Ingredients

Pork Satay

  • 1 lb boneless pork leg cut in long ½-inch thick strips

  • 1½ tsp coriander seeds

  • ½ tsp cumin seeds

  • ½ tsp white peppercorns

  • 1 tablespoon palm sugar or brown sugar

  • ¾ tsp salt

  • ¾ tsp ground turmeric

  • ½ tsp ground cinnamon

  • 1 tablespoon tamarind paste

  • ½ cup coconut milk

Peanut dipping sauce

  • ½ cup roasted peanuts, unsalted

  • 1¼ cups coconut milk

  • 2 tablespoons red curry paste (I use Mae Ploy brand)

  • 2 tablespoons tamarind paste (I use Aroy D brand)

  • 2 tablespoons finely chopped palm sugar, packed

  • 1-2 teaspoons fish sauce (I use squid brand)

Directions

  1. Grind the 1 1/2tsp coriander seeds, 1/2 tsp cumin seeds, and 1/2 tsp peppercorns in a coffee grinder or mortar and pestle until very fine, then transfer to a mixing bowl.

  2. Add the 1 tbsp palm or brown sugar, 3/4 tsp salt, 3/4 tsp ground turmeric, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1 tbsp tamarind paste, and 1/2 cup coconut milk; stir to mix well.

  3. Add the pork leg strips to the marinade and mix very well to ensure all the pieces are coated.

  4. Marinate at room temperature for a minimum 20 minutes or leave for 24 hours in a fridge - the longer it marinates the better - just stir it once or twice during the marinating time.

Peanut Dipping Sauce

  1. Use a mortar and pestle or a food processor to grind 1/2 cup peanuts until mealy. If using a machine, be careful not to turn this into peanut butter; you want texture in the peanut sauce.

  2. Put about ⅓ cup (80 ml) of coconut milk in a small pot and bring to a boil over medium heat.

  3. Add the 2 tbsp red curry paste and cook for about 3 minutes, stirring constantly until the mixture is very thick and the coconut oil starts to separate from the paste (the oil may not separate depending on the coconut milk you're using; this is okay )

  4. Add the remaining coconut milk and stir to mix well.

  5. Add the ground peanuts, 2 tbsp tamarind paste, and 2 tbsp palm sugar, and simmer gently for 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until thickened into a dip consistency. Be sure to scrape the bottom of the pot when stirring to prevent scorching.

    If the sauce gets too thick before 5 minutes of cooking time is up, add a splash of water so that you can give it the full 5 minutes to develop the flavor.

  6. Taste and add fish sauce as needed.

Cooking the satay Pork

To Skewer or not?

You can put the pork strips on skewers but it isn’t necessary especially if you forget to soak your skewers. Yes I’m Guilty!

Tips for skewers

  1. If you use bamboo skewers soak them for a minimum of 30 mins. Overnight is best.

  2. Don’t leave the tip of the skewer with no meat on it - the tip burns and makes it hard to get meat off without looking like a caveman LOL

  3. When you put skewers on the grill lay a piece of tin foil under the exposed skewer part - to prevent burning.

To Grill

  1. Preheat the grill on high heat.

  2. Cook with the lid open for 2 to 3 minutes, then flip and cook on the other side for another 2 minutes or until cooked through. The internal temperature should reach 165°F (74°C ).

To pan-fry

  1. Place a large nonstick skillet over high heat.

  2. Pour in enough oil to thinly coat the bottom. Once the oil is hot, use tongs to lift the pork strips out of the marinade one piece at a time, shaking off any excess, and place them in the pan. You’ll need to do this in batches so you don’t crowd the pan.

  3. Turn the heat down to medium-high and let the chicken sear until well browned, 2 to 3 minutes, then flip and sear on the other side until fully cooked, about another 2 minutes.

  4. Remove from the pan and repeat with the remaining pork, (discarding the left over marinade.)

Enjoy!