Tasty Satay!!

I am having some of my good friends over for dinner in a few weeks and I’ve been pondering over the menu.  I am not going to do the “standard Chinese fare,” meaning no broccoli beef, no Mongolian chicken, no kung pao this or teriyaki that.

Let’s say that I’m definitely going to step out of my comfort zone a bit, because stir-fry ANYTHING is a piece of cake.

In perusing my refrigerator for inspiration, I realized that my wife and I eat A LOT of chicken.  I found some skewers, and BINGO!!

Chicken Satay is a favorite of mine.  I used to enjoy it when eating at Tong’s Thai in San Antonio, TX. 

My “it’s in my head and no, I’m NOT going to write it down” recipe combines a marinade and a peanut sauce to create a perfect savory, sweet balance of flavors.  Oh yes, the peanut sauce is over-the-top good. The peanut sauce alone is worth giving this recipe a try.  I just hope it brings rave reviews from my friends. 

Another thing I liked about this recipe is that the marinade and sauce can be made up to a couple of days ahead. With everything made ahead, it was a simple meal to pull together at the end of a busy day.

Do you know how satay sauce gets its tinge of yellow?  Is it curry?  Turmeric?  Wrong!! The beautiful golden brown hue comes from roasted peanuts, which have to be finely ground and boiled to release their true color.

Besides changing the color of the sauce, the finely ground peanuts also enhanced the "satay" flavor.  You know, the special flavor that makes a satay "a SATAY!!"

Because we don’t have a nifty barbecue grill yet, I plan to use the oven's grill function. I know, I know, no charcoal... yet.  Before I am arrested for committing a crime against satay, let me say that the chicen can be very succulent even without basting.  A charcoal fire imparts a wonderful smoky fragrance that, if in the wrong hands, will dry out the meat, especially when basting oils and juices keep dripping onto the charcoal.  If there's a miserly amount of meat on the stick, the heat from exposed flames would be too intense, turning the satay into a chicken jerky of sorts. 

Compared to some satay that looks two-dimensional because the meat is so thinly sliced, my version will of generous proportions – definitely plus size! There won’t be any drama from leaping flames, dancing sparks or furious fanning, but there will be plenty of juicy, succulent meat.

I will continue my menu prep and keep you all updated.

Until then, Eat Well, Friends!!

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