Pork Satay and Peanut Sauce (Moo Sate)

February 18, 2012

Pork Satay and Peanut Sauce (Moo Sate) © kvalifood.com

Thai satay is almost always pork, though chicken and beef work too. The peanut sauce here isn’t the mild, smooth version often served in the West - it’s a proper curry-based sauce with ground peanuts, spicy and slightly gritty. The satay comes with three accompaniments: peanut sauce, a quick cucumber pickle (ajaad), and toasted bread for dipping. Makes about 25-30 small skewers, roughly 1 hour active time plus at least 2 hours marinating.

Ingredients

Makes 25-30 skewers

Marinade

1 1/2 tsp coriander seeds, toasted
1/2 tsp cumin seeds, toasted
1/4 tsp white peppercorns
1 Tbsp lemongrass, chopped
1 tsp galangal, minced
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground cloves
2 tsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
½ dl coconut milk
60 ml water
1/2 Tbsp white vinegar

Pork

450 g boneless pork chops, 2 cm thick
30 bamboo skewers (15 cm)
60 ml coconut milk, for basting
4 slices white bread, for serving

Peanut sauce

125 ml roasted peanuts
2 Tbsp white sesame seeds, toasted (or use another 2 Tbsp peanuts)
3 dl coconut milk
2 Tbsp red curry paste
2 Tbsp palm sugar, finely chopped, packed
2-3 Tbsp tamarind juice
1-2 tsp fish sauce

Ajaad (quick cucumber pickle)

125 ml white vinegar
60 ml sugar, granulated
A pinch of salt
125 ml cucumber, quartered lengthwise and thinly sliced
1 Tbsp shallots, thinly sliced
8-10 slices spur chilies (or fresno chilies)

Directions

Prepare the marinade and pork

Grind the coriander seeds, cumin seeds, and white peppercorns in a mortar and pestle until fine. Add the lemongrass and galangal and pound until fine. Stir in the turmeric, cinnamon, cloves, brown sugar, salt, coconut milk, water, and vinegar.

Cut the pork chops in half along the length of the fatty rind, then slice each piece along the short side into 1/4-inch thick slices. Pour the marinade over the pork, massage it in, and make sure no pieces are stuck together. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or overnight.

Make the peanut sauce

Grind the peanuts in a food processor or mortar until mealy - don’t overprocess or they’ll turn into peanut butter. If using sesame seeds, grind them separately in a spice grinder or mortar (they don’t grind well in a food processor in small amounts).

Reduce 1/4 cup of the coconut milk in a small pot over medium heat until reduced by about half. Add the curry paste and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, for about 2 minutes until very thick. If it thickens too fast, add a splash of coconut milk.

Stir in the remaining coconut milk, ground peanuts, ground sesame seeds (if using), palm sugar, tamarind juice, and fish sauce. Simmer for a few more minutes until it reaches a thick dipping consistency, stirring frequently to prevent scorching. Taste and adjust with more sugar, tamarind, or fish sauce as needed.

Make the ajaad

Combine the vinegar, sugar, and salt in a small pot. Bring to a boil and cook just until the sugar dissolves. Cool completely.

Place the cucumber, shallots, and chilies in a small serving bowl. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve. Pour the cooled vinegar mixture over the vegetables just before serving.

Grill the satay

Thread the marinated pork onto bamboo skewers, about three pieces per skewer, making sure each skewer has at least one fatty piece. Lay the skewers flat on a tray.

Preheat the grill to medium. Brush the top side of the skewers with coconut milk, then place on the grill coconut-side down. Brush the other side with coconut milk. Cook for about a minute until halfway done, then flip and grill the other side until just cooked through. These are thin and cook fast - a couple of minutes total.

When the pork is done, toast the bread slices on the grill. Cut each piece into bite-sized squares.

Serve

Arrange the satay on a platter with the peanut sauce, ajaad, and toast squares alongside. The toast is for dipping into the peanut sauce, and the ajaad works as a palate cleanser between bites.

Notes

For chicken, both dark and white meat work. For beef, use a tender cut.
Red curry paste is standard, but panang or massaman curry paste will change the flavour in interesting ways. Store-bought paste is fine here since the recipe is already time-intensive.
Do not use peanut butter as a shortcut - the slightly gritty texture of ground peanuts is part of the dish.
The peanut sauce and marinade can both be made in advance.
Soak bamboo skewers in water for 30 minutes before grilling to prevent them from burning.