Oh, the age-old question

We tend to do the shopping at the weekend (big mistake, because it is always packed in the shops so arguments are guaranteed) for the week ahead. We always use a list of things we need; the staples that need re-stocking, the list of meals that we intend to make and the occasional treat.

A typical Saturday/Sunday: finally both dressed and ready to go, not quite, bathroom visit first, a good ten minutes later finally out the door. A twenty-minute hike later and we have arrived at the first shop, all sweaty, warm and tired. Into the shop, people standing in the middle of the isle for no obvious reason (they are having a leisurely chat, next to each other so the shop floor becomes an obstacle course), and the first argument will take place within 5 minutes. Most likely because I have already had enough of old biddies shuffling from item to item, mothers with an entire football team worth of 3 and 4-year olds that are screaming at the top of their lungs and a shop that has been laid out by a sadistic shopper-hater (only they could have come up with an isle that is split into two at the end by a massive pillar which has an offer basket next to it!!!). Finally, thirty minutes and two arguments later, the shopping has been paid for, put into bags and hanging from my arms and we are on our way to the next shop. And we do it all again... He has phoned for a taxi and I am checking the shopping list against the tickets to make sure we've got everything; they entire ordeal has cost us somewhere between £40 to £50 but we are home safe (my arms will get back to their normal length at some point, I think...) and the fridge and cupboards are filled up.

That first day everything is still going according to plan; the list of meals is still appealing and we have decided what we are going to have for tea that day: we only think of the meals we will have during the week, not the days that we will have those meals on. Day two is normally not a problem either; the hard-fought-for reduced items need to go first as they were reduced because the sell-by/use-by date has come up. Day three is were the problems start; 'What are we having for tea tonight?' 'I don't know, there must be something we can make, we have a list of meals on the table.' 'True, but I forgot to take the meat out of the freezer. How about pizza?' 'Can't, I should've started the dough this morning in that case. Why didn't you say you fancied pizza?' 'Because I didn't fancy it, I just thought it would be a simple meal for tonight.' In the end we usually wind up with something like Spaghetti Carbonara, a tin of soup with bread or Stamppot.

This weekend was different: he did the shopping on Friday, whilst I was at work. It was the best treat I have had in a long time, AND he got everything we needed. But, for some reason, this morning the question was asked again: 'What's for tea tonight?' I honestly had not a clue, the cupboards are full, so are the fridge and freezer, but there was nothing I really fancied. And the list of meals was not helping either, there just wasn't anything on there that I liked today. My solution was to make myself a sandwich and cup of tea; I would think about the issue later. I filled up the kettle and turned it on, grabbed a couple of slices of bread and opened the cupboard. The first thing I saw was peanut butter and soy sauce. Not a brilliant combination for a buttie but perfect for Chicken Satay with peanut sauce... Tea's sorted, but what am I going to have for dinner???

Satay is an ancient dish and the national dish of Indonesia but no one knows where it actually originated. Although both Thailand and Malaysia claim it as their own, its South-East Asian origin was in Java, Indonesia. There satay was developed from the Indian kebab brought by the Muslim traders. Even India cannot claim its origin, for there it was a legacy of Middle Eastern influence. Or so Jennifer Brennan states in Kitchen Daily: Satay (1988)

There are many varieties, each region (and even town) in Indonesia has their own specialities. And then there are, of course, the many places outside of Indonesia where people have adapted recipes for hundreds of years: Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, the Philippines, and Thailand, as well as Suriname and the Netherlands, to name but a few.

This is my own version:

Aromatic Chicken Satay

with Peanut Sauce

Ingredients:
Satay

• 1 chicken breast per person 

Marinade

• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
• 1½ teaspoon coriander seeds
• 3 onions, quartered
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed with a knife
• 1 stalk lemon grass, trimmed (only need the bottom 5 centimetres)
• 3 candlenuts/kemiri (or macadamia nuts) (see image below)
• ½ teaspoon ground turmeric

Peanut Sauce

• 1 jar of peanut butter
• water or (coconut) milk
• 2 egg yolks
• mild curry powder
• fresh ginger (grated)
• fresh garlic, grated or pressed
• sweet chilli sauce or sambal oelek (optional, but recommended)
• chilli flakes
• soy sauce
• oil, vegetable is fine but you could use peanut oil or sesame oil
• ground cumin
• ground coriander
• sugar
• salt
• roasted peanuts, coarsely chopped (optional) 

