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.