Satay Chicken - Chef Recipe by Junda Khoo

Ingredients

1 kg chicken thigh fillets
2 large red onions, roughly chopped
2 Tb ground turmeric
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp lemongrass powder
1 Tbs fresh lemongrass, minced
3 Tbs sugar
2 tsp salt
2 tsp MSG
8 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
100mL vegetable oil
25-30 bamboo skewers
Chopped red onion and cucumber to serve

Satay sauce:

Vegetable oil for deep frying
200 g peanuts without skin
1 large red onion, roughly chopped
25 garlic cloves, peeled
300mL vegetable oil
1 Tbs chilli giling
150 g smooth peanut butter
2 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp salt
1 tsp MSG
4 tsp tomato sauce
4 tsp tamarind paste
200 g sugar
1L water

Method

Satay sauce:

Heat oil in a heavy-based saucepan and deep fry peanuts until brown and fragrant. Remove with a slotted spoon and allow to cool, then blend in a food processor until smooth.

Remove and set aside.

Blitz the onion and garlic into a paste in the food processor, then heat the 300mL of vegetable oil in a wok and sauté the paste with the chilli giling until fragrant, about 10-15 minutes.

Mix in the blended peanuts and the peanut butter and sauté on a low heat for another 10 minutes, then add the turmeric, salt, MSG, tomato sauce and tamarind paste and sauté for a further 5 minutes.

Add the sugar and stir vigorously as it will caramelise quickly, then turn off the heat when well mixed. Add the water and blitz the mixture with a hand-held blender until it looks like satay sauce. Pour into a saucepan and simmer gently until thick, then set aside.

Cut the chicken into 1 cm x 3 cm slices. Blend the onions in a food processor then mix with the remaining spices, herbs, seasonings, garlic and oil in a large bowl to form a paste.

Add chicken slices and coat well. Refrigerate to marinate for at least 3 hours.

Soak bamboo skewers in water for 30 minutes. Thread marinated chicken pieces onto skewers, packing them tightly – about 8-10 slices of chicken per skewer which ends up about 10 cm long on each stick.

Cook chicken skewers on a low heat on a grill, barbeque or over coals for about 10 minutes, flipping every minute to give an even char and avoid overcooking.

Reheat satay sauce and serve alongside chicken skewers with some chopped red oniong and cucumber.

Credits: This is an edited extract from Ho Jiak: A Taste of Malaysia by Junda Khoo, published by Hardie Grant Books. Available in stores nationally, RRP $55. Photography by Alana Dimou.

Photo Credits: This is an edited extract from Ho Jiak: A Taste of Malaysia by Junda Khoo, published by Hardie Grant Books. Available in stores nationally, RRP $55. Photography by Alana Dimou.