Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce

Name: Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 2 h
Total time: 2 h 40 min
Cuisine: Indonesia / Malaysia
Ingredients: 2 lemongrass stalks, tender core, sliced; 3 shallots; 2 cloves garlic; 15 g (½ in piece) fresh ginger or galangal; 1 tsp ground turmeric; 2 tsp ground coriander; 1 tsp ground cumin; 2 tbsp light brown sugar; 2 tbsp soy sauce; 2 tbsp neutral oil; 5 g (¾ tsp) fine sea salt; 800 g (1¾ lb) boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut in thin strips 2–3 cm (1 in) wide; 100 ml (⅓ cup + 1 tbsp) coconut milk, for basting; 150 g (1 cup) roasted unsalted peanuts, or 150 g smooth peanut butter; 1 tbsp neutral oil; 2 shallots, finely chopped; 1 clove garlic, grated; 1 tbsp red curry paste or sambal oelek; 250 ml (1 cup) coconut milk; 1 tbsp kecap manis or 2 tsp soy sauce plus 1 tsp sugar; 1 tbsp tamarind concentrate or lime juice; 1 tbsp light brown sugar; 100 ml (⅓ cup + 1 tbsp) water, as needed; 1 cucumber, in chunks; ½ red onion, in chunks; lime wedges

Turmeric-lemongrass marinated skewers and a rich, sweet-spicy peanut dip

Makes: 16 skewers
Hands-on: 40 min
Total: 2 h 40 min
Level: Some skill

Satay are small skewers of marinated meat grilled fast over hot coals and served with a thick peanut sauce. The marinade of lemongrass, turmeric, coriander and shallot soaks into thin strips of chicken thigh, and a little coconut milk brushed on during grilling keeps them succulent.

Ingredients

Marinade

2lemongrass stalkstender core, sliced
3shallots
2 clovesgarlic
15 gfresh ginger or galangal (½ in piece)
1 tspground turmeric
2 tspground coriander
1 tspground cumin
2 tbsplight brown sugar
2 tbspsoy sauce
2 tbspneutral oil
5 gfine sea salt (¾ tsp)

Chicken

800 gboneless, skinless chicken thighs (1¾ lb)cut in thin strips 2–3 cm (1 in) wide
100 mlcoconut milk (⅓ cup + 1 tbsp)for basting

Peanut sauce

150 groasted unsalted peanuts (1 cup)or 150 g smooth peanut butter
1 tbspneutral oil
2shallotsfinely chopped
1 clovegarlicgrated
1 tbspred curry paste or sambal oelek
250 mlcoconut milk (1 cup)
1 tbspkecap manis or 2 tsp soy sauce plus 1 tsp sugar
1 tbsptamarind concentrate or lime juice
1 tbsplight brown sugar
100 mlwater (⅓ cup + 1 tbsp)as needed

To serve

1cucumberin chunks
½red onionin chunks
lime wedges

Diet: Dairy-free
Allergens: peanuts, soy, gluten
Origin: Indonesia / Malaysia
Season: Summer

Method

Blend the marinade ingredients to a smooth paste. Toss with the chicken, cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, up to overnight. 2 h
Soak 16 bamboo skewers for 30 minutes. Thread the chicken onto them, weaving each strip back and forth. 30 min
For the sauce, blitz the peanuts in a food processor until finely ground but not yet a butter. Heat the oil in a pan over medium heat and cook the shallots and garlic until soft, 3 minutes. Add the curry paste for 1 minute. 4 min
Add the peanuts, coconut milk, kecap manis, tamarind and sugar. Simmer, stirring often, until thick, 5–8 minutes, adding water to keep it spoonable. Taste for salt, sweetness and heat. 7 min
Set up the grill for direct high heat. Clean and oil the grate.
Grill the skewers, turning every 2 minutes and brushing with coconut milk, until charred at the edges and cooked through to 74°C (165°F), 8–10 minutes. 9 min
Serve hot with the warm peanut sauce, cucumber, red onion and lime.

Why it works

Thin strips cook through in the few minutes it takes the outside to char, which keeps them tender. Turmeric gives the classic golden color; the sugar in the marinade caramelizes at high heat. Brushing with coconut milk adds fat and moisture so the edges crisp while the meat stays juicy.

Common mistakes

Thick chunks: they char before cooking through. Slice thin.
Grinding the peanuts to butter: a slightly coarse sauce has better texture.

Variations

Beef or lamb satay: Use thinly sliced rump steak or lamb leg; grill to taste, 6–8 minutes.
Tofu satay: Use 600 g pressed firm tofu in fingers; grill 6 minutes on an oiled grate.

Make ahead and storage

Peanut sauce keeps 5 days in the fridge; it thickens, so loosen with water when reheating. Marinated chicken can wait 24 hours.

Notes

Grill-pan/oven fallback: cook on a very hot oiled ridged grill pan, or under a hot oven grill (broiler) on a rack 8 cm from the element, turning every 2–3 minutes, 10–12 minutes. Curry pastes and sambal can contain shrimp paste (crustaceans); check the label.