Pork Satay With Thai Spices and Peanut Sauce

Name: Pork Satay With Thai Spices and Peanut Sauce
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 12 small skewers
Cuisine: thai
Ingredients: 1 1/2 pounds pork loin, tenderloin or shoulder, sliced into thin rectangles (1/4 inch x 1 inch x 2 inches; you should have about 24 pieces); 1 shallot, minced; 2 garlic cloves, minced; 1 tablespoon grated ginger; 3 tablespoons chopped lemongrass; 1 teaspoon cumin seeds, toasted and ground; 1 teaspoon coriander seeds, toasted and ground; 1 1/2 teaspoons turmeric; 1/4 teaspoon cayenne; 1 tablespoon fish sauce; 1 tablespoon lime juice; 2 teaspoons soy sauce; 1 tablespoon brown sugar; 1/2 cup coconut milk; Cilantro and basil leaves, for garnish (optional); 1 pound Persian or Japanese cucumbers, peeled, halved and cut into 1/4-inch slices; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 2 tablespoons lime juice; 2 tablespoons granulated sugar; 2 small shallots thinly sliced, about 1/4 cup; 2 fresh Thai or serrano chiles, sliced into rounds; 1 cup dry roasted peanuts, unsalted; 2 cloves garlic, chopped; 1 teaspoon soy sauce; 2 teaspoons sesame oil; 2 tablespoons brown sugar; 2 tablespoons fish sauce; 2 tablespoons lime juice, more to taste; 1/8 teaspoon cayenne; 1/2 cup coconut milk

By David Tanis

Total Time: 45 minutes, plus marinating
Rating: 5(801)
Comments: Read comments

Throughout Southeast Asia, little skewers of marinated meat, grilled over coals, are sold as street snacks. Sweetly fragrant with coconut milk and spices, they are perfect for barbecue parties served with steamed rice, or on their own with drinks, whether grilled indoors or out. You may use pork loin or tenderloin, but marbled sirloin or shoulder is more succulent.

Featured in: Satay, a Sizzling Restaurant Favorite Easily Made at Home

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Ingredients

Yield:12 small skewers

For the Skewers

1½pounds pork loin, tenderloin or shoulder, sliced into thin rectangles (¼ inch x 1 inch x 2 inches; you should have about 24 pieces)
1shallot, minced
2garlic cloves, minced
1tablespoon grated ginger
3tablespoons chopped lemongrass
1teaspoon cumin seeds, toasted and ground
1teaspoon coriander seeds, toasted and ground
1½teaspoons turmeric
¼teaspoon cayenne
1tablespoon fish sauce
1tablespoon lime juice
2teaspoons soy sauce
1tablespoon brown sugar
½cup coconut milk
Cilantro and basil leaves, for garnish (optional)

For the Cucumbers

1pound Persian or Japanese cucumbers, peeled, halved and cut into ¼-inch slices
½teaspoon salt
2tablespoons lime juice
2tablespoons granulated sugar
2small shallots thinly sliced, about ¼ cup
2fresh Thai or serrano chiles, sliced into rounds

For the Peanut Sauce

1cup dry roasted peanuts, unsalted
2cloves garlic, chopped
1teaspoon soy sauce
2teaspoons sesame oil
2tablespoons brown sugar
2tablespoons fish sauce
2tablespoons lime juice, more to taste
⅛teaspoon cayenne
½cup coconut milk

Ingredient Substitution Guide

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Preparation

Step 1
Prepare the skewers: Put pork in a mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, stir together shallot, garlic, ginger, lemongrass, cumin, coriander, turmeric, cayenne, fish sauce, lime juice, soy sauce, brown sugar and coconut milk, and pour over meat. Toss with your hands to coat well. Let marinate for at least 30 minutes or overnight. Meanwhile, soak 12 bamboo skewers in water.
Step 2
Prepare the cucumbers: Put cucumbers in a mixing bowl and season with salt. Add lime juice, sugar, shallots and chiles and toss to coat. Let stand for 15 minutes. Check seasoning, then transfer to a serving dish.
Step 3
Prepare the peanut sauce: Pulse the peanuts briefly in a food processor just until finely ground. Add the garlic, soy sauce, sesame oil, brown sugar, fish sauce, lime juice, cayenne and coconut milk, and process until well puréed. Transfer to a bowl, then taste and adjust seasoning. Thin a bit with lime juice or water as desired.
Step 4
Thread 2 slices of pork onto each bamboo skewer, keeping the meat as flat as possible. Grill over hot coals, under the broiler or on a stovetop grill pan for 3 minutes on each side, until cooked through and lightly browned. Transfer to a platter and garnish with cilantro and basil leaves. Serve with cucumber relish and peanut sauce.

Ratings

5 out of 5

801 user ratings

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Comments

Maggie7 years ago

I want to marry this sauce and have its children. I'm not entirely sure, but I believe I would eat it on roasted sneaker.

Suzanne F7 years ago

Marinade would work just fine on chicken. Use tenders, thin slices of breast, or lightly pounded pieces of boneless thigh (to get to the proper thickness). In fact, that marinade would probably make cardboard taste good. (Although I don't think it needs the sugar. When I made something similar at Match restaurant, we used no sugar.)

june7 years ago

fpr the peanut sauce: Don't bother with the food processor, too much trouble. Just use peanut butter in a bowl with everything else.. Don't forget to add a little tamarind and a splash of rice vinegar. Maybe Sriracha instead of cayenne? Mix with a spoon for goodness sake. Then slather it on the sneaker.

Hoo1 month ago

I like to add some Kaffir lime leaf to both the marinade and the sauce. Heavenly

Holly1 month ago

I couldn't find the turmeric so I substituted a curry powder blend and added a 1 tsp diamond crystal salt. Holy cow these are delicious! I served everything with rice noodles, making a perfect meal that I would have gladly paid $20 for at a local restaurant.

Deb2 months ago

I made this with pork tenderloin and cooked it over charcoal.Fantastic flavor and I loved the cucumbers sliced thin with my mandolin so they were super crunchy.

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