In Indonesian cooking, a saté means grilled cured meat cooked on skewers.
Ingredients
Lean cut of pork (loin, leg, or shoulder), allowing 8 to 12 ounces per person
Peanut Sauce/Marinade (recipe follows)
Thin bamboo skewers
Instructions
Cut the pork into 1-1/2-inch cubes, allowing 8 to 10 cubes per person. Bring a large kettle of lightly salted water to a boil, add the pork cubes, and let them sit for 1 minute. Drain the meat and spread it out to cool lightly covered. Make Peanut Sauce/Marinade and mix with cooled pork cubes, making sure each piece is coated. Marinate in the refrigerator overnight, or up to 2 days.
When ready to serve, make a charcoal fire, one that will provide a good bed of coals. Soak the bamboo skewers in cold water for about an hour, then thread the pork cubes onto the skewers, about 4 cubes on each. Catch any sauce that drips off and combine it with any left in the bowl, adding enough water to make a sauce that you can spoon over the meat as it cooks (the sauce should have the consistency of thick applesauce). Put the grilling rack about 6 inches above the fire, let it get hot, then place the skewers on the rack. Cook for 5 minutes, then turn over. Cook another 10 minutes, until the underside is quite brown, then turn again and start basting with the sauce. Keep turning and basting for 10 to 15 minutes longer, until the juice from a cut piece flows clear and the sauce crust is firm.
Serve with roasted yams, skewered pineapple and peach pieces that can also be grilled, and a platter of raw vegetables to nibble on while the meat cooks.
Peanut Sauce/Marinade
Ingredients
1 pound salted crunchy-style peanut butter (freshly ground, without extra oil)
1/2 cup dry sherry
1/3 cup tamari or other aged soy sauce
1/4 cup brown sugar
3 or 4 large cloves garlic, crushed
Pinch of powdered ginger
1 teaspoon to 2 tablespoons crushed red hot pepper to taste
Instructions
Be careful when adding the hot pepper to this sauce — not everyone can take the greater amount!
To make the sauce/marinade, put peanut butter into a deep bowl. Work in the sherry (mixture will be stiff). Stir in the tamari. Add the brown sugar, crushed garlic, ginger, and hot pepper (2 tablespoons will make it extremely hot). Mix together well and use to coat saté.
Makes 2-1/2 to 3 cups, enough for 4 to 6 servings.
