Now just because Satay is cooked over a live fire doesn't mean it's the same as kebabs. Yes, you can do a lot with Satay these days, but it's not the same, trust me. Whereas the traditional American kebabs will have cubes of meat and vegetables like, onions, tomatoes, squash and potatoes, Satay made from long strips of meat. The meat is threaded onto skewers not to make a nice little package of a meal, but to make it easier to handle and to spread the meat out for even cooking.
Satay is popular for many reasons. The flavorful sauces can be sweet, hot or just delicious. The handy form makes them great not only as a meal, but also as an appetizer. In many parts of the world you can find stands that dish up Satay as a quick snack, literally like Asian fast food. The global popularity of Satay is largely due to the fact that it is easy to make and is highly portable. The popularity of Satay in the United States goes back over half a century and is evident in the 1959 Kaiser Aluminum National Cookout Championship where several of the final recipes were for some variation of Satay.
So how do you make great Satay? It's very easy. First of all select your meat. Pork, beef, chicken, seafood or vegetables all work great. Traditionally the recipe calls for long strips of meat cut very thin. Once you have your meat selected, choose an appropriate marinade. The marinade should match the sauce you are going to serve with the Satay. As I have always said, the seasoning you use before cooking should use the same flavors you are going to add during or after cooking. Say, for instance, that you were going to use the Spicy Satay Peanut Sauce, then a good marinade would be made from rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, lime juice, cumin and crushed dried chilies. Remember that if you plan to use any remaining marinade in a later sauce, it has to be boiled for at least 5 minutes first.
Satay is cooked on bamboo skewers. These skewers hold the meat better than metal ones, and it's just cooler this way. Soak bamboo skewers for at least 1 hour in cold water before you thread the meat on. With the meat marinated and the skewers soaked go ahead and light the grill. While it's heating up thread the meat onto the skewers. Don't let it bunch up, the meat should be spread out so it will cook evenly. Once the grill is hot, you just throw the skewers onto the grill and cook over a high heat until cooked through. With most meat it will take about 4 to 5 minutes. Turn once during the cooking time. Serve hot with your choice of dipping sauces. This makes a great appetizer, snack or meal so you get a lot of versatility out of one dish.
