Disclosure: This recipe is proudly sponsored by FairPrice.
STORY BEHIND THE RECIPE
Nothing beats a plate of fresh-off-the-grill satay with that distinctive charred aroma, served with peanut sauce, ketupat, cucumber and red onion. Today, I will show you how to make homemade chicken satay from scratch along with my special ‘secret’ satay sauce recipe!
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When I was living in the UK, we had a satay party to celebrate Lunar New Year, I remember grilling satay in the heavy snow! The “chao ta” (t/n: burnt) exterior and succulent meat was a hit with all our friends.
To celebrate Singapore’s birthday this year, we have partnered with FairPrice to reimagine dishes well-loved by Singaporeans in the form of food art inspired by national icons.
Today, we will recreate the well-loved satay as the beautiful Singapore Flyer, guaranteed to fill your whole house with the amazing charred smell!
Don’t forget to check out our other posts where we created the Dragon Playground with Bubur Cha Cha, the Changi Airport Skyline with Teriyaki Chicken and Singa the Lion with Chicken Karaage!
Before we begin, make a trip down to your favourite FairPrice outlet to pick up the ingredients. Then download and print out our free Singapore Flyer Template to follow along the decorating process!
INGREDIENTS (serves 4)
- Satay sticks, soaked in water overnight
- Oil
- Banana leaf (optional)
- 300g lontong rice
- 1 cucumber
- 1 red onion
Rempah (Spice Blend)
- 8 slices of galangal
- 10 cloves of garlic
- 25 shallots
- 3 stalks of lemongrass (white section only, sliced)
- 1¼ tbsp coriander powder
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- 2 tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tsp powdered ginger
Satay
- 500g skinless and boneless chicken thigh, cubed
- ⅓ of the rempah
- 2 tbsp oil
- 1 tsp salt
- 2½ tbsp sugar
Satay Sauce
- 1 tbsp tamarind paste (assam)
- 120ml warm water
- 6 tbsp oil
- ⅔ of the rempah
- 2 tbsp dried chilli paste
- 3 tbsp gula melaka
- A pinch of salt
- 1½ tbsp sugar
- 150g coarsely ground peanut
- 450ml water
Mini chicken satay ingredients
TRICK OF THE TRADE
- The longer you leave the chicken to marinade, the more caramelized the satay will get during the cooking process.
Cling film the chicken to prevent cross-contamination.
- You have to rub and separate the assam flesh from the seeds to get a more flavourful assam juice.
Rub the assam to separate the flesh from the seeds.
HOW TO MAKE MINI CHICKEN SATAY
PREPARE THE REMPAH
- Blend the galangal, garlic, shallots and lemongrass in a food processor until fine.
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- Sliced galangal
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- Peeled garlic
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- Peeled shallots
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- Chopped lemongrass
Slice the lemongrass (white section only)
Blend the aromatics in a food processor until fine.
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- Add in the remaining ingredients and mix well.
Completed rempah (spice blend)
- Divide into ⅓ and ⅔ portions for the marinade and satay sauce respectively.
PREPARE THE SATAY
- Marinate the chicken with the ⅓ portion of rempah and the rest of the ingredients, then cover with cling film. Refrigerate for six hours, best overnight. Once ready, skewer 4-5 pieces through each of the satay sticks.
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- Cubed skinless and boneless chicken thigh
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- Marinate the chicken and mix well.
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- Skewer 4-5 pieces of chicken onto each of the satay sticks.
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- Place the satay on a pre-oiled grilling rack. Brush with oil and grill in a preheated oven for about 6-8 mins at 200 to 220°C. Flip and brush with oil again, then grill for another 4 mins until nicely charred.
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- Place the satay on a pre-oiled grilling rack.
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- Brush the satay with oil.
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- Grill the satay until nicely charred.
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- Flip the satay midway.
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PREPARE THE SATAY SAUCE
- Add the warm water to the tamarind paste and separate the flesh from the seeds to make assam juice.
- In a wok, heat up the oil over medium-low heat. Add the remaining ⅔ portion of rempah and fry till aromatic. Add the dried chilli paste. Fry for another minute until the chilli oil starts to separate out. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer until the sauce thickens.
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- Fry the rempah.
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- Fry until the chilli oil separates out.
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- Sieve in the assam juice.
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- When it dries up after adding in the peanuts, add the water.
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- After adding water to the sauce
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- Simmer the satay sauce until thick.
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DECORATING
- Plate the banana leaves, satay, satay sauce, lontong rice, cucumber in the shape of the Singapore Flyer using this Singapore Flyer Template. Place the onions on a side dish.
Cut the lontong and banana leaf to size.
PREPARATION TIPS
- Soak the satay sticks in water overnight to prevent them from burning in the oven.
Soak the satay sticks in water to prevent them from burning.
DIETARY MODIFICATIONS
- Egg-Free: No modifications needed.
- Fish-Free: No modifications needed.
- Gluten-Free: No modifications needed.
- Shellfish-Free: No modifications needed.
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Chicken Satay
Ingredients
Rempah (Spice Blend)
- 8 slices Galangal
- 10 cloves Garlic
- 25 Shallots
- 3 stalks Lemongrass white section only, sliced
- 1¼ tbsp Coriander Powder
- 1 tsp Cumin Powder
- 2 tsp Turmeric Powder
- 1 tsp Powdered Ginger
Satay
- 500 g Chicken Thigh skinless and boneless, cubed
- ⅓ Rempah
- 2 tbsp Oil
- 1 tsp Salt
- 2½ tbsp Sugar
Satay Sauce
- 1 tbsp Tamarind Paste Assam
- 120 ml Warm Water
- 6 tbsp Oil
- ⅔ Rempah
- 2 tbsp Dried Chilli Paste
- 3 tbsp Gula Melaka
- A pinch Salt
- 1½ tbsp Sugar
- 150 g Coarsely Ground Peanut
- 450 ml Water
Others
- Satay Sticks soaked in water overnight
- Oil for brushing the satay
- Banana Leaf (optional)
- 300 g Lontong Rice
- 1 Cucumber
- 1 Red Onion
Instructions
Prepare the Rempah
- Blend the galangal, garlic, shallots and lemongrass in a food processor until fine.
- Add in the remaining ingredients and mix well.
- Divide into ⅓ and ⅔ portions for the marinade and satay sauce respectively.
Prepare the Satay
- Marinate the chicken with ⅓ portion of rempah and the rest of the satay ingredients, then cover with cling film and refrigerate for six hours, best overnight. Once ready, skewer 4-5 pieces of the marinated chicken cubes through the satay sticks.
- Place the satay on a pre-oiled grilling rack. Brush the satay with oil and grill in a preheated oven for about 6-8 minutes at 200 to 220°C. Flip the satay, brush with oil again and grill for another 4 minutes until nicely charred.
Prepare the Satay Sauce
- Add the warm water to the tamarind paste and separate the flesh from the seeds to make assam juice.
- In a wok, heat up the oil over medium-low heat. Add the remaining ⅔ portion of rempah and fry till aromatic. Add the dried chilli paste. Fry for another minute until the chilli oil starts to separate out. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer until the sauce thickens.
Notes
PREPARATION TIPS
- Soak the satay sticks in water overnight to prevent them from burning in the oven.
