A ‘Satay’ating Experience

The one thing which entices most people who love food is when food is cooked fresh in front of them. Personally, I love to keep munching when I am cooking any dish. I have a little party of my own in the kitchen, constantly tasting the dish as it progresses through all the cooking stages. Believe me, there is nothing more satiating than eating while cooking. This is also one of the many reasons people who cook barely eat their own food afterwards.

In Thailand, the first destination we docked at in our journey over the Andaman Sea in the fantastic ocean liner by Star Cruises – Libra was Krabi – A beautiful town situated on the west coast of Thailand. It was supposedly monsoon season but thankfully we were faced with a beautiful sunny day. The surrounding popular rock protrusions which are quite synonymous with Krabi’s landscape were caressingly rain kissed and covered with close knit foliage, a true pleasure to the eyes. The town was invitingly quiet the moment we stepped off our small ferry which had ferried us to the shore from the liner. The weather was invigorating and instantaneously boosted our freshness quotient as we traipsed our way excitedly towards the numerous beach shacks and the colorful tuk-tuks which were lined up outside on the road.

We had the option of joining the rest of the passengers who had chosen to embark on the Krabi shore excursion which involved a visit to the charming Krabi town and the famed Thanbok Kharani Botanical Gardens. Our adventurous streak kicked into action of the prospect of being unbound by any restrictions and we declined the shore excursion and decided to take off to the nearest kiosk which offered tourism assistance. Within a few minutes we were zooming across the coast on hired scooters. We explored the nearby areas nonchalantly; the lovely open road ride on a scooter amongst towering hills and Thai cottages was taken in like a breath of fresh air.

We had a pit-stop at a small beach cove and I could not help noticing a lone vendor hanging freshly harvested stink beans. Stink Beans or as the lady who was selling it called it ‘Sataw’ [pronounced ‘saa-toe’] offered to show me how it should be peeled, releasing an extremely peculiar smell. These beans are ensconced in long, translucent green, twisted pods, about the size of an average human arm and have to be peeled like peas. Our interaction was limited to her trying to sell a bunch to us, but due to language differences and no possible place to cook or take these on board the ship, we politely declined and left it at that. I later found out that these beans are a delicacy and are usually served stir-fried or in a traditional Thai curry using duck or seafood. These beans are also available in Northeastern India where they are eaten fried or pickled.

Nothing much to do as most of the coastal was covered within a span of an hour and realizing that we were famished we stopped by one of the local restaurants. The restaurant – an open aired area with bamboo furniture and covered with bamboo gazebos which served as private tables for families and couples alike was just the local joint we were looking out for. It seemed like a family run place as the owner decided to come attend to us personally, shoving a colorful laminated menu with innumerable Thai dishes, each accompanied with a photograph. Minutes later the table was groaning with Soups, Rice, Curries and my favorite – Chicken & Lamb Satay served with a fiery but mellow peanut sauce. Before long we were tucking into this meal fit for royalty, followed by groaning stomachs.

A staple of any South East Asian meal, Satay’s are extremely difficult to resist, especially since they are cooked fresh right in front of you and served piping hot. Fresh succulent variety of meats marinated in typical Thai marination and skewered on bamboo sticks. The satays are then grilled to perfection on an open wood or coal fire, making them a definite appetite satiating dish. With a number of sauces to accompany it – ranging from peanut, to fiery chili and a little fermented soy, Satay’s are easy to make and one of the best way to cook meats, especially when having a large party. Infact a little mention could be made about a chicken Satay we tasted at a local food court of sorts in Penang, spicy marinade but glazed with honey right after it was grilled – making the meat a lot more succulent and juicy sweet in flavor.

I did come back home and insisted that Chef Praiwan from the Marriott Courtyard teach me to make the basic Satay. He quickly conjured up shrimp and chicken Satay’s – Thai Style with a host of sauces for the camera. I have taken the liberty of coming up with a simple marinade for any sort of Satay dish, be it Chicken, Shrimp, Lamb or Tofu complete with a honey glaze as the finale. Ensure you make this the next time you are in a mood for a barbecue and always have a bottle of these wonderful sauces to go with the theme.

Thai Style Satay Marinade

Ingredients

• ¼ cup Roasted Peanuts
• 1 small Onion (squashed with the back of your knife)
• 7-8 cloves Garlic (squashed with the back of your knife)
• 1 inch piece of Galangal (squashed with the back of your knife)
• 1 inch piece Fresh Turmeric Root (squashed with the back of your knife)
• A handful of Lemongrass (minced well)
• ½ tsp Lime Zest
• 1 fresh Red Chili (deseeded and chopped)
• 2 tablsp Soy Sauce
• 1 tablsp Oyster or Fish Sauce (For vegetarian version use vegetarian oyster sauce)
• 1 tablsp Sesame Oil
• 1 tsp Coriander Seeds (pounded)
• 2 tablsp Brown Sugar
• 1 tsp white pepper powder
• Salt to taste (go easy on salt as the Soy & Fish Sauce should contain enough)
• Honey to glaze

Satay Meats / Vegetables

• Chicken Cubed
• Medium Size Shrimps
• Tofu Cubes
• Paneer Cubes
• Beef or Lamb

Other Apparatus

• Wooden / Bamboo Skewers for the Satays
• Flat Brush to Glaze

In a large mixer, place all the ingredients of the Marinade and give it a good whiz. You can add some coconut milk to give it a slight paste like consistency if the mixture is too dry.

