GLUTEN-FREE CHICKEN SATAY with CRUNCHY PEANUT SAUCE
Travelling in Malaysia not long ago I was reminded of the simple pleasure of satay. If only it had been Gluten-Free Chicken Satay!
I had to resist the smell of them cooking in the open air, the joy of holding the stick in my hand, the sweet tender meat, the unctuous sauce and the totally delicious combination of flavours.
All these things set me on a search for a Gluten-free Chicken Satay recipe that I could manage back at home without too much trouble.
This one was adapted from various recipes, with thanks to Charmaine Solomon’s Complete Asian Cookbook for the sauce.
I’m not pretending it’s the real thing, but as a great reminder of being there, it works for me.
Jan
GLUTEN-FREE CHICKEN SATAY with CRUNCHY PEANUT SAUCE
Serves 6 as part of a shared meal
20-25 large wooden skewers, soaked in water for 1 hour
1 kg chicken thigh fillets cut into 2–3cm pieces
Marinade
1 tablespoon cumin seeds
2 tablespoons coriander seeds
4 stalks lemongrass, tender parts only, finely sliced
1 cm fresh galangal chopped
1 medium Spanish onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, sliced
1 teaspoon ground turmeric (or 2 cm fresh, chopped)
4 tablespoons peanut oil
4 tablespoons brown sugar
1½ teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons gluten-free soy sauce
Toast cumin and coriander seeds, in separate batches, in a dry frypan until fragrant, then add to a mini-blender and whiz to grind.
Add onion, garlic, lemongrass, galangal, turmeric and oil and process to a fine paste.
Transfer to a bowl and add brown sugar, salt and dark soy sauce.
Add meat and mix well. Transfer to a snap-lock bag, remove as much air as possible and marinate overnight in the fridge.
Thread chicken onto soaked skewers and cook them quickly over charcoal, or on a barbeque or grill, turning regularly so they don’t burn.
Serve with Crunchy Peanut Sauce and steamed rice.
Crunchy Peanut Sauce
140 ml peanut oil
1 teaspoon dried garlic flakes
2 tablespoons dried onion flakes
2 large dried chillies
1 teaspoon dried shrimp paste (belacan or trasi)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon gluten-free dark soy sauce
375 gm gluten-free crunchy peanut butter
1½ tablespoons palm sugar or dark brown sugar
1 400ml can coconut milk
Heat the oil in a wok to a moderate heat and fry the garlic flakes for a few seconds until golden brown. (Lower them into the oil in a fine wire mesh strainer, remove quickly and drain on kitchen paper.)
Fry the onion flakes in the same way. Drain and cool.
Fry the chillies for less than a minute until puffed and crisp. Drain and cool. Discard stalks and seeds and crumble or chop chillies and set aside.
In the oil remaining in the pan, fry the shrimp paste, crushing it with the back of a spoon. Add the lemon juice and soy sauce. Remove from the heat and add the peanut butter and palm or dark brown sugar, stirring until well blended.
When the peanut mixture is quite cold stir through the crisp onion and garlic flakes, crumbled chillies.
This base will keep for weeks in the fridge. When ready to use, mix in enough coconut milk to achieve the consistency you want, warm gently and add salt to taste.