“Each of these hawker stalls sells pretty much one dish, and they’ve been perfecting it for generations.” This was how Nick Young described Singapore’s infamous Newton Food Center to Rachel when they first arrivef from the US. Crazy Rich Asians is my ultimate comfort movie. In fact, I watched it seven times—once everyday—during the week it was first screened in cinemas. The hawker scene is one of my favorite in the movie, for it introduces Nick’s life in Singapore to the audience and is a great juxtaposition between his simplicity and the opulent and pressuring lifestyle he grew up in. Aside from that, the food featured in the scene looks so scrumptious. I could imagine all the aromas from each hawker stall mending together into one exquisite scent that pulls tourists and passersby to dine for a while and gorge on the delicacies. But, I cannot travel and experience what Nick claims as the “Best satay in the island for sure.”, so I made my own.
Chicken satay is a common dish to come across in the streets or food stalls of Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia. The fragrant paste used to marinate the chicken skewers draws travelers from around the globe under its thrall. Paired with the luscious and flavorful peanut sauce, chicken satay is hard to hate.
Recipe
Yields 4-6 servings
~ Ingredients ~
Chicken Satay
500 grams chicken breast fillet, cut into fine strips
1 tablespoon coriander leaves
½ teaspoon cumin
2 cloves garlic, chopped
4 red shallots, chopped
1 thumb ginger
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons white sugar
2 tablespoons vegetable oil for grilling
Peanut Sauce
1 teaspoon red chili flakes
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 stalk lemongrass, chopped
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
450 mL coconut milk
1 teaspoon tamarind Sinigang mix in 1 tablespoon water
2 tablespoons sugar
½ teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons ground roasted peanuts
~ Procedure ~
Chicken Satay
Place the chicken strips on skewers.
In a food processor, process the coriander leaves, cumin, garlic, shallots, ginger, turmeric powder, oil and sugar together.
Marinate the chicken skewers in the paste for at least 30 minutes.
In a grill pan on medium heat, heat the oil and cook the chicken for a total of 4-5 minutes, 2-2.5 minutes on each side.
Serve immediately and enjoy!
Peanut Sauce
Process the chili flakes, garlic, lemongrass, turmeric powder and vegetable oil together.
In a medium saucepan on high heat, sauté the paste until it becomes more fragrant. This took around 3 minutes.
Add the coconut milk and let it boil for 7 minutes.
Mix the rest of the ingredients in the sauce and let it simmer for another 7 minutes until it has reduced.
Serve alongside chicken satay and enjoy!
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