Chicken Satay

Satay is one of our favorite comfort foods.

That said, satay that overwhelms our taste buds has to be, in our opinion, fresh and aromatic, meat that is succulent and juicy, and above all, an aroma that simply entices you to eat and eat and eat !

Readers of this blog will know that we've tried many variations and spice mixes, in an attempt to get that smoky, aromatic flavor. You know what we mean.

But only now, we think, have we approached what we consider to be our standard. We still believe there's room for further improvement. Our quest continues.

This recipe produces spice mix for 4 deboned chicken thighs or approximately 400-450 gm meat, minus the skin. At about 5-6 chunks per bamboo skewer you will get approx 22-23 sticks. We cut the meat into bite-sized chunks about 1-inch x 1.5-inch, the depth being the thickness of the thigh meat. Unavoidably you will have some smaller chunks. Simply thread those together with the usual chunks.

We grilled the chicken satay in our Sharp microwave oven, using only the top grill element. For crisper grilling we lined up the skewers on a plate large enough to hold the satay sticks, first using 2 support bamboo skewers widely spaced apart on the plate, upon which we then laid the satay sticks in a perpendicular direction to the two support skewers. The plate with the satay was then set on the high rack provided with the oven. Arranged our way, the skewers weree approx 2-inches from the grill element.

We grilled the satay sticks for 9-10 min on one side, then turned the meat over for a further 5 min on the other side. That produced satay that had a bit of burnt meat - signs that the satay was cooked and crispy, yet still juicy. You need to observe the sticks to gauge your actual grilling time, as not all microwave ovens operate at the same temperature and the way you cut your meat influences the grill time.

Now for the spice paste. Grind or blend in a blender at the slowest speed until smooth:

6 shallots, sliced
2 stalks lemon grass, sliced
2 cloves garlic, sliced
4 tablespoons of cooking oil

Add 2 T water if necessary to facilitate the blending.

Mix following into the blended spice mix:

2 ts coriander powder - spoon the coriander seeds, cumin, peppercorns into a small rice bowl, cover with a saucer and mw at full power. Let steam out of the bowl after the 1st min, then mw for another min. Let cool, then grind into powder with a mortar and pestle. Not as nice as previous, maybe shld grind spices separately or even revert to prev spice mix!

1 teaspoon of chili powder
2 teaspoons of turmeric powder (kunyit)
4 teaspoons of ABC Kecap Manis
1 tablespoon of oyster sauce

I added 4 ts sugar, 2 ts kosher salt to the satay spice mix. Was worried might be too salty but turned out to be ok. Kosher is not so salty.

I used 3 thighs cut into bite-sized chunks, mixed with 4 tbl spice paste, and leave it to marinade overnight in the fridge.

Update : 18-Jan-2011
To add 2 T roasted ground peanut, 6 candlenuts, 1 ts cumin powder, substitute 1 ts black pepper powder for 1 ts chilli powder. Added the nuts bcoz I am not preparing the satay sauce dip, but will eat the satay as a main dish accompanied with freshly cooked jasmine rice!

Must Try
Thai Pork Satay Recipe
Peanut Gravy
Sweet Cucumber Relish

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Draft

1 kg boneless chicken thighs, cut into small chunks

Bamboo skewers (soaked in water for 2 hours to avoid burning)
1 cucumber (skin peeled and cut into small pieces)

Grill 1 stick in wok under low heat: 8 min each side, put oil in wok to even out the heat.

Grill 2 sticks under mw on high rack: 13 min first side, then t/o for another 5 min. No bits were charred, maybe grilling time was not long enough? Anyway, as this is my first experiment, didn't want to overcook. Chicken was cooked enough, but didn't have the taste of bbq satay.

Wonder what if I place the chicken sticks on a plate on top of the high rack? Maybe hotter, since nearer the grill element? The meat was slightly charred.

Well, needed only 10 min one side, then t/o for another 6 min. I used a plate placed on the high rack. Maybe can grill longer for more char effect.

Actually, you only need to observe the grilling - if the chunks showed bits being charred, then it is time to stop the grilling after a bit more of the chicken has charred.

The chicken grilled in mw tastes better, more like bbq satay, probably bcoz of longer grilling time?

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Another foodlie blog (mylocalcuisine.blogspot.com)

Ingredients
1 1/2kg Chicken - deboned and cut into bite size pcs
1/2 tsp Cinnamon Powder
10 Shallots - diced
1 stalk Lemon Grass
2 tsp Cooking Oil
Bamboo Skewers

Tip: Soak the Bamboo skewers in water overnight to prevent the sticks from burning.

Seasoning Ingredients
1 tsp Cumin Seeds
1 tsp Coriander Seeds
1 inch pc Turmeric
2 tsp Roasted Peanuts
1 tsp Sugar to taste
1/2 tsp Salt to taste

Peanut Sauce Ingredients
300gm Roasted Peanuts - pounded
1 inch pc Galangal
2 stalks Lemon Grass
1 inch pc Ginger
1 Large Onion - sliced
3 tsp Ground Chillies
1/2 cup Tamarind Juice
Salt and sugar to taste

Directions - Prepare Satay
1] Grind the seasoning ingredients together but not till its too fine.
2] Marinate chicken pieces with seasoning ingredients, shallots, cinnamon powder and cooking oil
3] Thread 5 pieces of chicken on each skewer and place on grill
4] Brush chicken occasionally with oil until cooked and tender
5] Serve hot with peanut sauce, cucumber and onion slices.

Directions - Prepare Peanut Sauce
1] Fry onion slices till fragrant.
2] Add ground ingredients, ground chillies and tamarind juice.
3] Stir well.
4] Add salt and sugar.
5] Add peanuts and stir constantly until sauce is thick.

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