thai-style chicken satay

The first Daring Cooks challenge for the new year is Thai Satay (set by Cuppy of Cuppylicious). I’ve made the Malay rendition of this street snack before, but never the Thai version so was excited to give it go.

I tweaked the given recipe a little and added lemongrass, fish sauce, lime juice and sugar for a more authentic Thai flavour. They came out really flavourful and tender (marinating the meat overnight tenderises it). I’ve used chicken but lamb, beef or pork will work just as well.

I paired it with peanut sauce (had a jar that needed using) but I think a lighter Nam Pla Phrik (a Thai Chili, Fish Sauce and cucumber dipping sauce) would have been a better choice.

Thai Chicken Satay
makes 18-20 skewers

450g (1lb) chicken thigh (or breast) fillets
2 stalks lemongrass
2 shallots small, finely chopped
1/4 tsp ground turmeric
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp ground cumin
2 clove garlic, crushed
1 tbsp ginger, grated
1 tbsp dark soy sauce
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp lime juice
2 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp vegetable oil

Cut off the woody top and very end of the lemongrass stalks and remove any tough,dried out outer layers. Chop the rest up finely and mix with all other ingredients (except the chicken) for the marinade.

Cut the chicken fillets into small pieces and mix in a bowl or plastic bag with the marinade. Leave to marinate in the fridge for at least 2 hours or overnight.

Preheat the oven to 160°C (320°F).

Soak the bamboo skewers for 20-30 minutes.

Make you satay by sliding the chicken pieces onto the wooden skewers, filling only the upper half of the skewer.

Grill or broil in the oven on high for 8-10 minutes, until the edges begin to char then flip over and cook for another 5 minutes. You can also pan-fry them in a large pan on a medium high flame until charred then finished them in an oven set to 160°C (320°F).

Serve with peanut sauce (or your choice of dipping sauce) and cucumber slices.

~ by gourmettraveller on January 13, 2010.