Marinated chicken and beef skewers grilled over charcoal with smoky char, served with peanut sauce, ketupat, and fresh cucumber.
Satay (also spelled sate) is arguably Southeast Asia's most universally loved street food, and Singapore's hawker-centre version β sold nightly at Newton Food Centre and Lau Pa Sat β 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 β built on coriander, cumin, turmeric, galangal, lemongrass, and palm sugar β 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 18thβ19th century, brought to Singapore by Javanese and Malay migrants.
Serves 6
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.
Thread 3β4 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.
Pulse roasted peanuts in a food processor to a coarse crumble β 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 8β10 minutes, stirring, until sauce thickens to a rich, coating consistency. Taste and balance: should be sweet, sour, salty, and nutty.
Light charcoal and let it burn until fully ashen β 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 β this is the hawker technique that achieves the intense caramelized edges.
Place skewers over hottest part of the grill. Grill 2 minutes per side, turning 3β4 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 6β8 minutes total; beef 4β6 minutes.
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 β cold peanut sauce is too thick to coat the skewers properly.
Chicken thigh is mandatory β breast dries out irreversibly over charcoal heat and lacks the fat needed to stay juicy.
The peanuts should be coarsely ground β the sauce should have texture and crunch, not be a smooth paste. Pulse 5β6 times in a food processor.
Soaking bamboo skewers for at least 30 minutes prevents burning, but even soaked skewers can char β position the exposed end away from the hottest coals.
Mutton satay: the most prized Singapore hawker version β 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 β interactive and messy in the best way.
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.
Satay's origins trace to the adaptation of Middle Eastern kebab traditions by Javanese Arab traders along the Southeast Asian spice route in the 18th and 19th centuries. The dish spread through the Malay Peninsula with Javanese and Malay migrant workers and reached Singapore by the early 20th century. By the 1950s, night satay stalls were a fixture on Singapore's streets, and satay became one of the first street foods associated internationally with Singapore tourism.
Yes, but the result will lack the smoky char of charcoal. On a gas grill, use the highest heat setting and grill close to the grates. Under a broiler, position skewers 8 cm from the element and turn every 2 minutes. The flavor is cleaner but less complex without charcoal smoke.
Use chicken thighs not breast, marinate for at least 2 hours, and don't overcook β 6β8 minutes total on a very hot grill is sufficient. Brushing with a little oil each turn also helps.
Ketupat is compressed rice cake cooked inside woven coconut palm leaf packets. It is sold pre-made at Asian grocery stores in Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia. If unavailable, plain steamed jasmine rice served alongside satay is an acceptable substitute.
A good-quality store-bought sambal kacang (peanut sauce) works. But homemade with freshly roasted peanuts and tamarind is significantly more nuanced. The difference is noticeable.
Per serving (280g / 9.9 oz) Β· 6 servings total
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