Recipe

SATE BALI
(Balinese Skewered Pork and Chicken with Peanut Sauce)

The sate for which Bali has become famous is its tender turtle meat version, but pork and chicken are also enjoyed. There are many recipes for the smooth peanut-based sauce which accompanies sate. It can be mild, thick or thin; redolent of sambal ulek and burning hot; dark and sweet with plenty of kecap manis (sweet soy sauce); or tasting of peanuts, with just a dash of chilli heat and coconut milk for creaminess. The traditional sate accompaniment of cubes of cucumber, and on a special occasion cubes lontong (compressed rice).


Ingredient of sate:
10 oz (315 g) pork tenderloin (fillet) or chicken breast
1 medium onion, finely grated
1 ½ teaspoons finely grated fresh ginger
2 teaspoons sugar
½ teaspoon ground chilli paste
1 teaspoon ground coriander
2 tablespoons thick coconut milk
¼ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon light soy sauce (for chicken only) or
1 teaspoon sweet soy sauce, 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce and ½ teaspoon ground cumin (for pork only)

Peanut sauce:
1 cup (5 oz/155 g) raw peanuts
2 tablespoons peanut oil
1 tablespoon ground chilli paste
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
¼ cup (2 fl oz/60 ml) water
½ cup (4 fl oz/120 ml) thick coconut milk
½ teaspoon lemon grass powder
½ teaspoon ground coriander
Pinch each of turmeric and salt
Vegetable oil

How to make:

• Cut the pork or chicken (or a mixture of two) into a small cubes and place in a dish. Add the remaining sate ingredient and mix it thoroughly. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside for at least 1 hour.

• Spread the peanuts on a rimmed baking sheet and roast in a medium oven until golden. Rub in a kitchen towel to remove the skins, and then pour into a colander and rinse with cold water until the skins have been washed away. Place in a food processor or a large mortar and grind to a paste. Mix it with the remaining sauce ingredients (except vegetable oil) in a small saucepan and bring to the boil. Simmer and stirring for 5 minutes, and then pour into several flat saucers.

• Rub thin bamboo skewers with vegetable oil to prevent the meat from sticking. Thread several cubes of meat onto each skewer.

• Grill the sate over glowing charcoal, brushing with a little vegetable oil during cooking to keep the meat moist. Serve hot with the sauce.

MAKES 12 STICKS (approx. 4 servings)