Spicy Beef Satay
Serves 2-4
Satay, or grilled meat on a stick, is a common street food in Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia. Start with a spicy marinade and finish with the traditional peanut sauce for a taste of Southeast Asia. You can adjust the seasonings to your liking by adding more (or reducing the amount of) the cayenne, and if you think it needs more salt, add a little more fish sauce. If you prefer, you can also use flank steak, skirt steak, or hanger steak instead of sirloin. It’s easiest to cut the meat into thin strips if it’s semi-frozen.
- 1/4 cup chopped lemongrass
- 2 large shallots, minced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 2-inch piece ginger, peeled and sliced
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
- 2 tablespoons ground coriander
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1/4 cup fish sauce
- 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons safflower or other neutral vegetable oil
- Pinch of cardamom
- 1 1/2 pounds grassfed sirloin
Make the marinade by whisking together in a medium bowl the lemongrass, shallots, garlic, cayenne pepper, ginger, turmeric, coriander, cumin, soy sauce, fish sauce, brown sugar and oil.
Slice the steak across the grain into thin strips. Place in a shallow glass baking dish and pour the marinade over. Make sure each piece of meat is covered completely. Cover and refrigerate for several hours (up to 24).
Preheat the grill to high. While the grill is heating, soak as many wooden skewers as pieces of meat for 20-30 minutes. Drain.
Thread each piece of beef onto a skewer. Grill to desired doneness, turning once.
Drizzle with Spicy Peanut Sauce (recipe follows) and serve over steamed rice.
Spicy Peanut Sauce
This versatile sauce is good on any kind of satay, as well as on steamed vegetables or even tossed with hot noodles. And you can make it to taste. More salt? Add fish sauce. Too sweet? Add lime juice. More spice? Add cayenne.
Makes 1 cup
- 1 cup unsalted, dry roasted peanuts
- 1/3 cup water
- 1 clove garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce
- 1/2 tablespoon lime juice
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/3 cup coconut milk
- ½ cup chopped peanuts, for garnish
Place the peanuts, water, garlic, soy sauce, sesame oil, brown sugar, fish sauce, lime juice, cayenne pepper, and coconut milk into the jar of a blender. Puree until smooth. Taste and adjust seasonings, if necessary. If the sauce is too thick, add a little more coconut milk. Serve over any kind of satay, and sprinkle with chopped peanuts.