The streets of Thailand, especially in Bangkok, are littered with stalls serving millions of satay made with chicken, pork, lamb or beef.
Satay can either be cut into cubes or strips, which are marinated and then threaded or woven on to soaked bamboo skewers. They never fail to impress and always go down a storm. These are traditionally served with the Speckled Spicy Peanut Sauce here.
Serves 6
450 g (1 lb) chicken breast fillet, lamb fillet, pork fillet or lean steak
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
½ teaspoon fennel seeds
1 stalk of lemongrass
4 shallots, very finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tablespoons light soy sauce
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
½ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon palm or light muscovado sugar
½ teaspoon mild or medium curry powder
4 tablespoons canned coconut milk
1 quantity Speckled Spicy Peanut Sauce (see here) to serve
12 x 15 cm (6 in) bamboo skewers soaked in cold water for 30 minutes
Cut the meat into 2 cm (¾ in) cubes or long strips about 1 cm (½ in) wide.
Heat a dry, heavy-based frying pan over a high heat. Add the cumin and coriander seeds and shake over the heat for a couple of minutes until they start to smell aromatic and have darkened slightly.
Grind to a fine powder with the fennel seeds in a coffee grinder or mortar and pestle.
Remove the tough outer leaves from the lemongrass and roughly chop the tender core. Put into a food processor with the shallots, garlic and soy sauce and whizz to a smooth paste.
Scrape the mixture into a large bowl and stir in the ground spices, turmeric, salt and sugar. Stir in the meat, cover and set aside to marinate for 2 hours at room temperature or overnight in the fridge.
Thread the cubes or strips of meat on to the skewers. Mix the curry powder with the coconut milk.
Barbecue the satay sticks for about 7–8 minutes, turning and basting with the coconut milk mixture now and then, until they are lightly browned on the outside but still moist and juicy in the centre. Arrange on a large plate and serve with the peanut sauce.