saté sauce

Saté (or satay or sateh) is an Indonesian dish made of roast pork or chicken in a rich and spicy peanut sauce. The meat is generally presented on skewers. In Chinese/Indonesian restaurants in the Netherlands you would normally have it with rice (boiled or fried); in many Dutch cafés you will find it served with a warmed up baguette and a small side salad.

The best saté in the Netherlands is served at the café Bonne Femme in Maastricht. I developed the recipe below in an attempt to capture its dark, lingering flavour.

Ingredients (serves 2):

• 2 tbsp peanut butter
• 1.5 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 250 ml chicken (or pork) stock
• 1 tsp fresh grated ginger
• a splash of balsamic vinegar
• a splash of worcester sauce
• a splash of red wine
• chili powder to taste
• 1 tbsp dark brown sugar
• 0.5 tsp cocoa powder
• 0.5 tsp cumin powder
• knob of butter

Mix the peanut butter, soy, lemon juice and chicken stock in a pan. Bring to the boil slowly, and allow the ingredients to mix. Then, add the remaining ingredients, except the butter. While stirring to make sure it doesn't separate, reduce the liquid until it becomes thick and gloopy. If necessary, add the knob of butter for creaminess.

For best results, leave the cooked meat in the sauce for at least an hour before serving. Personally, I prefer to eat this with a baguette, but rice is good, too.