Stir Fried Satay with flashes of brilliance and strokes of genius...!

I've just realised that I have a whole heap of stuff that I never got round to posting. In fact, the only reason I remembered this one was because of a comment I received from my good friend Naomi saying something to the effect that she 'needs' some good chicken stir fry recipes!

This post actually harks back to November 2008 when I posted about the homemade Satay for Sarah's BBQ. Okay, so November really isn't such a long time ago. I did find a whole other heap of stuff that needs to be posted though but we'll get to that eventually.

So.. Stir Fried Satay huh? Is that even possible??




See, when we made the Satay the last time, there was quite a bit of marinated meat left over. Neither the Lovely Wife nor I fancied skewering the meat onto sticks again and neither did we want to set up the BBQ again.

So, in a flash of brilliance, that unfortunately doesn't quite come as often as I think it does, I decided to just stir fry the meat and see how it would turn out. I have to say that it wasn't really a flash of brilliance but more like a Stroke of Genius! It was bloody amazing!

I served it with some cut chillies that gave the meat an added piquancy (or zing if you like!). The bed of lettuce not only made it look pretty, but wrapping the meat up in the lettuce, like a spring roll, was another Stroke of Genius. Or maybe it was a Flash of Brilliance. Whatever.

It was S.U.P.E.R.B!!!

The recipe for the meat marinade is on the Satay Post



I'm also taking this opportunity to play around with uploading photos on Flickr and then linking to them as you get larger photo sizes. Just playing a little...

Sarah's BBQ - Homemade Satay and Kuah Kacang (Peanut Sauce also known as Satay Sauce)

Continuing on with the story of Sarah's BBQ...
She wanted Satay and so The Lovely Wife and I decided that we would try and make our own. We've never made satay before but we thought this would be as good a time as any to try.

The recipe is based on a mixture of various recipes to 'create' our own. This is what we did although in hindsight, we should have halved the ingredients!!

Satay
3 kg chicken breast - diced
2 stalks lemongrass - bruised and pounded
1 inch ginger - ground
4 cloves garlic - ground
3 tbsp honey
3 tbsp oil
3 Tbsp light soy sauce
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp turmeric
Black pepper
Salt
Bamboo skewers


Method
Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl. Cover and refrigerate for a few hours. Meanwhile soak bamboo skewers in water for at least an hour. This prevents the sticks from burning once on the fire. Thread the marinated chicken on to the skewers. Grill/cook the meat on the barbecue basting it with a little oil as you do so.

Not so difficult really but a little time consuming. We got the kids involved in threading the meat on the skewers but since I was so busy with everything, I didnt get any pics. I also reckon that we should have barbecued the meat a little bit more as although it was nicely cooked, it didnt have that little bit of charred meat that makes satay all the more delicious.



Satay is also never complete without Ketupat. Fortunately, you can get the 'instant' variety where the rice comes pre-packed in heat resistant plastic bags. You just need to boil it and then let it cool before cutting it up.




As for the Kuah Kacang, my wife based it on a recipe from Amy Beh, one of Malaysia's well known chefs. Again in retrospect, we should reduce the chillies as although it was delicious, it was also very, very spicy!

This is how it goes:

Kuah Kacang

Spices:
15-16 dried chillies
2 fresh red chillies
12 small onions
2 cloves garlic
4 candlenuts (buak keras)
1 stalk lemon grass
1 tsp fennel powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tbsp ground coriander
2 slices galangal
6-7 black peppercorns


200g roasted peanuts, coarsely ground.
1 grated coconut, squeezed for 250ml thick coconut milk
1 tbsp tamarind paste, mixed with 100ml water and squeezed for tamarind juice.
1 ½ - 2 tbsp sugar or to taste
1 tsp salt or to taste
5 - 6 tbsp oil

Method
Grind together all the spices to make a paste. Heat oil in a wok and fry ground spices for 2-3 minutes. Add 1-2 tablespoons coconut milk and simmer until oil rises and is fragrant. Pour in a little water and tamarind juice. Continue to simmer for 10-15 minutes.

Add the ground peanuts and remaining coconut milk. Simmer for 2-3 minutes over low heat. Add sugar and salt to taste. Bring to a boil for 3- 4 minutes.


Indeed a most succesful Satay, Kuah Kacang and Ketupat endeavour! My son loves his Ketupat and Kuah Kacang and he was certainly very happy with this! I have to admit the Satay and Kuah Kacaing is not as good as the ones you get at the local food stalls but for a home made effort, I have to say it was pretty darned super!

Cultural Exchange, Satay and Honesty

I've mentioned in a previous post that one of the things I love about food blogging is getting to learn about other cuisines, ingredients and cultures. Just as I learn, I also like to share. So in carrying on with the theme of Cultural Exchange, I'm going to share with you one of Malaysia's best known foods. When it comes to food, Malaysia is a 'food paradise'. All of you Malaysian's that are reading this would probably agree that there is nothing quite so special or delicious than Satay! Any visit to Malaysia would be incomplete without partaking of our delicious Satay. So what exactly is Satay??



Satay could probably be classified as Malaysia's National Dish although it would be a tough fight with Nasi Lemak. Basically, Satay is pieces of marinated meat, skewered on a thin bamboo stick and then barbecued (or grilled - depending which part of the world you come from) over burning charcoal. The grilled meat is then served with Kuah Kacang - a piquant peanut sauce, fresh cucumber and onion slices as well as Ketupat or Nasi Himpit (compressed rice).



Satay can be found at most food stalls that abound throughout the country. Most commonly, Satay is available as Chicken Satay, Beef Satay and sometimes Mutton Satay.


The picture above shows Beef and Chicken Satay with the Beef being the darker colour, of course.

There are some shops or food stalls that serve Tripe satay as well. Supposedly, the best Satay is in a small town called Kajang.

The difference between a great Satay and a good Satay often lies in the Kuah Kacang (Peanut Sauce). Sometimes the sauce is a bit sweetish and sometimes it is a little too piquant. There is no such thing as a Bad Satay because.. well Satay can never be bad - always either Great or just plain Good. That's Satay for you!



Just last weekend, we were wondering what to do for dinner. The kids were in their 'I dont know' mode while The Lovely Wife suggested buying back some stall food and in particular some Satay. The kids seemed happy with that as we all love Satay. My son in particular loves the Ketupat with Kuah Kacang (Peanut Sauce).

When we got home, I casually remarked to my wife to please use a nice plate to lay out the Satay while I went to get my camera. My son, on overhearing me say I was going to get the camera, immediately objected.

Michael: "Daddy, I hope your not taking pictures for your blog! "

Me: "I am Mike. Why not? "

Michael:" Thats cheating, Dads! You didn't make the Satay!! "

I couldn't help laughing and I explained to him that I wasn't going to cheat but there was nothing wrong with posting about Satay just to share with everyone else - as long as I didn't claim to have made it. But I'm glad he knows the importance of honesty!

Some people like to eat the Satay with just a touch of sauce. Others, like me, like to have lots and lots of peanut sauce with their Satay. However you eat it though, Satay is truly a most delightful and wonderful dish!