Tender, marinated beef satay skewers with a spicy peanut sauce. Grill, griddle or barbecue them for an easy streetfood-style dinner.

Course – Appetizer, Dinner Cuisine – Asian, Thai
Keyword – Any Time Of the year, bbq, dinner party, Game Day

Prep Time – 15 minutes Cook Time – 15 minutes
marinating time – 30 minutes Total Time – 1 hour
Servings10 skewers
AuthorNicky Corbishley

Ingredients

Beef and Marinade:

1. 1.1 lb (500g) Denver steak, cut into strips (cut against the grain) cut into long, thin strips, about ¼ inch thick (you can replace with skirt or flank if preferred)
2. 2 tbsp vegetable oil
3. 2 tbsp dark brown sugar
4. 1 tbsp fish sauce

Basting Sauce

1. 7 oz (200ml) coconut milk from a tin
2. 3 tbsp dark brown sugar
3. 1 tbsp fish sauce
4. 2 tbsp vegetable oil
5. 2 garlic cloves peeled and crushed
6. 2 tsp lemon grass paste (or 2 lemon grass stalks, outer leaves discarded, inner leaves minced)
7. 2 tsp minced ginger
8. 1 tbsp dark soy sauce use tamari for gluten free
9. ½ tsp cumin
10.1 tsp ground coriander

Satay sauce:

1. 3 heaped tbsp chunky peanut butter
2. 1 tbsp dark soy sauce use tamari for gluten free
3. 1/2 tsp chilli flakes (red pepper flakes)
4. 1 tbsp fish sauce
5. 7 oz (200ml) coconut milk from a tin
6. 1 tbsp dark brown sugar
7. 1/2 tsp ground coriander
8. Juice of 1 lime

To Serve:

1. 1 fresh red chilli thinly sliced
2. 2 tbsp Fresh coriander (cilantro) chopped
3. 1/2 tsp chilli flakes (red pepper flakes)
4. 1/4 red onion peeled and finely sliced
5. 1 tbsp roasted peanuts roughly chopped
6. 1 tsp sesame seeds

Instructions

1. Begin by soaking 10 wooden skewers in water for half an hour. This will prevent them from burning when cooking.
2. Place the sliced steak in a large bowl with the oil, dark brown sugar and fish sauce. Mix together using your hands and massage the sauce into the steak for a minute. Cover and marinate at room temperature for 30 mins. (If you want to marinate for longer – i.e up to overnight, then place in the refrigerator).
3. Whilst the meat is marinating, add all of the basting ingredients to a bowl and whisk together. Put to one side.
4. Now place all of the satay sauce ingredients EXCEPT for the lime juice into a small pan.
5. Heat over medium heat whilst stirring with a wooden spoon. The sauce will look thin at first, then as it comes close to boiling point, it will start to thicken. Don’t let the sauce boil, just turn down the heat as it approaches boiling point and stir until thickened, then turn off the heat and stir in the lime juice.* Note 1

6. Take the skewers out of the water and give them a shake to remove excess water, then thread the steak strips onto the skewers, and place the skewers on a plate. Brush with the basting sauce.
7. Heat a griddle or barbecue very hot. Place the skewers on the griddle and cook for 5-6 minutes until golden brown. Turn a couple of times during cooking and baste generously each time you turn the skewers. Note: It will smoke a lot – so keep the windows open!!
8. Place the skewers on plates, then reheat the satay sauce if you like it hot. Serve in a bowl alongside the skewers. Top with fresh coriander (cilantro) and a few slices of red chilli. If you like lots of toppings, you can also top with chilli flakes, a little red onion, a few chopped peanuts and some sesame seeds.

Notes

Note 1: The sauce can be served cool or warm, or you can reheat if you wish (the oil will separate a little from the peanut butter and coconut milk as it cools, but a good mix with a wooden spoon will bring it back together again).

Can I make Beef Satay ahead?

Yes, you can marinate the beef and place on skewers, then refrigerate for up to a day.Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before cooking.
The basting sauce can be make up 2-3 days in advance, then covered and refrigerated.

The satay sauce can be made ahead, cooled, covered and refrigerated for up to 2-3 days. Place in a pan and reheat whilst stirring if you want to serve it warm.
I wouldn’t recommend cooking the beef skewers ahead of time and reheating, as the beef will dry out and become chewy.