In Reply to: Satay lovers posted by emupark on Wednesday, 13. April 2005 at 15:23 Bali Time:
I love satay. I have tried lots of recipes over the years. Here are two that I really love. The first is form a Ken Hom book and is so simple it genuinely takes less time than you could boil a kettle ...scout's honor! This recipe does need to be cooked after you have made though, so if you were stir-frying a dish then you would add it after you have browned the chicken or beef and cook for a few more minutes. It's really delicious for a satay stir-fry. The ingredients are easily available from any Asian grocer and once you have them I would estimate that you could make a serve of satay sauce for less than a dollar, which would be enough for a stir-fry for 4 people or 2 if you like lot's of sauce!
Recipe 1
3 tbsp smooth peanut butter
1 tbsp chilli bean sauce
1 tbsp coarsely chopped garlic
2 tsp chilli oil
2 tbsp Chinese white rice vinegar or cider vinegar
2 tbsp light soy sauce
salt
freshly ground pepper
2 tsp sugar
2 tbsp hot water
Chuck everything in a blender or food processor and process until smooth.
The second recipe takes a little more time but only 15 mins and is to die for. This does not need further cooking and is good for pouring over sticks of BBQ'd chicken, beef etc. I can't remember who sent me this so am not sure who to credit.
1 tbsp tamarind
1 piece lemon zest or 1 blade lemon grass
1 coarsely chopped large onion
2-3 finely chopped garlic cloves
2 tsp trasi (dried shrimp paste)
1 cup (250 ml) finely crushed roasted peanuts
4 tbsp groundnut oil
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1-1/2 tsp ginger powder or laos powder
2 tbsp soft brown sugar
1 pinch of salt
Method
Place the tamarind in a bowl with 1 cup (250 ml/8 fl oz) boiling water. Stir well and leave to stand for 15 minutes. Stir again and strain off the liquid.
In a food processor or blender, blend the lemon zest or lemon grass with the onion, garlic, shrimp paste, peanuts and 2 tbsp of oil to a smooth paste.
Heat the remaining oil in a wok and stir fry the paste for 2 minutes.
Add the tamarind liquid, cayenne pepper, laos powder, sugar and salt. Stir well.
Dilute the sauce slightly with a little water and simmer gently for a further 10 minutes stirring continuously to pre-vent sticking. The sauce may be prepared in advance and reheated before serving.
Happy cooking,
Charlz