Method:
Marinade

1. In a dry frying pan, quickly fry the cumin, fennel and coriander seeds until aromatic
2. Grind the spices to a fine powder and set aside
3. Put the onion and garlic in a food processor and give it a quick blitz
4. Chop the lemon grass and nuts roughly and add them to the processor, together with the ground spices and turmeric
5. Grind all to a paste

Satay

1. Cut each chicken breast in bite-size pieces
2. Place the chicken in the Marinade and leave (covered and in the fridge) to marinade for at least 1 hour but, preferably, as long as possible
3. Soak some wooden/bamboo skewers in water
4. When you are ready to start cooking:
1. Wipe off any excess Marinade from the chicken
2. Place 4 pieces of chicken onto each skewer
3. Heat a griddle pan (or the barbecue) and cook the Satay until the chicken is piping hot and cooked through
• Turn the chicken only once char-marks have appeared
5. Serve the Satay with the Peanut Sauce and (white, brown or wild) rice

Peanut Sauce

This is slightly trickier, not because it is difficult to make but because this is purely to taste. Sometimes I want it spicier than other times, sometimes I use coconut milk so I don't need (as much) sugar, sometimes I don't have a full jar of peanut butter or a smaller (or larger) size jar than at other times. And then there is, of course, still the matter of your own taste. This is the reason why I have not given any measurements in the ingredients list. In principle everything is to taste, availability and preference, however, peanut butter and (mild) curry powder are essential. The taste should be slightly sweet, slightly salty, slightly spicy.

1. Bring some water or milk to the boil
• if you are using coconut milk, boil some water but leave the coconut milk at room temperature
2. In a cold, dry saucepan pour about ½ tablespoon of oil and add the spices:
• (mild) curry powder, fresh ginger, fresh garlic, chilli flakes, ground cumin and ground coriander (all to taste and preference)
3. Put the pan on the heat and slowly fry the spices until fragrant
4. Add the sweet chilli sauce or sambal oelek and a dash of soy sauce
5. Spoon the peanut butter out of the jar into the saucepan
6. Add a little boiling liquid to the jar, put the lid back on, cover with a (tea) towel and shake well. Pour this into the pan
• Be careful as the hot liquid will loosen the lid slightly and the liquid could come out
7. Stir the contents of the saucepan together until it forms a smooth paste
8. Add enough boiling liquid or the coconut milk to create a sauce with a consistency you like
9. Taste the sauce to see if it needs any salt or sugar or more chilli
10. Once the desired taste is achieved, take the pan off the heat and whisk in the egg yolks and crushed peanuts (if using)

Variations:

• I don't always fancy having to griddle (or barbecue) the chicken, in that case I just pan-fry the marinated chicken pieces and cover them with the peanut sauce
• The Dutch love deep-fat-fried food and this is perfect for 'Kroketten':
1. make a really thick peanut sauce:
• put 25 gram butter in a pan and let it melt
• add 25 gram flour and whisk this for about 5 minutes
• add peanut sauce, stir well and leave to thicken
• take the pan off the heat and leave to cool completely
2. once cold, add in finely chopped or shredded cooked chicken and form into finger-long sausage shapes
3. roll through seasoned flour, then whisked egg, then breadcrumbs and repeat
4. fry in hot oil for about 4 minutes
• Chicken Satay is a perfect filling for steamed buns 'Bakpao'
1. Cook the chicken in your preferred way and finely dice or shred the meat
2. Mix in with peanut sauce once completely cool
3. Make the steamed bun dough (makes 20 buns or, in my case, about 10):
• 600 gram flour (plain (all-purpose) or bread flour)
• 400 millilitre warm water
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon yeast
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 50 millilitre oil
1. put the flour in a bowl and make a well in the centre
2. add the yeast and sugar to the well and pour in a little of the water
3. stir this together with a little flour from the sides
4. leave this to stand for a couple of minutes until the yeast starts to foam to create a 'starter dough'
5. mix the rest of the flower and the baking powder into the 'starter dough', adding a little water at a time until all the water is incorporated or you have a smooth and elastic dough
6. knead the dough quickly through
7. cover the bowl with a damp tea towel and leave to prove for about 45 minutes, until the dough has doubled in size
8. turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and cut into 20 equal pieces
9. roll the pieces out slightly and put about 1½ tablespoon of filling in the centre and fold to close, repeat until all the dough has been filled
10. gently roll the dough into a ball shape and leave, covered with a damp tea towel, to rise for 10-15 minutes
11. bring a pan of water to the boil and put a steamer basket on top
12. place the buns in cupcake papers, seam-side down, and fill the steamer with the buns
13. steam for about 20-25 minutes

As they say in Indonesia

Selamat makan

or, in English

Enjoy