Fresh Summer BBQ - Thai Style Sate

As the heat of Summer approaches, the long evenings invite us outside to cook our dinners. While burgers, steaks and BBQ chicken are all great grilling foods, I prefer to try new recipes and travel around the world with my grilled cuisine. The following recipe is for a Thai style sate that is similar to kebabs. I have chicken listed as the meat of choice, but you can also choose to use strips of beef, pork, shrimp, slices of portabello mushrooms, firm tofu or even Tempe for a vegetarian meal. The sweet and spicy marinade is easy to make and the peanut sauce can be used for dipping or as a BBQ type sauce to be brushed over the sates as they cook. These sate make wonderful appetizers but can also be served as a meal. The ingredients used for the marinade and the sauce are simple and readily available while still giving the meat an exotic taste.

Ingredients

1 pound of chicken tenderloins, sliced in half lengthwise to make thin strips

2 Tablespoons sugar

2 Cloves of Garlic, minced

A splash of lemon juice

1 Jalapeño pepper, seeded and sliced thin

1 ½ teaspoons ground coriander seed

½ teaspoon ground turmeric

½ teaspoon black pepper

¾ cup of unsweetened coconut milk (canned)

3 Tablespoons soy sauce

A splash of lime juice

Approximately 30 small slender bamboo or wooden skewers, soaked in cold water for at least 1 hour prior to assembly of sates.

Instructions

Thread the strips of chicken onto the wooden skewers. Keep the meat at one end, not towards the middle. Lay the skewers on a plate or dish so that the empty end is higher than the full end.

Place the sugar, garlic, lemon, jalapeño, coriander, turmeric and pepper in a glass or plastic bowl. Use the back end of a wooden spoon to mash the ingredients together. Stir in the coconut milk, soy sauce and lime. Pour this marinade over the chicken (do not immerse the empty end of the skewers) and let it marinate in the refrigerator, covered for a half an hour or so. Turn the skewers several times to make sure they marinate evenly.

While the sates are marinating, you can make the peanut sauce. You can find packaged mixes to make peanut sauce in most oriental sections of grocery stores. Or, this recipe is fairly simple to make.

Ingredients

2 Tablespoons vegetable oil

3 cloves of garlic, minced

2 Jalapeños, seeded and minced

1 Tablespoon minced ginger

1 large minced shallot or green onion

2/3 cup chunky peanut butter

1 1/3 cups unsweetened coconut milk (canned)

3 Tablespoons soy sauce

A splash of lime juice

1 Tablespoon brown sugar

1 teaspoon ground coriander seed

Black pepper to taste

Instructions

Heat the oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the garlic, jalapeños, ginger and shallot. Cook to a golden brown, about 3 - 5 minutes or so. Reduce the heat and caramelize without burning.

Stir in the peanut butter and cook until it is melted. Add the other ingredients and simmer for 3 -5 minutes, whisking the sauce to make sure it is well blended. The sauce should be easily pourable but not too thin. Add water to thin it as needed or more peanut butter to thicken.

Now that the sates are marinated and the sauce is made, you can start grilling them!

Preheat your grill to a high heat. Oil the grill grate to keep the meat from sticking. Place the sates on the grill and cook for 1 -2 minutes for each side. You can brush each side with the peanut sauce for extra flavor or keep it as a dipping sauce for after the sates are cooked. If the empty ends of the wooden skewers start to burn, place a piece of aluminum foil beneath them.

Place the cooked sates on a serving platter. Serve them as appetizers with the dipping sauce or, if you want to make them into a main course, serve with a fresh vegetable and mango salsa or cucumber relish to cool the palate after eating the spicy sate.