Chicken satay with peanut sauce

Ingredients

for the peanut sauce

• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 shallot, peeled and finely diced
• 1 red chilli, deseeded if you prefer
• 1 tbsp crushed garlic
• 1 tbsp crushed ginger
• 4 tbsp crunchy peanut butter
• 1 tsp tamarind paste
• 1 tsp dark sweet soy sauce
• 100 ml (3.5fl oz) coconut cream
• 50 ml (1.8fl oz) water

for the satay skewers

• 500 g (17.6oz) chicken thighs, skinned and deboned
• 3 shallots, peeled and coarsley chopped
• 2 garlic cloaves, peeled and coarsley chopped
• 3 cm knob of galangal (or root ginger) peeled and grated
• 2 lemongrass stalks, trimmed and white part finely chopped
• 1 cm knob of tumeric root peeled or 1tsp ground tumeric
• 1 tbsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp palm sugar or dark brown sugar
• 1 pinch of freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tsp fish sauce
• 0.5 chilli, deseeded and chopped
• 4 tbsp peanut oil or groundnut oil for brushing 

 

For the satay skewers:

 Slice the chicken into thin strips and set to one side. Grind together the shallots, garlic, galangal, lemongrass, turmeric and the remaining spices in a food processor or a pestle and mortar until you have a rough paste. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt, sugar and pepper. Add the fish sauce and chilli and combine. Mix the paste with the peanut oil and add to the chicken, tossing to coat well. Cover with cling film and leave to marinate in the fridge overnight, to allow all the various flavours to develop. Soak 16 bamboo skewers (approximately 15cm long) in warm water (this will prevent them scorching) half an hour before you are ready to cook the chicken. When you are ready, thread the marinated chicken onto the skewers until they are three-quarters full, but be careful not to overcrowd each skewer.Brush the griddle pan with oil. Allow the griddle pan to get very hot and, when ready, gently lay the satay sticks onto it. Baste the chicken with oil occasionally during cooking. Grill the chicken until it has cooked through and has begun to pick up a few crispy brown-black spots, about 5–7 minutes, turning frequently. If you are cooking the satay sticks on the barbecue the time may vary depending on how hot the coals are.


For the peanut sauce:

Place a saucepan over a medium heat. Add the oil followed by the shallot, chilli, garlic and ginger. Sauté for 2–3 minutes until the shallots are softened and the oil begins to take on the red colour of the chilli. Add in the peanut butter and stir, breaking it down. It should start to melt. Now add the tamarind paste and dark soy sauce and stir well. Pour the coconut cream and water into the saucepan and stir for 3–4 minutes, until the peanut butter has been incorporated into the satay sauce. Simmer the mixture on a low heat for around 1–2 minutes, then turn off the heat. Serve warm with the chicken skewers.