SATAYS WITH PEANUT SAUCE
When I first moved to San Francisco 30 years ago, people who enjoyed Thai food were considered adventurous. Now, of course, delicious Thai restaurants are everywhere. Beef satay, whether served as an appetizer or main course, has gone mainstream. And those ingredients are easy to find at your neighborhood supermarket — so here’s how to make those delicious skewers at home.
If you’re using wooden picks or skewers, soak them in water for 30 minutes first to prevent burning when cooking. Of course, you can skip the skewers and just use the marinade to grill a whole flank or skirt steak instead. Vegetarians in the house? Marinate tofu or vegetables instead, grill them and serve with this delicious peanut sauce. (Tip: It makes a great dip for a vegetable appetizer platter for your next dinner party, too.)
Beef Satay with Peanut Sauce
Makes 24 satays INGREDIENTS
1½ pounds flank steak, trimmed
¼ cup mirin
¼ cup soy sauce
¼ cup sesame oil 2 tablespoons honey
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped 2quarter-size slices fresh ginger, finely chopped Canola oil, for oiling the grill grate
Peanut sauce (see recipe below)
DIRECTIONS
Soak 24 bamboo skewers in water for 30 minutes. Cut the flank steak across the grain into ¼-inch thick slices. Combine the mirin, soy, sesame oil, honey, garlic and ginger in a small bowl. Toss the meat in the marinade, then thread the meat onto 8-inch bamboo skewers and arrange the skewers side by side on a large platter. Let the beef marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes or refrigerate for up to 1 hour. Meanwhile make the peanut sauce.
Light the grill. Place the grate 8 inches from the heat source and brush the grate with oil. Arrange the skewers on the grate; grill over high heat, turning once, until nicely browned all over, 5minutes. Transfer the skewers to a large platter and serve hot with peanut sauce.
Peanut Sauce
INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoons olive oil 1 garlic clove, finely chopped 1⁄3 cup scallions, finely chopped
½ teaspoon ground cumin ¼ teaspoon pepper 1 medium tomato, finely chopped
½ cup coconut milk 2 teaspoons brown sugar or palm sugar, optional
½ cup crunchy peanut butter
1 tablespoon fresh cilantro, chopped
DIRECTIONS
In a small pan, heat the olive oil. Saute the garlic and scallions until softened, about 2minutes. Stir in cumin and black pepper and saute, stirring, for 1 minute. Add tomato and cook, stirring, 2 minutes. Add coconut milk and brown sugar (if using) and bring to a bare simmer.
Remove from heat and stir in peanut butter until combined well. It may look curdled but that is OK. It will smooth out as you simmer slowly for 1to 2minutes to thicken, then stir in cilantro. Transfer to a bowl and garnish with a cilantro sprig.