Indonesian satay with peanut sauce — marinated chicken skewers grilled over charcoal

Satay, known in Indonesian as sate, is one of Southeast Asia’s most iconic dishes: marinated pieces of meat grilled on skewers over embers and served with a thick peanut sauce, as the Wikipedia entry on this traditional dish describes. In Indonesia it is sold on every street corner, on banana leaves, with red onion and pickled cucumbers as indispensable accompaniments.

For the marinade, the chicken pieces are mixed with chopped onion, garlic, fresh ginger, ground coriander and cumin, a little palm sugar (or brown sugar) and sweet kecap manis soy sauce — the marinade must rest at least two hours for the flavors to penetrate deeply. The peanut sauce, the true heart of the dish, is made by frying the peanuts, grinding them finely, and simmering them with coconut milk, tamarind paste (or lemon juice), chili and sugar — until creamy and glossy.

INGREDIENTS (serves 4):

• 800 g chicken fillets, cut into thin strips
• 2 red onions, finely chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, crushed
• 2 cm fresh ginger, grated
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tbsp palm sugar or brown sugar
• 3 tbsp sweet soy sauce (kecap manis)
• 2 tbsp oil
• 1 tsp salt
• Bamboo skewers, soaked in water for 30 minutes
• For the sauce: 200 g roasted peanuts, 250 ml coconut milk, 1 tbsp tamarind paste (or lemon juice), 1 chili, 1 tbsp sugar, salt
• To serve: sliced red onion, pickled cucumbers, lemon wedges

METHOD:

1. In a large bowl combine the chopped onion, garlic, ginger, coriander, cumin, sugar, sweet soy sauce, oil and salt; mix well.
2. Add the chicken strips to the marinade, cover the bowl and refrigerate at least 2 hours (overnight is even better).
3. Meanwhile prepare the sauce: grind the peanuts finely, then simmer with the coconut milk, tamarind paste, chopped chili, sugar and salt over low heat for 10–12 minutes, stirring constantly, until the sauce thickens and turns glossy. Keep warm.
4. Thread the marinated chicken strips onto the soaked bamboo skewers.
5. Grill (or use a grill pan) 3–4 minutes per side, until golden and cooked through.
6. Serve the skewers hot on banana leaves or on a plate, with the peanut sauce in a separate bowl, sliced red onion, pickled cucumbers and lemon wedges.

Prep time: 20 minutes (+ 2 hours marinating) | Cook time: 15 minutes | Servings: 4

Tip: don’t pack the skewers too tightly — leave a little space between the pieces so they cook evenly and pick up the smokiness of the grill.