A hugely popular South-East Asian appetizer, beef satay skewers are the king of street food.There are many different versions out there - depending on the region. This recipe is for Singapore-style beef satay - which is skewered marinated beef with a creamy peanut sauce. If you’re currently dreaming of being outdoors, wandering around, eating delicious food from that amazing-smelling food stall, then this is the recipe for you!
What is satay meat?
Satay is a seasoned or marinated meat that has been skewered and grilled - usually over charcoal. It’s usually served with a sauce. The type of sauce varies depending on the country/region.
What do we need?
Beef and Marinade
I use Denver steak for beef satay, as it’s lightly marbled and full of flavour (more info on other cuts below).The beef is marinated in a very simple marinade of vegetable oil, brown sugar and fish sauce.
Basting Sauce
We have the flavour base which is made up of fish sauce, garlic, lemongrass, ginger, soy sauce, cumin and ground corianderThe rich creaminess from coconut milk and vegetable oilA touch of sticky sweetness from dark brown sugar
Thread the steak onto the skewers and brush with the basting sauce.Cook over a very hot grill/griddle or barbecue for 5-6 minutes until cooked through. Turn a couple of times during cooking and baste generously each time you turn the skewers.
For the satay sauce you’ll need
How to make the Satay Sauce
Full recipe with detailed steps and ingredient quantities in the recipe card at the end of this post.
First, soak your skewers if you’re using wooden skewers - this will help to prevent them from burning.Then massage the steak slices with the oil, sugar and fish sauce and marinate for 30 minutes.Make the basting sauce by mixing together all of the basting sauce ingredients.
To make the satay sauce, simply mix all of the sauce ingredients together and heat until almost boiling. Stir and gently simmer until thickened.
What’s the best steak for grilled beef satay?
Denver steak: I love to use Denver steak – which comes from the front leg of the cow. It’s cut from a single muscle and is lightly marbled throughout. This means it’s a juicy and flavourful steak that stays tender after quick cooking over a high heat. Slice the steaks against the grain, and it will be tender, without being chewy.Sirloin steak: Cut from the upper middle of the cow, the top sirloin is extremely tender and juicy, but quite expensive. The bottom sirloin is a little less tender and therefore a little less expensive. Both the top and bottom sirloin is good for stir fry. If using the low sirloin, slice the meat more thinly, otherwise it may be a little chewy.Skirt steak or flank steak: both cuts from the underside of the cow, the skirt steak is from the middle underside (plate) and the flank is a little further back on the underside. Both cuts are flavourful and suitable for high heat cooking. They’re not as tender as denver or sirloin steak, so ideally you want to marinade them and slice them thinly across the grain before cooking.
Watch how to make it
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