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It’s a pretty common occurrence to hear a song and have it remind you of something, somewhere or someone. For foodies like me, a certain food does the same. There are the obvious, like chicken soup reminding me of my mother, French toast reminding me of my childhood and oysters, oddly enough, bring me back to Las Vegas.
Chicken satay will always make me think of my older brother. Two years older than me, half a world away and still my best friend, my brother is what I like to call a “raw foodie”. He’s not into the snobby part that comes along with the title, but really a lover of simple, authentic flavors and tastes. He knows all the best ethnic ‘hole-in-the walls’ from taco truck to Indian spot in Los Angeles. Chicken is so unpretentiously his favorite protein.
Satay is marinated, skewered and grilled meats found all throughout South East Asia, especially in Indonesia and Thailand. They are generally served with a sauce, and every time I’ve eaten Thai satay in a proper Thai restaurant it also comes with a cucumber pickle.
This recipe requires ingredients found in the Thai pantry like red curry paste and palm sugar. I wouldn’t try to substitute these ingredients as they are easily found in Asian markets, especially here in Israel with the large Thai population. These are the type of ingredients that you buy once; they have a long shelf life and are used in many Thai recipes so it’s worth getting them and keeping them in the pantry.
Chicken Satay
If you are using wooden skewers, place them in water for at least 30 minutes before grilling and it will prevent them from burning.
Ingredients for 4 servings:
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon turmeric
1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
150 ml. canola oil
100 ml. soy sauce
2 tablespoons palm sugar
1 pound/500 grams chicken breast, pounded and sliced into thin strips
Preparation:
Easy Peanut Sauce
You can find readymade peanut sauce in Asian markets and specialty stores, but if you have the ingredients on hand, it takes about 15 minutes to make.
Ingredients for about one cup:
1 tablespoon canola oil
2 teaspoons Red Curry Paste
3 tablespoons coconut milk
125 ml. water
3 tablespoons palm sugar
125 grams/4 oz. crushed peanuts
Preparation:
Cucumber Pickle
Ingredients for about 1½ cups:
75 ml. water
2 tablespoons sugar
2½ tablespoons vinegar
¼ teaspoon chili flakes
A pinch of salt
1 large cucumber, or about 5 small ones, cut into small chunks
1 shallot, thinly sliced
Preparation:
Chicken satay is one of my favorites! And I have almost everything on hand for your recipe except palm sugar. I was so surprised to find that every supermarket in Israel has an incredible selection of Asian food products (mostly Japanese and Thai) and have been so thrilled that they are so readily available! Gorgeous photos, great recipe. Thanks!