Appetising and wonderfully spiced chargrilled beef skewers paired with the most delicious thai peanut sauce. This is one of most mouth-watering skewers I ever made. Satay is one of the most popular Thai appetisers. Commonly made with chicken and pork , served with very rich and beautifully seasoned peanut sauce. Beef is not always a choice of protein in Thailand, they do eat beef but mostly prefers imported beef goods as it is tastier and better quality.
Beef is beautiful and one of the tastiest protein compared to others, and you can cook beef in so many ways, you can cook it in fast phase, nice and slow or something quick but needs a little bit of care and patience. I am not sure if you can picture what I just described. What I was trying to explain is beef is easy to handle and so easy to pair with any seasoning or herbs needed to elevate the earthy and rich flavour of the meat.
It is important to get the right cut of meat when making beef satay, well, to be fair in any meat dishes. I like using sirloin or rib eye in most of my dishes, they are tender and flavourful, but of course you can use any cut you want. Just make sure they are suitable for grilling.
The marinade is as important when making satays. The spices used for the marinade are known to match and will intensify the earthy and meaty rich flavour of the beef. Mostly you prepare meat ahead of time and leave to marinate overnight to optimise the flavour. But, this recipe I marinated my meat for 2 hours only, because beef is beautiful and tasty on its own.
This tender and juicy chargrilled beefy skewers is paired with gorgeous ingenious creation in culinary world, "peanut sauce". Peanut sauce in different cuisines are flavoured differently. In Thai cuisine different cooks also makes it slightly different, equally delicious something to note about. My peanut sauce recipe is inspired from my mentor back when I was in training , and been using this peanut sauce recipe ever since. When you're ready let's make this irresistibly delicious little skewers of goodness together! I hope you will enjoy this recipe as much I do! Happy Cooking!
What you need to get
Turmeric - it comes in two forms, ground or fresh. Both are useful. In this recipe i used fresh.
Curry powder - you can purchase this in any local supermarket. or online if it helps.
Soy sauce - If you have soy sauce in your cupboard you can use any. Or Asian supermarkets.
Palm sugar/ brown sugar - I used palm sugar in this recipe, but brown sugar will suffice.
Galangal - available in an oriental supermarket, if not available can omit.
Massaman curry paste- If using store bought paste, available in an asian supermarket, we need this paste for the peanut sauce. See photo below for reference.
Tamarind paste/ tamarind pulp- available in two forms, concentrates and pulp; or sometimes sold as tamarind sauce. If using pulp, see note below on how to prepare.
Cumin seed/ cumin powder - you can use either, if using seeds, needs to be pan toasted with the rest of dry ingredients for more flavours. This is easy to find available in local supermarkets.
Coriander seeds/ coriander powder- same as cumin seeds, needs to be pan roast for intense flavour, and available local or asian supermarkets.
Fish sauce- purchase in an asian supermarkets, and some local supermarkets.
Nuea Satay
Full Ingredients : Serves 4
Marinade:
2 sirloin steak
1 tbsp fresh turmeric
1/4 tsp curry powder
1 stalks lemongrass, white part only
2 cloves garlic
1/4 tsp black peppercorn, roasted
1 tbsp galangal
1 tbsp ginger
1/2 tsp cumin seeds, roasted
1/2 tsp coriander seeds, roasted
1 asian shallots
2 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 cup coconut milk
1 tbsp palm sugar
2 tsp rice vinegar
For the grill
bamboo skewers
vegetable oil, use brush when needed
Satay peanut sauce:
1 tbsp massaman curry paste
1- 2 tbsp roasted peanut, rough ground (see note below ) for roasting peanuts
1 cup coconut milk
1 tbsp tamarind paste, if using pulp (see note below ) on how to prepare
1 tbsp palm sugar
1/2 to 1 tbsp fish sauce, adjust to taste
Method:
Chop lemongrass, galangal, fresh turmeric, ginger, shallots and garlic. Set aside.
Pan roast cumin seeds, coriander seeds, black peppercorns. Set aside.
Using pestle and mortar, pound chopped lemongrass, galangal, fresh turmeric, ginger, shallots garlic, and roasted seeds ( cumin, coriander and black peppercorns) make a rough paste.
In a large bowl, mix paste, coconut milk, palm sugar, soy sauce, rice vinegar and curry powder. Soak bamboo skewers for 30 minutes or longer.
Prepare steak, chopped beef into cubes, bite size. Add beef into marinade mixture. Let it marinate for at least 1-2 hours. Carefully thread beef in a bamboo skewers.
Meanwhile, time to make the peanut sauce: In a wok, heat oil over medium, add paste stir fry until aromatic, add coconut milk mix well. Add seasoning ( tamarind paste, fish sauce, palm sugar) stir and mix well, adjust heat to low so it will not dry out when adding next ingredient. Add ground roasted peanut and mix well. Then remove from heat and transfer to serving bowl.
In the grill, grill skewers over medium heat if using charcoal make sure heat is not too close to the the grill to not burn meat too quick. Grill both sides, brush oil when needed. Rest beef for 10 minutes.
Serve with peanut sauce and some cooked sticky rice. Enjoy!
Note : To roast the peanuts (blanched peanuts) , spread evenly on a baking tray, and bake them for 8 minutes in 170 °C, shake them half way through, check if golden brown, then remove and cool it down in a clean tea towel and set aside.
To prepare the tamarind pulp, break the block or cut a portion , add hot but not boiling water, leave it for at least 30 minutes. Break them apart, and press using a spoon. and mix it well with the liquid, strain and pressed it against the back of your spoon,. or if using cheese cloth squeeze it as much as you can to get the most of the mixture.