If using meat, soak the meat in half cup of coconut milk mixed with another half cup of water to give it that extra juiciness. Soak for about half hour, drain and lightly towel dry.

Toss the marinade onto the meat / paneer / tofu pieces, mix and toss lightly. Leave for a couple of hours in the refrigerator.

To proceed, skewer intermittently the meat / veggies onto the bamboo / wood skewers, leaving about an inch on both ends. Grill over an open fire or indoor flame till lightly browned, immediately glaze the meat / veggies with honey and turn over the flame once or twice till the honey caramelizes (you have to be quick, you do not want the honey to burn). Serve hot with any of the sauces mentioned below

Roasted Chili Paste in Oil
(Nam Prik Pao)

1 small onion (peeled and cut finely)
6 cloves garlic (peeled and cut finely)
12 Large Red Chilis (dry roasted lightly on a griddle)
1 tablsp Shrimp Paste (optional – if making vegetarian)
¼ cup Tamarind (soaked in ½ cup water and squeezed for pulp)
3 tablsp Brown Sugar
¼ cup Soybean Oil or alternately Vegetable Oil

Heat a little oil in a pan and brown the onion and garlic, remove and put in a pestle with the chilies and sugar. Pound well till it’s reduced to a coarse paste like consistently. Transfer into another heat proof bowl.

Heat the oil till smoking point and pour over the onion-chilies-garlic paste. Add the shrimp paste and tamarind. Mix well and keep for a few hours for the flavors to enhance.

Sambal Sauce

12 fresh red chillies (chopped fine)
1 tablsp Fish Sauce (optional)
1 red bell pepper (chopped)
1 small onion (chopped)
3-4 cloves garlic (crushed)
2 tablsp fresh lime juice
2 pcs Lemon Grass (finely chopped)
2 pcs curry leaves
1 inch piece Galangal (finely chopped)
2 tablsp vegetable oil
1 tablsp Tamarind Paste
Sugar & Salt to taste (adjust according to sweetness)

Blend all the ingredients except the curry leaves and tamarind paste in a blender. Heat the oil, add the curry leaves. Once they splutter add the blended chili paste and whisk well. Heat till the sauce turns a shade darker, add the tamarind paste, mix well. Sauce is ready.

Peanut Sauce

(Bumbu Kacang)

½ cup Peanuts (slightly roasted and powdered)

1 tablsp Light Soy Sauce

4 cloves Garlic (crushed)

½ inch piece ginger (crushed)

1 small Onion (grated)

1 tablsp Sugar

1 cup Coconut Milk

1 tablsp Vegetable Oil

Heat oil in a small pan, add the onions, garlic and ginger and lightly fry. Add peanuts and mix, add a few spoons of water and mix well to get a thick paste. Add the rest of the ingredients and give it a good boil. If its too thick, you may add a little water till you get a saucy consistency.

Sriracha Sauce

You can purchase ready Sriracha from the market easily identifiable as it comes packed in a blood red plastic bottle with a bright green cap with a rooster printed on the bottle. You can also make your own home made version which is a bit time consuming, but the end results are divine.

In a small ceramic jar which has been cleaned well with hot water and dried with no trace of moisture; add peeled garlic pods halfway up. fill the other half with a dried red chillies. Add a tablsp of red chili powder (the one with more emphasis on color than heat) and two teaspoons of sea salt. Pour white vinegar till it fills the jar all the way up. Cover tightly and keep checking every few days, if you feel the liquid is receding, top it up with more. After seven days churn the mixture well in a blender till you get a thick sauce of sorts. Thin it further with vinegar is required.

Sweet Chili Lemon Garlic Sauce

(Courtyard Marriott’s Special Blend)

3 tablsp chili flakes

2-3 cloves garlic (finely chopped)

1 tablsp Fish Sauce (optional if making vegetarian)

1 tablsp Vinegar

2 tablsp Lemon Juice

¼ cup Thin Sugar Syrup

Heat the Sugar syrup till slightly warm, add the other ingredients and let it sit for a while till the flavors catch on. Serve cold. This can be made as a last minute sauce so can be made in small quantities and fresh every time.

Incidentally, we were lucky to have taken off on our own in Krabi, as after asking around about popular hot spots around the coast we were directed to a veritable virgin beach area called Ao Nang – a stunning visually seducing white sanded beach with calm waters and a host of luxury hotels bordering the coast. The ride was barely a few kilometers from the pier and we had a ball of a time breathing in the fresh air and lazing around, unconsciously walking off the heavy lunch we had consumed. This was truly a satiating, or should I say ‘Satay’ating experience which marked the initial part of our journey.

Look out for more such stunning locations and local recipes to keep you hungry as Nonchalant on the Cruise explores the next location – Phuket

A special shout out to Niharika Tandon for scooting along with us and being adventurous to explore the town by ourselves instead of schmoozing off with the rest.

The location courtesy for the fire barbecue picture is a satiating credit to The Shangri-La Rasa Sayang , Penang, Malaysia – for arranging the barbecue even though we walloped most of their buffet one fine evening.

The main dish photograph: ‘Chicken & Shrimp Satay’ as well as the sauces is courtesy of the Courtyard Marriott in Mumbai who serve up fantastic South East Asian Fare. Chef Praiwan, the in-house Thai Chef from Thailand was kind enough to prepare the same for me especially for the camera. The Courtyard Marriott is one place which you can also visit in Mumbai for authentic South East Asian Cuisine.