Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce

Satay or "Sate" was originated from Java, Indonesia. It is also popular in other Southeast Asian countries: Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand. It is an authentic and a popular dish consisting of richly spiced meat (chicken, pork, beef) on bamboo skewers. The meat is grilled over a wood or charcoal fire and served with a spicy peanut sauce, onions, cucumbers and ketupat (pressed rice cubes.) When I was a kid growing up in Malaysia, my friends and I would wait anxiously for our regular satay vendor. On his shoulder he had a long wooden stick to carry two hugh rattan baskets--a hot charcoal stove on one, and the other basket his famous satay. We would squat near his hot stove and watched hungrily while he cooked our satay. Hmmm..it was the best Satay I've tasted!

Ingredients:

2-3 lbs chicken thigh meat
2 stalks lemon grass, crushed
bamboo skewers, soak overnight with a few drops of oil
oil for basting
Seasonings/Marinade:

3 tsp. cumin powder
2 tsp. cinnamon powder
5-6 shallots, diced finely

2 tsp. coriander powder

2 tsp. tumeric powder
1-2 Tbsp. curry powder
2 Tbsp. sugar

2 Tbsps. oil

1 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. brown sugar

Peanut Sauce:

300 gms raw skinless peanuts, roasted
2 Tbsp. coriander powder
2 tsp. turmeric powder

2 tsp. ginger powder

2 tsp. galangal powder
2 tsp. cumin powder
1 onion, cut in chunks
3 cloves garlic
2 stalks lemon grass, grind finely

4 Tbsp. chilli paste

½ cup brown sugar
½ cup tamarind paste (or 3-4 Tbsp. tamarind, mix with water to get about ½ cup)

3 Tbsp. oil

Method:

1. Cut meat into 1-inch strips, drain and set aside. In a bowl mix the seasoning ingredients together to form a smooth paste. Taste and test the marinade--it should be spicy, salty and sweet, adjust to your taste. Add more chili if you want a spicier satay. Marinate the meat well with this mixture at least 4 hours or overnight. Pierce meat on bamboo skewers. Set aside in refrigerator while you prepare the dipping sauce.

2. To make peanut sauce: In a pan on medium heat, pan roast raw peanuts till golden brown. Cool, and grind peanuts to resembles like breadcrumbs. Set aside.

3. Mix all the spices, brown sugar and chilli to a paste. Heat 1 Tbsp. oil and fry mixture until fragrant until a thin layer of oil forms on top of mixture. Lower heat and add tamarind juice and let it simmer for about 5 minutes. Add sugar and 3/4 of the peanuts. If mixture is too thick, add a little more tamarind juce and a little more sugar if you like it sweeter. The taste should be spicy hot with a balance of sweet and sour taste.

4. Prepare charcoals for grilling. Grill meat over burning coal, constantly basting with cooking oil over the meat using the crushed lemon grass as a brush. Turn chicken over and baste with oil. Grilled till cooked on both sides.

5. To serve, arrange a few sticks of satay on a plate, accompanied with peanut sauce, sliced cucumber, onions, and compressed rice (ketupat)
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