chicken sate

By mrboyton

Throughout Asia, the most popular eateries are outdoor food courts called hawkers' stalls. They line the country roads and the modern streets of big cities such as Bangkok and Singapore. The stalls are out in the open so that shoppers can observe food preparation, freshness and cleanliness. One hawker's specialty dish that is gaining in popularity worldwide is saté.
Like Turkish shish kebab, saté is seasoned cubes of inexpensive meat- usually beef, chicken or lamb-that are threaded onto skewers and grilled over very high heat. Fanning the flames increases the heat, transforming and almost caramelizing the essential flavor of coriander used to season the meat along with ginger, garlic and galangal. The mouthwatering result is meat that is crispy on the outside and tender and juicy on the inside.
This saté recipe is made in the traditional Indonesian style, with a flavorful blend of spices Americans will enthusiastically embrace. If you use sirloin steak or lamb in the recipe instead of chicken, reduce the oil to 2 TB. The saté makes a meal for four served with bread or rice and a salad…or enough appetizers for a dozen people. Serve the skewers with dipping sauces, ranging from sweet to spicy with fiery red peppers.

Ingredients

• Dipping Sauce 1:
• 2-4 TB. SATÉ SEASONING
• 2 TB. water
• 2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 3 TB. soy sauce
• 4 TB. peanut or vegetable oil
• 2 TB. rice vinegar
• 30 wooden skewers
• 1/4 Cup soy sauce
• 2 thinly sliced shallots (2 TB. minced dry SHALLOTS)
• 2 tsp. brown sugar
• 1 tsp. lime juice (the juice of 1/2 lime)
• CRUSHED RED or JALAPENO PEPPER to taste
• Dipping Sauce 2 (Spicy Ginger Dipping Sauce)
• 1/4 tsp. GINGER, powdered
• 1 tsp. GRANULATED GARLIC
• 1 TB. water
• 1 TB. soy sauce
• 3/4 Cup of your favorite hot sauce

Preparation

Step 1

Combine SATÉ SEASONING and water in a medium sized bowl. Set aside to give the flavors time to develop. Trim chicken of excess fat and cut into 3/4 inch cubes. Add chicken and remaining ingredients to bowl, mixing well. Cover and let marinate in the fridge for 2 hours. Before starting the coals, place skewers in water to soak. Stack charcoal 2 deep across bottom of grill. After lighting the coals thread about 5-6 pieces of chicken loosely onto each skewer. Once the coals are very hot, grill the saté in batches, 3-5 minutes per side. The saté should be crispy brown on the first side before turning. High heat cooking is the key to producing the most delicious saté.

Dipping Sauce 1: Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and whisk.

Dipping Sauce 2: In a small bowl mix water, ginger and garlic, let stand 10 minutes so flavor can develop. Add soy sauce and hot sauce, mix. Great for chicken wings too.

Prep. time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 6-10 minutes
Serves: 4 for a meal, 12 for appetizers