Chicken Satay

Method

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1. Combine all the satay marinade ingredients and mix thoroughly with the chicken. Marinate 4 hours or overnight.

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2. Soak 24 bamboo skewers in water for 30 minutes.

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3. For the sauce, blend the peanuts to a coarse meal and set aside. Blend the shallots, garlic and chillies to a paste.

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4. Fry the paste in the oil over medium heat for 8 minutes until darkened and the oil separates.

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5. Add the ground peanuts, coconut milk, tamarind, palm sugar, kecap manis and salt.

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6. Simmer 12 minutes, stirring, until thick and glossy. Loosen with water if it tightens too far. Taste for the balance of salt, sweet and sour.

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7. Thread 4 or 5 pieces of chicken onto each skewer, pushed close together.

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8. Grill over hot charcoal or on a very hot griddle for 3 minutes a side, turning frequently and basting with leftover marinade for the first turn only.

   Mark done Start 3 min timer

9. The chicken should be charred at the edges and just cooked through. Serve immediately with the peanut sauce, rice and cucumber.

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Chef’s Tips

• Wrap the exposed ends of the skewers in foil so they do not burn through.
• Turn often. Sugar in the marinade catches quickly and satay burns before it dries out.
• Make the sauce a day ahead — it thickens and deepens, and just needs loosening with hot water.

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.
• A pinch of dried chilli flakes works in place of fresh chilli — start with about a third of the quantity the red chillies in the list implies, since dried chilli is more concentrated, and add more to taste.
• 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

• Lontong (compressed rice cakes) or plain rice
• Cucumber and raw shallot
• A cold lager

Storage & Reheating

Marinated raw chicken keeps 2 days. The peanut sauce keeps 1 week refrigerated and freezes 3 months.

Common questions

Nutritional Highlights

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