Beef Satay

Method

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1. Pound or blend the lemongrass, shallots, garlic, galangal, turmeric, coriander and cumin to a paste.

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2. Mix half the paste with the caster sugar, salt and 1 tbsp of the oil and turn the beef through it.

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3. Marinate 2 hours refrigerated.

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4. Grind the peanuts coarsely, leaving some texture.

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5. Fry the remaining paste and the satay paste in the rest of the oil for 5 minutes, until the oil separates.

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6. Add the ground peanuts, coconut milk, tamarind and palm sugar and simmer 10 minutes, until thick.

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7. Thread the beef strips onto the soaked skewers in flat ribbons.

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8. Grill over white-hot charcoal or a smoking griddle for 3 minutes, turning once.

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9. Rest 2 minutes.

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10. Serve with the peanut sauce, cucumber chunks and raw onion wedges.

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Chef’s Tips

• Flat ribbons, not cubes.
• Three minutes on the fiercest heat you have.
• Split the oil out of the sauce paste before the liquid goes in.

Common Substitutions & Variations

• For a non-vegan version, double cream can generally stand in for the coconut milk; going the other way, a plant-based cream sold for cooking is the closer match to dairy than tinned coconut milk on its own.
• An eighth of a teaspoon of garlic powder per clove is the usual stand-in when you are out of fresh garlic — it will not caramelise the same way, but it carries the flavour.

Pairing Suggestions

• Nasi impit or rice cakes
• Cucumber and raw onion
• Cold beer

Storage & Reheating

The sauce keeps 5 days refrigerated. Marinated raw beef freezes 2 months.

Common questions

Nutritional Highlights

Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list. Treat these as an estimate — brands and cuts vary.