Indonesian Pork Satay With Traditional Peanut Sauce

Indonesian Satay is traditionally made with beef or chicken, but I found that pork is rather tasty. Satay is a form of Indonesian BBQ in all reality. Every Island has its own way of prepping this meal. Only the Hindu Balinese prefer the pork version made here. Obviously the Islamic islands of Indonesia refrain from eating pork.

Though this meal may not photograph well, it is unbelievably delicious and unique. It also keeps very well in the fridge and as such, there are often fights in my house for who gets to eat the leftovers.

I learned this version of Satay from my father. I hope you enjoy it!

Step 1: Ingredients and Things You Will Need

Here is a list of everything you will need. Keep in mind- This ingredient list is for ONE POUND of meat. So you will have to multiply it all accordingly in order to have enough for how much meat you get. I will list ingredients for 1 pound of meat, though the pictures you see will be me working with about 2 pounds of Pork Tenderloin.

Ingredients Broken Down By Step:

The Marinade:
- 2 teaspoons coriander
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
- 2-4 cloves of garlic, crushed
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon of tamarind, dissolved in 1 tablespoon water
- 1 pound of extra lean pork tenderloin
The Glaze
- 2 Tablespoons of Special Indonesian Sweet Soy Sauce (This is hard to find- you may have to make your own. Try googling it.)
- 1 Tablespoon Water
- 1 Tablespoon Peanut Oil
The Rice
- Long Grain White Rice and a Rice Cooker(not pictured)
Traditional Indonesian Peanut Sauce
- 1 clove garlic crushed
- 1 tablespoon peanut oil
- 1 cup water
- 2 teaspoons tamarind, dissolved in 2 tablespoons of water
- 1/2 teaspoon of salt
- 1-2 tablespoons of sugar (white or brown)
- 1 cup smooth or crunchy peanut butter

Things you will need:

Bamboo Skewers
Bottle or Jug big enough to hold a handful of skewers
Mortar and Pestle or Spice Grinder
Bowls
Foil
Basting Brush
Rice Cooker
Oven
Water
Baking Sheet

Step 2: Prep Work

For prep work you need to soak your skewers so they don't catch fire under the broiler. Do this first so they soak for long enough.

Also, cover a large baking sheet with foil.

Step 3: Making the Marinade

The Marinade is a fun step as you get to hand grind it all up and make a wonderful smelling paste.

The Marinade:

2 teaspoons coriander
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
2-4 cloves of garlic, crushed
1teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon of tamarind, dissolved in 1 tablespoon water

So: Crush the coriander, cumin, garlic, salt, and sugar all together in the mortar. Really grind them spices.

Then add the garlic. Crush it really well.

Finally add the tamarind liquid to finish it up. Mix it all together well with the pestle.

Step 4: Prepping the Meat

The meat will need some work before it is ready to cook.

First, using a sharp knife, try your best to trim off all the membranes and extra fat. It makes for a more appetizing final result without all the extra fat.

Second, cut up all the pork into cubes around 1 inch in size. Really, just slice it up into manageable pieces.

Next, in a bowl, scrape out the marinade out of the mortar with a spatula and pour it on the pork. Mix it up really well with your hand to insure everything is well covered. Marinate for at least one hour at room temperature or in the fridge if you want to do it longer.

Step 5: The Glaze

The glaze is easy if you have all the ingredients or you can find Indonesian Sweet Soy Sauce.

For Reference: Sweet Soy Sauce has the following ingredients: If you want the process ask me in comment section.

2 1/2 cups of sugar
21 oz of Chinese Dark Soy Sauce
3 gloves of garlic, cracked
1/2 teaspoon of star anise pods
2 salam leaves
2 pieces of laos
1/2 cup of water

The Glaze:

Mix in a small bowl the sweet soy sauce, water, and peanut oil. Mix it well. That is your glaze.

Step 6: Making the Peanut Sauce

The Peanut sauce is so very tasty!

Fry the garlic in the oil in a large sauce pan for about a minute.
Add the Water, Tamarind, Salt, and Sugar.
When this starts to simmer, add your peanut butter, stirring until well blended.
Let this simmer for around 5 minutes.
Stir frequently.
If it becomes to thick, add small amounts of water to lighten it up.

Step 7: Cook the Rice

Use a rice cooker and cook around 2-3 cups of rice. Its rice. You don't need me to instruct how to make it. -

Step 8: Cooking the Pork

Set broiler to on.
Drain the Skewers and lay them out ready to use.
Take your meat out of the fridge.
Skewer pieces of pork till the kebab is loaded well but not too many. leave space on either end of the kebab.
Lay each kebab down on the baking sheet which is covered in foil.
Take a basting brush and your glaze, and liberally slather the stuff on the side of the meat facing upwards.
Put the sheet in the oven and watch it. You should always watch things when they are in the broiler.
When the glazing on the meat begins to bubble and pop a bunch, take out the sheet.
Carefully flip each kebab over so the unglazed side is facing up.
Slather on the glaze on this side.
Put back under broiler.
This side should take less time to start bubbling and popping.
When it starts popping again, and the ends of the skewers are charred, the meat is done, so take it out of the oven and turn the oven off.
You can check with a meat thermometer if you are worried, but I'm not, so I just check on piece on the inside.
Pile the kebabs on one side of the tray so they don't sit in all the leftover glazing.