This satay recipe is adaptable for beef, lamb or chicken. It is incredible cooked over charcoal with an added touch of smoking woods. Don’t be put off by the long ingredient list as most of the items are double ups in the marinade and sauce for extra flavour and simplicity.
Using a blender, blend all the marinade ingredients together to form a paste. Pour the marinade into a glass bowl (see note 1). Add beef to the marinade, toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 2 to 4 hours.
If using bamboo skewers, soak in water for 30 minutes.
To prepare the satay sauce: For quick work, blend together the peanut oil, onion, lemongrass, garlic and chilli. Alternatively, finely chop the onion, lemongrass, garlic and chilli. Add the paste (or chopped ingredients along with the peanut oil) to a frying pan over medium heat and sauté for 5 minutes, or until the onion has cooked and the mixture has become fragrant. Add the curry powder, turmeric, paprika and crushed peanuts, continue to cook for 3 minutes to toast the peanuts and spices. Add the coconut milk, water, sugar, salt and tamarind puree, simmer for 15 to 20 minutes until thickened, stirring as needed. Remove from the heat and set aside.
Prepare the barbecue for direct cooking over high heat (230-290°C). Thread the beef onto the skewers. Threading the longer strips of beef onto the skewer a few times so the skewer is compact. Try to keep the skewer to an even 1.5cm thickness.
Grill the skewers over direct high heat for 2 to 3 minutes, keeping the lid of the barbecue closed. Flip the skewers and continue to cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until cooked to your liking.
Grill the skewers over high heat for 2 to 3 minutes, keeping the lid of the barbecue closed. Flip the skewers and continue to cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until cooked to your liking.
Serve the skewers with cucumber, rice, herbs and the peanut satay sauce.
NOTE:
1. As the marinade has dried turmeric that can stain porous surfaces easily, it is best to use a bowl (like glass) that will not stain.
2. This recipe is terrific with the addition of smoking chips to the barbecue (we used hickory). Soak the chips in water for 30 minutes. Drain and add the wood chips to the charcoal or to the smoker box of a gas barbecue, following the manufacturer’s instructions (if using smoking wood). Once smoke appears, grill the skewers as directed.
