rod%venera.isi.edu@usc.edu (Rodney Doyle Van Meter III) (08/02/90)
I have a (probably somewhat Americanized) recipe for satay, reprinted
w/o permission:
>From the Boise Statesman, 8/30/89
Satay is Malaysian or Thai for kabob, usually meat. Slice meat very
thin (quarter inch strips), poultry in half-inch cubes. Marinate all
day in the refrigerator. Keep the dipping sauce separate, but refrigerated
as well. Skewer the meat, grill it, then serve with the dipping sauce
on the side.
Satay Marinade
1 small onion, grated
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon ground, or 1 tablespoon chopped, fresh coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin or curry powder
1 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger
pinch ground turmeric (optional)
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes, or several dashes hot
pepper sauce
3/4 cup coconut milk
2 tablespoons molasses or honey
1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter, preferably natural style
juice of one lime
Mix all ingredients in saucepan. Heat gently until peanut butter
melts. Cool; pour over meat strips. Marinate at least two hours.
Thread meat in a spiral around skewers that have been soaked in water.
Grill over low fire. While skewers are grilling, simmer remaining
marinade five minutes, adding water or coconut milk if necessary.
Brush over satays just before serving. Spices should be adjusted
upward to your personal taste.
Satay Dipping Sauce
1 cup plain low-fat or regular yogurt, or half yogurt and half sour cream
Garlic powder to taste, or garlic oil from one capsule, or several
drops freshly pressed garlic oil
2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter, preferably natural style
2-3 dashes liquid hot pepper seasoning
1/4 teaspoon curry powder
juice of one half lime
Combine all ingredients; refrigerate to blend flavors. Chopped fresh
coriander or parsley may be added for color. This is probably enough
dipping sauce for three or four pounds of meat.
Rod's marinade
I used Patak's brand Madras curry paste, medium hot (bought in an
Indian spice store). The guideline on the jar was 1.5 tablespoons per
pound of meat. I went a little lighter than that, about 2 tablespoons
for about two pounds of chicken. A generous amount of sherry followed,
then some light soy and red wine vinegar. Then I pressed a couple of
cloves of garlic in, and grated most of a small brown onion and added
it. I used only a couple of tablespoons of melted peanut butter
(chunky Peter Pan was all we had), sprinkled on some dry mint, and
squeezed in the juice of a whole lime. That's it!
This is busy enough that I would make most modifications by deletion
or proportion changes rather than additions. Perhaps add some chili
garlic paste or Tabasco sauce for heat; this was distinctly medium.
I'm inclined to make the meat very hot and keep the dipping sauce
cool. More soy sauce and ginger in the marinade might be nice, and the
molasses or honey might have added as nice glaze. For the dipping
sauce, I think I'd shift the proportions a little more toward 50/50
between the yogurt and peanut butter, and keep the peanuts to a
minimum in the marinade.
Sources of sodium:
peanut butter
soy sauce
curry paste (lightly salted)
sources of fat:
meat
peanut butter
yogurt
curry paste (vegetable oil, rapeseed, is main ingredient)
These can be controlled for content without adversely affecting the
dish: use lean meat (white meat from birds, for instance) and nonfat
yogurt, keeping the unsalted peanut butter and low-sodium soy to a
minimum. The curry paste shouldn't be a problem for anyone whose diet
includes meat at all.
Oriental Salad
Slice unpeeled cucumber, large unpeeled red radishes, and peeled
daikon radish paper thin. Cut matchsticks of inner celery ribs and
scallions, both white and green parts. Cover vegetables with cold
water. Add several tablespoons white or rice vinegar and a teaspoon of
sugar to the water. Refrigerate several hours. Drain and arrange
vegetables on a small plate. [My understanding is that soaking the
vegies like this tends to leach out the vitamins. I'd keep the liquid
to a minimum. This salad is supposed to go nicely with the satay.]