Chicken Satay, "Satay Gai"

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 with chunks of
beef or pork, or large prawns (if you can get the very large ones [3-4 per pound] then they are
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 accompies 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.

Marinade the chicken		Barbeque on skewers		Prepare the peanuts
Mix up the peanut sauce		Prepare the ajad		Serve and enjoy

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