Chicken Satay, 'Satay Gai'

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Satay of course is originally an Indonesian/Malay dish, but it has been in Southern Thailand for a very long time. This is a Thai version. You can of course also make the same recipe as beef satay, pork satay, or prawn satay (large prawns usually deheaded and the skewer threaded lengthwise down the body).

Ingredients

1 teaspoon coriander seed
1 teaspoon cumin seed
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger
1 pound chicken breasts, skinned, boned, and cut into bite sized pieces.
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 tablespoon curry powder
pinch turmeric powder (as only a colorant, so very little!)
8 tablespoons coconut milk
3 tablespoons palm sugar

Method

The chicken is beaten flat, using the flat of the blade of a heavy cleaver or using a meat tenderizing mallet. You can also use a rolling pin.

The coriander and cumin are toasted and then crushed in a mortar and pestle. The ingredients are then combined to form a marinade, and the chicken is marinated overnight. The pieces of chicken are then threaded on the 12" satay sticks, loosely folding them in half and piercing through the folded meat to form a loose gather.

The completed sticks are then grilled, broiled or barbequed on fairly high heat (they taste best done over charcoal, as they absorb the smoke). Turn them regularly and brush them liberally with the remaining marinade. Cooking should take between 5 and 10 minutes depending on the heat of your cooker.

Nam jim satay (Peanut Sauce)

A peanut dressing accompanies these snacks. A quick and delicious substitute to the recipe below is our Satay Seasoning Mix (Peanut Sauce Mix). Imported from Thailand and made of the finest quality ingredients.

Ingredients

4 ounces of roasted (unsalted) peanuts
3-4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 ounce chopped onion
1-2 tablespoon red or massaman curry paste
1 teaspoon fish sauce
8 tablespoons coconut milk
4-6 teaspoons lime juice (to taste).
2-3 teaspoons palm sugar.

First grind or crush the peanuts to a fairly fine powder. Then combine them with the remaining ingredients (except the lime juice), to form a smooth sauce. If the sauce is too thick, you can thin it with a little chicken stock. Now add the lime juice, tasting as you progress to check the balance of flavors is correct.

Note use red curry paste with beef or pork satay, massaman (as above) with chicken. If you are doing shrimp satay then use half the quantity of massaman paste.

A jad (cucumber sauce)

4 tablespoons white vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
2-3 tablespoons cucumber, very coarsely chopped or sliced
2 shallots (or any variety of purple onion) chopped
3-4 Thai chile peppers, thinly sliced.

Combine the ingredients, and leave to stand overnight.

Each diner should have a small bowl of nam jim and a small bowl of a jad. However the satay themselves are normally served "communally". We like to eat steamed jasmine rice that has a few spoonfulls of the Peanut Sauce on top.

Thai Street Vendor Satay Grill

Handmade, with angle iron on the four sides, a handle on each end, metal sides, a top grate to put the food, and a lower grate to hold the charcoal. On the front side there is a long "window" below the coals, to allow air flow up. A lower shelf catches the ash. A generous 22" long (photos are 18" size, but now it's 4" longer), 8" tall, and 6" wide. Made in Thailand.

$39.00 Satay Grill, 22"

More information on our Thai Street Vendor Satay Grill page.

Thai Street Vendor Video

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Street Vendor Video: Pork Satay

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