Woking it Satay Chicken

Satay is most commonly served as grilled skewered meat, however, I decided to try it throwing it in the hot wok and serving it "hang free" style. The perfect solution for a satay fix in those winter months when it's too cold to trek through the snow to the barby.

Satay Sauce Ingredients:

2 Cups coconut cream

2 TBSP red curry paste

1 cup roasted, unsalted, ground peanuts

1 TBSP palm sugar

2 TBSP tamarind juice

2 TBSP fish sauce

2 TBSP Kecap Manis

In a wok, heat half a cup of coconut cream, add curry paste and cook until fragrant.  Add palm sugar, fish sauce, tamarind, ,sweet soya, peanuts and remaining coconut cream.  Bring to boil, reduce heat to a simmer and cook for a further 10 minutes.  Store in a sealed glass container in refridgerator.   Keeps well for 2-3 weeks.

To Assemble:

Heat 1 TBSp oil in wok on medium high heat.  Add marinated chicken/meat. Do not over crowd wok, if necessary work in batches. You don't really need to stir this much, in fact I like just letting it sit and get almost a crunchy crust on it.

Cook until meat is cooked through.Remove from heat, pour satay sauce over the top.

Serve with steamed jasmine rice, and fresh cilantro leaves and crispy shallots.

Satay Marinade

This marinade is suitable for 1lb chicken, pork, beef or extra large shrimp. Marinate for at least 2 hours and for best results overnight.  If marinating shrimp a shorter period is required.

Ingredients

1 TBSP Palm sugar
1/2 Cup coconut cream
1 TBSP commercial curry powder
4 cloves garlic
1 TBSP Fish sauce
2 TBSP finely chopped coriander root and stem.

Put all ingredients in a blender and process until smooth.  Marinate meat for a minimum of 2 hours, preferable overnight.

Garam Masala

I have recently begun branching out to "Indian" flavors and combinations, I love the new food network star Aarti Sequira. She has great ideas for changing up common foods with Indian enhancements. However in my branching out I discovered that my local food stores do not stock the real Indian spice mix of Garam Masala. Here is the spice blend I have taken to using. You might as well mix up a double or triple batch and store it in a labeled container.

4 tbsps coriander seeds

1 tbsp cumin seeds

1 tbsp black peppercorns

1 ½ tsps black cumin seeds (shahjeera)

1 ½ tsps dry ginger

¾ tsp black cardamom (3-4 large pods approx)

¾ tsp cloves

¾ tsp cinnamon (2 X 1” pieces)

¾ tsp crushed bay leaves

Heat a heavy skillet on a medium flame and gently roast all ingredients (leave cardamom in its pods till later) except the dry ginger, till they turn a few shades darker. Stir occasionally. Do not be tempted to speed up the process by turning up the heat as the spices will burn on the outside and remain raw on the inside.

When the spices are roasted turn off the heat and allow them to cool.

Once cooled, remove the cardamom seeds from their skins and mix them back with all the other roasted spices.

Grind them all together, to a fine powder in a clean, dry coffee grinder or spice grinder

Store in an air-tight container in a cool, dark place.