Thursday, June 25, 2009

Sate-Style Chicken in Peanut Sauce


Indonesian "sate" is street food served in roadside booths in the evening. It consists of chicken ‘bits’ skewered on bamboo sticks and grilled over hot coals. (If you try this method, you should soak the sticks first so they don’t catch on fire.) So that the meat will cook quickly, the chicken pieces in Indonesian sate are generally very small. One bamboo skewer will typically contain a few pieces that are meat, a few that are mostly skin, and a few that are organ meats. This recipe was adapted to American tastes and recommends boiling the chicken because that is the fastest method and will produce tender juicy meat.
Ingredients
6 to 8 chicken breasts or other meaty pieces, + 2 cups reserved broth
2 jars all-natural peanut butter (1 crunchy, 1 smooth)
¼ onion, finely minced or grated (optional)
8 - 10 cloves garlic, minced or grated
6 – 8 tablespoons soy sauce
10 tablespoons brown sugar
6 – 8 teaspoons hot pepper sauce (optional)
Method
Boil chicken in a large pot. If necessary, debone and boil further until no pink remains. Reserve 2 cups broth. Cool chicken and cut into bite-sized pieces.
Meanwhile, add peanut butter, reserved broth, onion, garlic, soy sauce, sugar and hot pepper sauce (if using) to another pot. For hot sauce and sugar, add a little at a time, tasting in between. Cook on medium heat, stirring, until the ingredients combine to produce a sauce. If necessary, add more water as the sauce cooks to achieve the desired consistency. Add chicken to sauce, stir, and heat through. If desired, serve with rice, extra soy sauce and extra hot sauce. To make it really Indonesian, the beverage should be iced tea.

No comments: