Sate Ayam (Chicken Satay)
Norman Musa writes...
Chicken Satay is my all-time favourite dish. In Kajang (about 30 minutes drive from Kuala Lumpur city centre) there is a place called Sate Kajang Haji Samuri. This is a ‘must visit’ satay house every time I go back to Malaysia.
For my recipe, I use chicken leg meat instead of chicken breast. It tastes better and more succulent; not dry like chicken breast can be. You can use chicken breast if you prefer. Satay is typically served with a legendary spicy peanut sauce, rice cakes, cucumber chunks and red onion slices.
Ingredients
For satay
1kg chicken leg meat
6 tablespoons blended lemongrass
3 tablespoons turmeric powder
½ tablespoon cumin powder
2 teaspoons salt
3 tablespoons white sugar
30 bamboo satay skewers
1 lemongrass, bruised
1 small bowl cooking oil
For rice cakes
1 cup long grain rice
2 cups water
1 tablespoon cooking oil
½ teaspoon salt
Cling film
For garnishing
Cucumber slices
Tomato slices
Red onions
To prepare the rice cakes, wash and rinse the rice with cold water three times. Boil the rice with 2 cups water and add salt. Cook for 10 minutes until the rice become soft and all the water absorbed. Using a flat deep tray, put cling film (this will avoid the rice cake from sticking to the tray) over the base and sides and pour in the cooking oil and cooked rice.
Use a wooden spoon to press the rice very firmly to make it flat and stick together. Set aside to cool down. Cut into cubes when cooled.
For the satay skewers, cut the chicken meat into strips about 10cm long. Add the blended lemongrass, turmeric and cumin powder, salt, sugar and chicken into a bowl. Marinade for at least 2 hours in the fridge. The taste will be much better if marinated overnight. Thread the chicken pieces gently onto the skewers. Repeat until all the meat is skewered. The satay is best cooked using a charcoal grill or barbecue, but you can also use a domestic oven grill. Place the skewered chicken under a hot grill or on the barbecue and, using the bruised lemongrass stalk, brush them with cooking oil to add moisture to the meat. Keep turning the satay sticks to make sure they are evenly cooked. Cook until the meat is cooked through and turns brown with a slight charcoal effect. Serve the skewers with peanut sauce together with the rice cakes, cucumber, onion and tomato slices on the side.
Recipe taken from Malaysian Food, A collection of my favourite dishes and the inspiration behind them by Norman Musa.
