Hed Chef: Balinese-style chicken satay
Lemon grass-infused aromatic skewers
This is not the usual meat-on-stick type of satay.
Instead of those skinny bamboo sticks that we are familiar with, Balinese-style satay uses lemon grass as skewers.
You can also use bamboo sticks. If you do, remember to soak them for a few hours beforehand as they burn easily under the grill.
I prefer to stick (no pun intended) with the lemon grass stalks as they give the satay an aromatic flavour.
SAVES TIME
Another reason is that the lemon grass sticks, being thicker and fatter, can take on more meat, which means less time spent moulding the meat onto the stalks.
It is important to let the spice paste cool down after frying before you mix it with the chicken meat.
Do prepare the peanut sauce before you begin grilling the satay so you can tuck right in once the meat is cooked.
Depending on your preference, you can grind the peanuts coarsely or finely.
INGREDIENTS
- 500g chicken breast meat
- 10 lemon grass stalks
- Cooking oil
For rempah (spice paste)
- 150g shallots
- 2 garlic cloves
- 30g galangal
- Small piece of turmeric
- 3 red chillies
- 2 kaffir lime leaves
- 100g gula jawa (palm sugar)
- 2 tsp salt
For peanut sauce
- 3 red chillies
- 1 red bird's eye chilli
- 10 shallots
- 80g gula jawa (palm sugar)
- 2 lemon grass stalks
- 2.5cm piece of galangal
- 3 tbsp kecap manis (sweet soya sauce)
- 200g ground roasted peanuts
METHOD
1. Grind the ingredients for the spice paste.
2. Heat 3 tbsp of oil and fry the spice paste for 15 minutes. (A) Set aside to cool.
3. Blend the chicken meat. Once the spice paste is cool, add it to the chicken meat and mix thoroughly. (B)
4. Allow to marinate for at least half an hour in the fridge.
5. Cut off the top end of the lemon grass to make each stalk 18cm long. Remove the top layer.
6. Take up about a golf ball size of the marinated minced chicken and mould it around the root end of each lemon grass stalk. The quantity should be enough for around 10 satay sticks.
7. Place on wire rack on baking tray and put in the oven. Grill at 220 deg C for 12 minutes on each side or until the meat is thoroughly cooked.
To prepare the peanut sauce:
1. Grind the red chillies, bird's eye chilli and shallots.
2. In a saucepan, place the mixture, 600ml of water (adjust the amount to get the consistency you want).
3. Bring to a simmering boil.
4. Add the palm sugar and galangal.
5. Add the bruised lemon grass stalks. (C)
6. Boil for 15 minutes. Add the kecap manis.
7. Add the ground peanuts.
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