Pork Satay With Thai Spices and Peanut Sauce

By David Tanis

Published April 26, 2016

  • Evan Sung for The New York Times
Media 1 of 1
Total Time
45 minutes, plus marinating
Rating
5(896)
Comments
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Throughout Southeast Asia, little skewers of marinated meat, grilled over coals, are sold as street snacks. Sweetly fragrant with coconut milk and spices, they are perfect for barbecue parties served with steamed rice, or on their own with drinks, whether grilled indoors or out. You may use pork loin or tenderloin, but marbled sirloin or shoulder is more succulent.

Featured in: Satay, a Sizzling Restaurant Favorite Easily Made at Home

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Ingredients

Yield:12 small skewers

FOR THE SKEWERS

  • 1 ½ pounds pork loin, tenderloin or shoulder, sliced into thin rectangles (¼ inch x 1 inch x 2 inches; you should have about 24 pieces)

  • 1 shallot, minced

  • 2 garlic cloves, minced

  • 1 tablespoon grated ginger

  • 3 tablespoons chopped lemongrass

  • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds, toasted and ground

  • 1 teaspoon coriander seeds, toasted and ground

  • 1 ½ teaspoons turmeric

  • ¼ teaspoon cayenne

  • 1 tablespoon fish sauce

  • 1 tablespoon lime juice

  • 2 teaspoons soy sauce

  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar

  • ½ cup coconut milk

  • Cilantro and basil leaves, for garnish (optional)

FOR THE CUCUMBERS

  • 1 pound Persian or Japanese cucumbers, peeled, halved and cut into ¼-inch slices

  • ½ teaspoon salt

  • 2 tablespoons lime juice

  • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar

  • 2 small shallots thinly sliced, about ¼ cup

  • 2 fresh Thai or serrano chiles, sliced into rounds

FOR THE PEANUT SAUCE

  • 1 cup dry roasted peanuts, unsalted

  • 2 cloves garlic, chopped

  • 1 teaspoon soy sauce

  • 2 teaspoons sesame oil

  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar

  • 2 tablespoons fish sauce

  • 2 tablespoons lime juice, more to taste

  • ⅛ teaspoon cayenne

  • ½ cup coconut milk

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Prepare the skewers: Put pork in a mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, stir together shallot, garlic, ginger, lemongrass, cumin, coriander, turmeric, cayenne, fish sauce, lime juice, soy sauce, brown sugar and coconut milk, and pour over meat. Toss with your hands to coat well. Let marinate for at least 30 minutes or overnight. Meanwhile, soak 12 bamboo skewers in water.

  2. Step 2

    Prepare the cucumbers: Put cucumbers in a mixing bowl and season with salt. Add lime juice, sugar, shallots and chiles and toss to coat. Let stand for 15 minutes. Check seasoning, then transfer to a serving dish.

  3. Step 3

    Prepare the peanut sauce: Pulse the peanuts briefly in a food processor just until finely ground. Add the garlic, soy sauce, sesame oil, brown sugar, fish sauce, lime juice, cayenne and coconut milk, and process until well puréed. Transfer to a bowl, then taste and adjust seasoning. Thin a bit with lime juice or water as desired.

  4. Step 4

    Thread 2 slices of pork onto each bamboo skewer, keeping the meat as flat as possible. Grill over hot coals, under the broiler or on a stovetop grill pan for 3 minutes on each side, until cooked through and lightly browned. Transfer to a platter and garnish with cilantro and basil leaves. Serve with cucumber relish and peanut sauce.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
896 user ratings
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Comments

Maggie

I want to marry this sauce and have its children. I'm not entirely sure, but I believe I would eat it on roasted sneaker.

Suzanne F

Marinade would work just fine on chicken. Use tenders, thin slices of breast, or lightly pounded pieces of boneless thigh (to get to the proper thickness). In fact, that marinade would probably make cardboard taste good. (Although I don't think it needs the sugar. When I made something similar at Match restaurant, we used no sugar.)

june

fpr the peanut sauce: Don't bother with the food processor, too much trouble. Just use peanut butter in a bowl with everything else.. Don't forget to add a little tamarind and a splash of rice vinegar. Maybe Sriracha instead of cayenne? Mix with a spoon for goodness sake. Then slather it on the sneaker.

Birgitte

Followed the recipe for the peanut sauce as written, and found it much too sweet. Added more lime and fish sauce, but still too sweet. Added some heavy cream which cut some of the sweetness from the coconut milk.

Jennie VT

Not sure I can add much to the superlatives other reviewers have written, but OMG, this was good. The peanut sauce is a revelation; grinding the peanuts creates a sauce that is worlds away from the quick peanut butter versions. Not gloppy, not cloying, rich but somehow light. I want to toss it with pasta for peanut noodles or dip dumplings into it. The satay, grilled outside on the first warm day of spring, had me vibrating at the table. Served with white rice. Absolute perfection.

ThatGirlAnna

I made this with Trader Joe’s peanut satay sauce and also made coconut rice and it is so so tasty and flavorful, perfect for fans of flavorful but not spicy food like me

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