Beef Satays - Sate Daging
From my early childhood, I remember the distant, familiar sounds of two pieces of
wood knocking loudly against each other followed by the high pitched yell of the satay
man. Every neighborhood in Indonesia has its own satay man, the expert beef griller
who walks rapidly from one street to another with his makeshift “restaurant” on
wheels. From a mile away you can smell the unmistakable caramelizing of meat with
sweet soy sauce on the mobile charcoal grill. Even when my family had eaten dinner
already, somehow, there was always room for Beef Satays. Just a snack, we would
call it. And the satay man would be beckoned to our front gates where he would
swiftly add skewer upon skewer of satay on a banana leaf before deftly drizzling both
peanut and sweet soy sauce all over the grilled meat. With everyone scrambling to
grab skewers from the plate, most of the satay was gone before even reaching the
dining table, something that is certain to happen every time you make this savory
appetizer.
MAKES 16-18 SKEWERS
PREPARATION TIME: 15-20 MINUTES
COOKING TIME: 8-12 MINUTES
18 bamboo skewers
1 lb (500 g) beef sirloin or ribeye
¼ cup (65 ml) sweet soy sauce
¼ cup (65 ml) soy sauce
1½ tablespoons oil
1 Soak the skewers in cold water for at least ½ an hour to prevent them from burning.
2 Cut the beef into small, bite-sized chunks. Put in a bowl and pour the soy sauce and
sweet soy sauce over the beef chunks and mix well. Marinate for up to 1 hour.
3 Slide 3 to 4 chunks of beef on each water soaked skewer.
4 Heat ½ tablespoon of oil in a non-stick skillet or pan over medium high heat. Place 6
to 8 skewers (however many that will fit comfortably) in the skillet and pan fry for 3
to 4 minutes on each side. Repeat this last step for the remaining skewers, using the ½
tablespoon of oil for each set of skewers. Alternatively, you can cook the beef on an
outdoor grill, making sure to baste the grill with oil so the skewers won’t stick. Serve
immediately.