Try these succulent and tasty pork satay sticks, paired perfectly with a tangy peanut sauce…
Meat. Stick. Fire. On that basis, you might say satay was probably invented by a man…
Misandrist stereotypes aside, satay doesn’t judge – satay loves everyone! Or rather, everyone loves satay. The cross-cultural appeal of satay is undeniable, not just around Asia, but across the globe. Unfortunately, worldwide celebrity status means that somewhere along the way, good satay has gotten lost in translation. In extreme cases, it has been reduced to nothing more than tasteless chewy meat topped with what might as well be sweet peanut butter.
So, how should we define the perfect satay? Unfortunately, that in itself is a loaded question, as the umbrella of satay can cover a multitude of national and regional variations, both in skewered protein as well as the accompanying sauce. Throw in unaccountable personal preferences and you have a recipe for who-knows-what.
So rather than attempting to create the greatest satay recipe known to man, here’s a recipe for what I enjoy and if you like it too, then I applaud your good taste!
My meat of choice in this case is pork – while chicken or beef may be more commonly used, pork satay can be often be found in non-Muslim communities in Asia. I also like pork for a bit of variety, and I think it strikes a nice medium between flavour, tenderness and juiciness. I’ve chosen to go for quite a strong flavoured marinade – that’s just my style. A touch of spicing is balanced with aromatics and a trio of soy, fish and oyster sauces to create something almost approaching a curry on a stick. Tamarind and sugar round out the profile so everything is balanced.
In my opinion, the satay should be tasty enough to stand up on its own, and also to the sauce (after all, recipes are usually “Satay with peanut sauce”, not “Satay sauce with a bit of random meat”) – the sauce is there to complement it, not to provide (or overwhelm) the flavour.
Talking about the sauce, the aromatics in the pork are mirrored here, and I’ve deliberately styled the sauce to be lighter and more tangy with tamarind to contrast the sweet/spicy pork, rather than the overly-thick-and-sweet variants that are becoming increasingly common. How finely you grind up the peanuts depends on you – if you like more texture in the sauce, leave it more coarse – the sauce in the pictures is made from peanuts ground to a sand-like consistency.
I took the opportunity to test out a few variations on the shape of the meat too, so here we have three options – “accordion” strips, flat strips and chunks.
The lowdown is that solid chunks of meat stay juicy and have better texture, but they require the longest cooking time and can be trickier to monitor as to when they’re cooked through.
On the opposite end, flat slices cook through far quicker and give you more surface area for charred bits, but because they’re so thin they can be prone to drying out and overcooking if you take your eye off them.
Accordion strips as I’ve named them are flat strips which are then squashed up into a chunk, but they didn’t seem to offer any particular benefits, and sat somewhere in the middle of the scale.
I’ve gone for the flat strips in this recipe, because they cook quicker. Just make sure they don’t overcook!
This is particularly true if you’re using a lean cut like a fillet – I’ve used sliced shoulder here but feel free to use whatever you like, though something like belly might be a bit too fatty. If you’re using a cheaper cut, just spend a bit of extra time trimming off any gristle or sinew, as the cooking time is so short you’ll just end up with tough chewy bits.
You can serve these pork satay as appetizers, snacks or as part of a main meal. You’ll often find pieces of cucumber and onion as accompaniments, and a house favourite is spicy fried rice (nasi goreng) with satay on top!
[This recipe was inspired by a couple of sources that you might want to check out…David Thompson’s Pork Satay recipe from Thai Street Food, James Oseland’s section on satay from Cradle of Flavour. This link to Saveur’s rundown on satay is also an interesting read!]
- 1 kilogram piece of pork (can be sholder, leg or fillet as you prefer)
- 100 grams shallot (3 medium shallots)
- 20 grams garlic (about 4 medium cloves)
- 20 grams lemongrass (1 small stalk)
- 1 teaspoon minced ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon ground fennel seeds
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1/2 teaspoon chilli powder
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 50 mililitres coconut milk
- 2 teaspoons fish sauce
- 2 teaspoons light soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon oyster sauce
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 50 grams tamarind pulp (to be divided for the marinade and sauce)
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 150 grams unsalted roasted peanuts
- 3 tablespoons peanut oil
- 10 grams dried red chilli (about 10 - 15 chilies, depending on size)
- 25 grams garlic (about 5 cloves)
- 100 grams shallots (about 3 medium shallots)
- 30 grams lemongrass (1 large stalk, finely sliced)
- 10 grams chopped galangal (about 2 teaspoons)
- 1 teaspoon shrimp paste
- 125 mililitres coconut milk
- 250 mililitres water
- 1 kaffir lime leaf
- 2 teaspoons palm sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 20 small bamboo skewers
- Diced onion and cucumber (optional)
- Plan to marinate the pork a little in advance - at least a couple of hours beforehand, up to overnight.
- Slice the pork into slices into 1cm thick slices, between 6 - 8cm long (1/2 inch by 3 inches) and set aside.
- Mix the tamarind pulp with 100ml hot water and mash with a fork or fingers until the seeds and pulp separate. Strain off the thick liquid and discard the pulp. Set aside 2 teaspoons for the marinade and reserve the rest for the peanut sauce.
- In a mortar and pestle or food processor, blend the shallot, garlic, lemongrass and ginger into a smooth paste, then combine with 2 teaspoons of the tamarind and the remaining satay ingredients. Mix the marinade very well with the pork and set aside to marinate.
- In a food processor, process the peanuts until chopped as finely as you like. Set aside. Deseed the dried chillies and soak in hot water for 20 minutes till softened and roughly chop. Grind or process the chillies, lemongrass, shallot, garlic, galangal and shrimp paste as smooth as you can and set aside.
- Heat the peanut oil over medium heat and fry off the paste you just made for 5 minutes until softened, then add in the ground peanuts and the remaining sauce ingredients and stir well. Bring to the boil, then turn down to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes. Check for seasoning and add more salt, sugar or tamarind if required.
- If cooking the satay on a grill or barbecue, you can soak the skewers in water for 30 minutes before using to stop them burning.
- Thread 2 - 3 pieces of pork through the length of the meat from end to end so that it lies flat. Repeat till all the meat is used.
- Skewers can be cooked over a charcoal/ gas grill outdoors, or indoors on a grill pan or heavy frying pan. Cook satays for 2 mins each side over high heat, or until just cooked through. Be careful not to overcook!
