Singaporean Satay

About This Recipe

Satay (also spelled sate) is arguably Southeast Asia's most universally loved street food, and Singapore's hawker-centre version — sold nightly at Newton Food Centre and Lau Pa Sat — has become the benchmark for the genre. Singaporean satay features marinated chicken thigh, beef, and mutton threaded onto bamboo skewers and grilled over glowing charcoal in a technique that demands constant fanning and rapid turning to achieve the ideal result: edges deeply charred and caramelized where the turmeric-galangal-lemongrass marinade has caught the heat, while the interior remains moist and tender. The sweet-savory marinade — built on coriander, cumin, turmeric, galangal, lemongrass, and palm sugar — is the bridge between the raw meat and the fire. The peanut sauce is the equal hero: roasted peanuts ground coarsely, cooked with sambal, tamarind, coconut milk, and palm sugar until thick enough to coat a skewer. Ketupat (pressed rice cakes wrapped in woven coconut leaves) and chunks of raw onion and cucumber cut the richness. Satay traces its origins to Javanese Arab-influenced street food of the 18th–19th century, brought to Singapore by Javanese and Malay migrants.

Ingredients

Serves 6

• 700 gboneless chicken thighs, cut into 2 cm cubes
• 300 gbeef sirloin or rump, cut into thin 2 cm pieces
• 3 stalkslemongrass, white part only, finely sliced
• 3 cmfresh galangal, sliced
• 2 tspground coriander
• 1 tspground cumin
• 1 tspground turmeric
• 2 tbsppalm sugar or brown sugar
• 1 tspsalt
• 2 tbspneutral oil
• 25bamboo skewers, soaked in water 30 minutes
• 200 groasted peanuts, skins removed
• 3 tbspsambal belacan
• 2 tbsptamarind paste
• 200 mlcoconut milk
• 2 tbsppalm sugar(for peanut sauce)
• 1 tspsalt(for peanut sauce)
• 1cucumber, cut into chunks(for serving)
• 2red onions, quartered(for serving)

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the marinade and marinate

   Blend lemongrass, galangal, coriander, cumin, turmeric, palm sugar, salt, and oil to a fine paste. Toss chicken and beef separately with the marinade. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours; overnight is better.

2. 2

   Skewer the meat

   Thread 3–4 pieces of marinated meat onto each soaked bamboo skewer, packing them snugly so they don't spin. Keep skewer tip dry and exposed for handling at the grill.

3. 3

   Make peanut sauce

   Pulse roasted peanuts in a food processor to a coarse crumble — not fine powder, not chunks. Fry sambal belacan in 1 tbsp oil 2 minutes. Add peanuts, tamarind paste, coconut milk, palm sugar, and salt. Simmer over low heat 8–10 minutes, stirring, until sauce thickens to a rich, coating consistency. Taste and balance: should be sweet, sour, salty, and nutty.

4. 4

   Prepare the grill

   Light charcoal and let it burn until fully ashen — no black coals with flames. The grill should be very hot (you cannot hold your hand 5 cm above it for more than 2 seconds). Charcoal is essential for authentic smoky flavor; a gas grill produces a noticeably different result.

   Fan the coals vigorously during grilling with a palm leaf fan or piece of cardboard — this is the hawker technique that achieves the intense caramelized edges.

5. 5

   Grill the satay

   Place skewers over hottest part of the grill. Grill 2 minutes per side, turning 3–4 times. Brush with a little oil each turn. The exterior should char at the edges; the interior should be just cooked through. Chicken typically takes 6–8 minutes total; beef 4–6 minutes.

6. 6

   Serve

   Arrange skewers on a plate. Serve peanut sauce in a bowl alongside cucumber chunks and quartered red onion. If using ketupat, arrange the rice cakes on the side.

   Warm the peanut sauce gently before serving — cold peanut sauce is too thick to coat the skewers properly.

Variations

• •

  Mutton satay: the most prized Singapore hawker version — older Malay hawkers still serve it daily at Lau Pa Sat.

• •

  Tofu satay: pressed tofu marinated identically and grilled for a vegetarian option; serve with the same peanut sauce.

• •

  Satay celup (Malacca-style): raw skewers dipped into boiling satay sauce at the table — interactive and messy in the best way.

Storage

Marinated meat can be kept refrigerated up to 24 hours before grilling. Peanut sauce refrigerates up to 1 week; reheat with a splash of water to loosen. Grilled satay is best eaten immediately off the coals.

Frequently Asked Questions