food, and fortunately for our family, she brought many cooking skills and recipes home with her.

One of our favorite dishes she introduced us to is satay: meat marinated, skewered, grilled, and served with a dipping sauce. Preparation is long and involved, so it’s a special occasion dish, best saved for when it can be tackled as a team effort. This past weekend was just such an occasion: the family was all together!

I bought several pounds of steak and chicken breasts from JM Stock, a local, sustainable butcher in Charlottesville, my brother-in-law provided the marinade and sides, and he and Mr. HP supplied the skewering labor and grilling prowess.

Typically we use flank steak for satay, but JM Stock recommended a bavette steak, which I hadn’t heard of before, and it worked perfectly.

The beef and chicken is cut into thin strips and threaded onto skewers, basted with coconut milk, and grilled, then served with a peanut dipping sauce and accoutrements such as rice squares, cucumber salad, and pineapple cubes.

SO GOOD. Thanks, family!

RECIPES

SATAY

Ingredients:

• 3-4 lbs. thinly sliced meats (flank steak, chicken breasts, tofu)
• skewers
• 1 can coconut milk
• Large ziplock bags

Marinade:

• 2 T curry powder (Malaysian/Indian brown)
• 1/2 t anise
• 1/2 t coriander
• 1/2 t ginger powder
• 1/2 t cumin
• 1/2 t turmeric
• 1/2 t cayenne pepper
• 3 T lemon juice
• 1 t salt
• 1/2 c vegetable oil
• 1/2 c soy sauce
• 4-5 large cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 T sugar

Method:

1. Mix marinade ingredients; add to large ziplock bag with sliced meat and marinate for 1 day
2. Thread marinated meat onto skewers
3. Grill skewers, brushing them liberally with coconut milk while on the grill

PEANUT SAUCE

Ingredients:

• 1 c peanuts
• 1 large onion
• 4-5 cloves garlic
• 1 1/2 in piece ginger
• 4-5 dried red chiles
• 3 T vegetable oil
• 2 t coriander
• 1 t cumin
• 1 t curry powder
• 1 can light coconut milk
• 3 T brown sugar
• 2 T lemon juice
• 2 T soy sauce

Method:

1. Puree peanuts and set aside
2. Puree onion, garlic, ginger, chiles and set aside
3. Heat oil in saute pan over medium heat. Cook onion mixture until it smells of onions and garlic
4. Stir in coriander, cumin, curry powder and simmer on low heat for 5 minutes
5. Stir in coconut milk, peanut puree, brown sugar, lemon juice, soy sauce until combined

RICE

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 c short grain white rice
• 2 1/2 c water

Method:

1. Boil water
2. Simmer rice, covered, for 25 minutes
3. Press cooked rice into a glass dish; refrigerate at least 2 hours
4. Cut chilled rice into cubes

CUCUMBER SALAD

Ingredients:

• 3 cucumbers
• 2 shallots
• 4 T sugar
• 4 T white wine vinegar

Method:

1. Chop cucumbers and shallots
2. Mix sugar and vinegar
3. Marinate vegetables in mixture overnight

This post got too long so I’ll save the surprise dessert for another day.

Have you ever made satay? Let us know in the comments!