Dishes · A classic of Malaysian

Satay

Also Sate, Satay Kajang

Skewers of turmeric-marinated meat grilled over charcoal, with a sweet, spicy peanut sauce, rice cakes, cucumber and onion.

What makes it satay

  • Meat marinated in turmeric, lemongrass, shallot and sugar.
  • Small pieces threaded on bamboo skewers, grilled over charcoal.
  • A peanut sauce with chilli, tamarind and palm sugar.
  • Ketupat or nasi impit (pressed rice), cucumber and raw onion.

Where it comes from

Satay is found across South-East Asia, and is usually said to have come to Malaysia from Java. Some suggest it was inspired by kebabs brought by Indian Muslim or Arab traders, but that's hard to prove.

In Malaysia it's night-market food, grilled on long troughs of charcoal and fanned hard. The town of Kajang, near Kuala Lumpur, is so known for it that 'satay Kajang' is a style of its own, with big pieces and a sweet sauce.

How it varies

Satay Kajang
Bigger pieces, sweeter, with more choice of meat.
Satay celup
From Melaka: skewers of raw seafood and vegetables dipped into a pot of boiling peanut sauce.

Be the first here

Start your own satay
No one here has made satay yet. Start it as v1, and every version after is an experiment the next cook can learn from.

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