James Oseland: Malaysian Chicken Satay

Malaysian Chicken Satay
(Sate Ayam)
Terengganu, Malaysia

This juicy, beautifully flavored chicken satay is from Ibu Maimunah, a cook in Terengganu, a lush, verdant state on the east coast of West Malaysia. It’s a classic Malaysian-style satay—a bit sweeter than the satay in Indonesia—and has a glossy, lacquered surface, thanks to the generous amount of palm sugar in the marinade. Though the recipe comes from Terengganu, satays such as this one are popular all over Malaysia, especially at night markets, a popular after-dark form of market-going where vendors sell everything from vegetables to takeaway meals. Try using the delicious marinade for a whole chicken or chicken legs, and roast them in a hot oven. The results will be amazing. Ibu Maimunah showed me a nifty trick the first time I watched her make this satay. To baste the chicken as it grilled, she used the thick end of a smashed lemongrass stalk as a brush. This created an environmentally friendly, easy-to-dispose brush while imparting the clean taste of fresh lemongrass to the basting oil—a beautiful accent.

I strongly urge you to use chicken thighs; breasts have too low a fat content for grilling and will render a dry, unappealing satay. Thighs will yield a more moist, delectable dish. I promise.

Makes about 30 skewers

For the marinade:

1 tablespoon whole coriander seeds
1 tablespoon whole fennel seeds
2 thick, meaty stalks fresh lemongrass
5 shallots, peeled and coarsely chopped (about 3.75 ounces total)
4 cloves garlic, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 piece fresh or frozen and thawed galangal, 1 inch
long, peeled and thinly sliced (optional; about 2 tablespoons)
1 piece fresh ginger, 1 inch long, peeled and thinly sliced (about 2 tablespoons)
1 tablespoon ground turmeric
4 tablespoons palm sugar, finely chopped, OR dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons peanut oil
1 1/2 teaspoons salt

For the satay:

3 1/4 pounds chicken thighs
About 30 sharp, thin, 10 inch bamboo skewers, soaked in water for at least 30 minutes and drained
1 thick, meaty stalk fresh lemongrass
1/4 cup peanut oil

1. To make the marinade, place the coriander and fennel seeds in a small food processor. Pulse until the spices are well ground and dusty, about 2 minutes. (Don’t remove the ground spices from the food processor at this point—you’re going to grind them again along with the other marinade ingredients.)

2. Cut off the hard, brown bottom end and the bristly, greenish top of each lemongrass stalk, which should leave you with pale, white-and-lilac pieces approximately 5 inches in length. Discard the tough outer layers and thinly slice the lemongrass pieces; they should be no thicker than 1/16 inch.

3. Add the sliced lemongrass, shallots, garlic, galangal (if using), ginger, turmeric, palm sugar, 2 tablespoons peanut oil, and salt to the food processor. Pulse until you have a smooth paste the consistency of creamy mashed potatoes. Make sure that the lemongrass is well pulverized—you don’t want lemongrass bits in the final dish. (If the paste does not puree properly and repeatedly creeps up the side of the food processor instead of grinding, add up to 2 tablespoons of water, 1 tablespoon at a time, periodically turning the processor off and, with a spoon, scraping the unground portions down toward the blade as you go.) Transfer the blended marinade into a bowl large enough to hold all of the chicken.

4. Remove the skin from each chicken thigh by holding the chicken firmly with one hand and, with the other, slashing and tearing the skin from the flesh with a sharp knife. Cut the meat away from the bone, keeping the meat as whole as possible.

5. Cut the chicken meat into pieces, each about 1 inch wide and 1/4 to 1/3 inch thick. Each piece should be about 2 to 3 inches long. If any piece is thicker than 1/2 inch, slice it in half crosswise—thick pieces will take too long to cook and won’t flavor properly.

6. Add the sliced chicken to the bowl and combine it well with the marinade, making sure that every piece is coated. Allow the chicken to marinate at room temperature for 1 to 2 hours. Toss the chicken several times to make sure that the marinade is well dispersed.

7. Prepare the lemongrass stalk to use as a basting brush by cutting off the stalk’s hard, brown bottom end and its bristly, greenish top; this should leave you with a piece approximately 8 inches long. Discard the tough outer layers, then bruise the thick end of the stalk with a heavy, blunt object, such as the handle of a knife or the bottom of a measuring cup, until it is bristly and “brush”-like. Place the bruised lemongrass in a small bowl along with the peanut oil. Let the more flavorful bottom end of the stalk rest for at least 10 minutes in the oil, so the lemongrass flavor can permeate the oil. Reserve the oil for basting.

8. Thread the chicken strips onto the presoaked bamboo skewers, weaving the point of each skewer through the center of each piece of chicken every 1/4 inch to make sure it holds tight and remains secure as it cooks. Use 1 to 4 pieces of chicken per skewer, depending on how long the pieces are, making sure that the chicken extends from the tip to the middle of the skewer. Leave plenty of room so you can grab the skewer from the bottom end—the chicken should not extend from one end to the other.

9A. To cook the chicken on a grill, first prepare a medium-hot wood charcoal fire and oil the grill rack liberally. When the fire is hot (which may take up to 15 minutes), place each skewer on the grill, making sure that the chicken, not the skewer, is directly over the heat. Lightly baste the chicken with the lemongrass oil, using the bruised lemongrass as your basting brush. Grill the chicken until it has cooked through and has begun to pick up a few crispy brown-black spots, about 3 to 7 minutes, depending on how hot the fire is. Baste each piece lightly with the lemongrass oil once again. Turn the skewers over. Baste them with the lemongrass oil and continue grilling until the other side is browned, another 3 to 6 minutes. Though you shouldn’t overcook the chicken—it will dry out quickly—it’s equally important that you not undercook it. Test a piece by touching it with your finger. The chicken should be firm, not squishy. Another way to test it is by nicking a small piece off from the thickest point and seeing if it’s cooked through.

9B. To broil the chicken in the oven, preheat the broiler for at least 5 minutes and position the rack so that the satay skewers will be 3 inches from the heat. Line a half-sheet pan with aluminum foil. Place each skewer on the pan, arranging them so that the meat is in the center of the pan and the skewers slightly hang over the outside, and slide the pan into the broiler. Baste each skewer generously with the lemongrass oil. Slide the pan into the broiler. Broil until the chicken begins to turn golden brown and develop a few char spots, about 5 to 7 minutes. Turn each piece over, basting and broiling until the other side is browned, an additional 5 to 7 minutes. Test a piece by touching it with your finger. The chicken should be firm, not squishy. Another way to test it is by nicking a small piece off from the thickest point and seeing if it’s cooked through. Do not overcook the chicken. And if it doesn’t char (your broiler or the distance from the flame may not allow it to), don’t worry—as long as the chicken is cooked through, the satay will taste great.

10. Transfer to a serving dish and let the skewers rest for about a minute, until they are cool enough to handle. Serve immediately.