by Paul Grout from MEAT LONDON (Cloake Press)
Photography: Caroline Mardon
Serves 4
Ingredients
750g lean beef rump, cut into 6cm x 2cm strips
4 lime wedges, to serve
Skewers, for threading
Satay Marinade:
1 tbsp grated fresh ginger
4 garlic cloves, crushed
1 large shallot, finely chopped
4 tbsp brown sugar
3 tbsp fish sauce
3 tbsp dark soy sauce
2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander
1 tbsp ground cumin
½ tsp turmeric powder
½ tsp cayenne pepper
1 stick lemongrass – tough outer layers removed and discarded, white part bruised and chopped
Peanut Dipping Sauce:
150g smooth peanut butter
3 tbsp dark soy sauce
1 tbsp golden syrup
½ red chilli, finely chopped or ½ tsp chilli paste
1 garlic clove, crushed (optional)
Warm water, to taste
Method
Using a blender or a food processor, whizz all the marinade ingredients into a paste. If you want a bit of a chilli kick, mixing in a small sprinkling of dry chilli flakes won’t do any harm. Transfer it to a good-sized bowl.
Add the beef strips to the marinade and mix it all together. Cover the bowl and marinate the beef in the fridge for at least 4 hours or overnight.
Before you cook the satay, prepare the peanut dipping sauce. Put all of the ingredients into a bowl & mix together to a paste. Add warm water, a little at a time, until you arrive at the consistency that you like. Set aside.
When you are ready to cook the satay, remove the marinated beef from the fridge and divide it onto your chosen skewers. I have been purposely vague about the skewers. One can buy wooden or metal skewers in a variety of lengths. I have allowed 175g of meat per person. This would fit onto one 12” skewer or 2-3 cocktail skewers. If using wooden skewers, soak them for 20 minutes beforehand, as this helps to stop them burning when you cook the satay.
If you are going to cook the skewers on the barbecue, place them onto a non-direct heat and let them cook for two minutes before turning them and allowing another two minutes. They can be cooked in a frying pan or skillet in the same fashion.
If you want to cook them in the oven, place the skewers in a single layer in an oven tray. Preheat the oven to 200C. Cook the satay in the oven for 5 minutes, before turning and cooking for another 5 minutes.
Serve the freshly cooked satay with the peanut dipping sauce and a wedge of lime.
