Tony Zentgraf
Skewered Street Food Around The World
This recipe for Thai Style Beef Satay is packed with flavor, marinating flank steak cut across the grain will deliver a tender and savory satay. Plus pair it with Thai Peanut Sauce and the complimentary flavors blend well together.
Religious Beliefs Dictate Food Preferences
In Indonesia there is a large Muslim population, so the use of pork is minimal versus the use of beef. When satay made its way to Thailand, Buddhism was and still is the prevailing religious belief. Plus, pork was more available than beef at the time in Thailand .
You can find beef satay in Thailand most likely in the Muslim populated areas as street food. As the series continues, we will explore different versions of satay and kebabs with different meats.
Spice Trade Influences
Some peanut sauces in Southeast Asia use Massaman Curry as an ingredient. The word Massaman is derived from mosalman. A rough translation from Persian meaning Muslim.
As time went by that specific curry made its way into Thai peanut sauces as well. Massaman Curry made from ingredients the Muslim traders would have traveled with, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, star anise, cumin, nutmeg and mace.
Religion and trade routes have played a role in food preferences of countries and the followers of each trader’s or explorer’s religious beliefs making cuisine around the world interesting and flavorful.
I hope you Enjoy this flavor packed Thai Style Beef Satay and the Peanut Sauce.
Make the recipe for Indonesian Peanut Sauce in the Indonesian Chicken Satay recipe.
Thai Style Beef Satay
Print RecipeRecipe Multiplier
- 1 ½ lb Flank Steak or Top Sirloin – Cut into 1" – 1 ½"
- 3 tbsp Lemongrass minced
- 3 ea Shallots minced
- 5 ea Garlic Cloves minced
- 1 tbsp Ginger minced
- 2 ea Thai Chilis minced
- ½ tsp Turmeric
- 1 tsp Coriander
- 1 tsp Cumin
- 3 tbsp Dark Soy Sauce
- ¼ cup Palm Sugar or 3 Tbl Brown Sugar
- ¼ cup Fish Sauce
- 2 tbsp Vegetable OIl
Instructions
Thai Peanut Sauce
- Make recipe the Thai Peanut Sauce here.
Cutting the Beef
- If using Flank Steak, trim the fat from the flank steak. Cut the meat into 1 ½" strips with the grain.
- Cut the strips into 1" segments on a slight bias. Cutting on the bias will cut through the fibers of the meat and help to have tender meat when eating.
- Reserve the beef until the marinade is combined.
Making the Thai Beef Satay Marinade
- Mince the lemongrass, shallots, garlic, thai chilis (this will help release oils and give more heat) & ginger. Fine grate the palm sugar.
- In a bowl, combine all ingredients and whisk together thoroughly to combine and dissolve the palm sugar.
- Add the beef to the marinade, mix to combine.
- Marinate the beef for 2-6 hours.
- Once the beef has marinated, skewer the beef with most of the beef toward the end of the skewer so it is easy to eat once cooked.
- Heat the grill and grill the Thai Beef Skewers. Turn every 2-3 minutes to produce an even char. Remove the beef once thoroughly cooked. Temp to 135-145° Serve with Thai Peanut Sauce. Enjoy!
