Tony Zentgraf
Skewered Street Food Around The World
Indonesian Style Beef Satay (Satay Sapi) is packed with flavor. This recipe include the same classic flavors of Indonesian Chicken Satay, lime juice, garlic, ginger, palm sugar and shallots. This recipe ups the ante with the addition of sweet soy sauce, turmeric, fish sauce, cumin and coriander. These additional flavors give an increased depth of flavor.
The flank steak, when sliced across the grain tenderizes the meat. Marinating makes the beef more tender. (See Video)
Satay – a Descendent of the Arab Kebab
The earliest preparation of satay goes back to the 15th century. Arab traders made their way to Southeast Asia through trade routes. Indonesian natives witnessed the Arabs grilling meats on their swords over open fire.
The addition of southeast asia spices made the kebab unique to the islands of Indonesia. The island of Java can trace back the sate, as it is spelled in Indonesian, to the time it was introduced to them.
National Dish of Indonesia
In Indonesia, Sate is the national dish and can be found almost everywhere. Street vendors, to family gatherings, to traditional celebrations and even the higher end restaurants all have their own unique variations.
Peanut Sauce – the Classic Sauce for Satay
Satay is traced back to Indonesia and peanut sauce has its origin there as well. As with satay, the peanut sauce recipes vary across the 6000 inhabited islands of Indonesia yet they contain similar ingredients.
Peanut sauce spread to other asian countries as the satay moved north into other Southeast Asian countries. Across Malaysia and Thailand the ingredients of peanut sauce start to take on the unique ingredients of each country.
For example, Thailand peanut sauce may have the addition of curry and coconut milk making the sauce creamier with a kick of spice.
Malaysian peanut sauce ingredients go in a slightly different direction, thai chilis, tamarind pulp, lemongrass and galangal. These enhance their peanut sauce flavor to make their sauce standout.
Indonesian style peanut sauce is not cooked, on the other hand, Thai and Malaysian ones will most likely be cooked. Many times the coconut milk or cream will separate in the cooking process. As a result, leaving a red oily surface but this adds to the flavor and mouthfeel of the sauce with the satay.
Grilling over Charcoal, Keeping it Traditional
Cooking Indonesian Beef Satay is traditionally done over charcoal adding additional flavor to the searing the meat. The skewers can be cooked on a gas grill or even under the broiler in your oven. The skewers will still have the flavor elements from the marinade.
Embrace the feeling of sitting on a beach in Indonesia, with a drink in hand, while you enjoy the Indonesian Style Beef Satay (Satay Sapi) with a side of peanut sauce!
Indonesian Style Beef Satay (Satay Sapi)
Print RecipeEquipment
- 16 Skewers soaked in water.
Recipe Multiplier
- 2 lb Flank Steak sliced across the grain of the meat into 4-6" long pieces (See Video)
Marinade Ingredients
- 3 ea Garlic Clove minced
- 2 tbso Ginger minced
- 1 tbso Lemongrass minced
- 1 tbsp Palm Sugar grated fine
- 1 ea Juice of 1 Lime
- 1 tbsp Fish Sauce
- ¼ cup Sweet Soy Sauce
- ½ tsp Turmeric
- ½ tsp Cumin
- ½ tsp Coriander
- ¼ tsp White Pepper
- ¼ cup Chopped Peanuts
- Peanut Sauce for Dipping (see Indonesian Chicken Satay for Peanut Sauce recipe)
Instructions
Preparing and Slicing the Flank Steak
- Trim any unwanted fat from the flank steak. Slice the flank steak across the grain into long strips about 1 centimeter thick. Cut the strips into 4-6" long pieces. Reserve aside until the marinade is prepared. (See video for demonstration on how to slice)
Preparing the Indonesian Beef Satay Marinade
- Chop the garlic, ginger, & lemongrass to a mince.
- In a bowl combine all ingredients except the chopped peanuts. Mix until thoroughly combined.
- Chop the peanuts to about 1/8-1/4" size and add to the marinade.
- Add the sliced beef to the marinade and mix to coat the beef.
- Marinate the beef for 1-3 hours. Since the beef is sliced thin instead of diced, the beef will marinate quicker.
- After the marinade time, skewer the beef. Place one piece of beef on a skewer, thread the beef from one side to another to get the beef to stay on the skewer. Save the marinade for basting the beef on the grill.
Grilling the Indonesian Beef Satay
- Preheat the grill. Charcoal grill will give the best flavor, traditionally the street vendors use charcoal to grill. Although any grill will work. Brush the grill with oil to help avoid sticking.
- Grill the beef skewer on the first side for a couple of minutes. Baste with the marinade as it grills.
- Once char develops on the first side, turn to the skewers onto the second side. Repeat process of basting and grilling as you turn.
- The beef is done when it can be easily pulled away from the skewer. Remove from the grill and serve with Peanut Sauce. Enjoy!
