Pork Satay Street Style and No-Peanut Satay Sauce (for people with nut allergy)

It was the General Election Day in New Zealand on Saturday before last (26 November) and we had our friends over for a street style dinner after they had done their good citizen duty. Bob always likes satay especially the sauce but he has nut intolerance so I have to find the way to make the sauce sans peanuts. It was my first attempt in using chick peas in Satay Sauce (the original recipe calls for ground peanuts)  but there were no complaints from Bob and the guests so I guess it was quite alright. I have adapted the recipe from thaismefranchise - the website that suggests ideas and how to for Thai vendors (in Thai). 

Pork Satay (as a starter for 6)

750 grams Pork (with a bit of fat as lean meat will be too dry), cut into narrow schnitzels about 2-3 cm wide and 10 cm long

3 – 4 tablespoons pineapple juice (or kiwi fruit juice – to tenderise the meat)

½ teaspoon salt

1 ½ teaspoons chicken stock powder

1 ½ teaspoons curry powder

½ teaspoon turmeric powder

½ cup coconut cream

Bamboo skewers (about 50)

Basting Liquid (3/4 cup coconut milk, ¼ teaspoon salt, ½  teaspoon sugar, ½ teaspoon curry powder – put in a jar and shake with the lid on to combine – refrigerate and shake vigorously again before use)

Marinade the pork with the above ingredients and refrigerate overnight. Soak the bamboo skewers in cold water overnight (you can also put them in the freezer but soaking is better). Thread the pork pieces onto the skewer – you will make roughly 45 sticks. It is best to put the satay in the freezer for an hour before grilling so the pork holds its shape. Grill on barbecue on medium high heat – baste with the basting liquid regularly to keep them moist. Do not use low heat - it is not a slow cook. Do not drink too much alcohol either or you will burn the skewers! At this time, provide snacks for the men around the barbecue so they will not eat all the satay.

Note: You can also do this on the electric grill or grill pan over the stove if the weather is not good enough for outdoor barbecue. Man, it was windy and cold that night but the men braced themselves and did it outside – although they had to move to the back of the garage where it is more sheltered from the south-westerlies.

 

Satay Sauce with Chickpeas

1 ½ cups coconut cream

1 cup canned chickpeas (drained and blitzed with a little bit of water)

¼ cup toasted sesame seeds

2 teaspoons Red curry paste

1 teaspoons Masman curry paste

½ table spoon salt

2 tablespoons chopped palm sugar

A little bit of oil to fry the paste

Fry the paste with oil and two tablespoons coconut cream in a saucepan over medium high heat until fragrant. Add coconut milk a little bit at a time until the oil surfaces. Add sugar and salt. Stir in chickpeas and sesame seeds. You might need to add a little bit of water if it is too thick. It is best served warm with a few slices of toast cut in 4.

You will also need a portion or 2 of cucumber relish. I have blogged about this earlier, see Vietnamese Crepes here.