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If you’re making the marinade for chicken only, omit the cumin. If you’re making the marinade for pork only, include the cinnamon. Freezing the meat for 30 minutes makes it much easier to slice thinly. Serve the satay with Peanut Sauce and Cucumber Salad or, if you like, make it the centerpiece of an entire party menu.Serves three to four.Yields 1/2 cup marinade and 15 to 18 skewers.
ingredients
for the Marinade:
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 stalk lemongrass (hard outer leaves and green top removed), minced
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon coriander seeds, toasted in a small dry skillet until fragrant, and then ground
1 teaspoon cumin seeds (for beef and pork only), toasted in a small dry skillet until fragrant, and then ground
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (for pork only)
1 teaspoon turmeric
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 tablespoons pineapple juice
2 tablespoons unsalted dry-roasted peanuts, finely chopped
for the Satay:
1 pound pork loin, beef sirloin, or boneless chicken breasts or thighs, or a mix
18 wooden skewers, soaked in water for 30 minutes and dried
Vegetable oil spray
how to make
Make the marinade: Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and mix well (if working ahead, leave out the peanuts until ready to use). Seal and refrigerate. The marinade will keep for a couple of days.
Prepare the meat: Slice the meat across the grain as thinly as you can (a scant 1/8 inch is ideal). Transfer to a large zip-top bag (only one type of meat per bag) and add the marinade. Seal the bag and toss it back and forth to coat the meat well. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour or, for best results, 8 hours. Light a medium-hot grill fire. While waiting for the grill to heat, remove the meat from the refrigerator. Thread a few slices of meat onto each skewer, bunching up the slices (see below), to cover about 5 inches of the skewer.
Grill the skewers: Generously spray the meat with vegetable oil and put the skewers on the medium-hot grill, arranging several skewers close to one another. Flip and turn frequently until the surface is slightly charred and the meat feels firm when pressed with tongs. Grill as follows (times are approximate): pork ( charcoal, 3 minutes; gas, 7 minutes); medium-rare beef ( charcoal, 3 minutes; gas, 6 minutes); chicken breast( charcoal, 2 minutes; gas, 4 minutes); chicken thighs( charcoal, 4 minutes; gas, 5 minutes). Transfer to a platter and serve hot.
From Fine Cooking 52, pp. 56-60
photo: Amy Albert
