Satay

Satay ( , in USA also , ), or sate in Indonesian spelling, is a Southeast Asian dish of seasoned, skewered and grilled meat, served with a sauce. The earliest preparations of satay is believed to have originated in Javanese cuisine, but has spread to almost anywhere in Indonesia, where it has become a national dish. Indonesian satay is often served with peanut sauce – a sauce made from peanut butter, and is often accompanied with lontong, a type of rice cake, though the diversity of the country has produced a wide variety of satay recipes. It is also popular in many other Southeast Asian countries including Brunei, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand. It is also recognized and popular in Suriname and the Netherlands.
In Sri Lanka, it has become a staple of the local diet as a result of the influences from the local Malay community.

Satay may consist of diced or sliced chicken, goat, mutton, beef, pork, fish, other meats, or tofu; bamboo skewers are often used, while rustic style of preparations employ skewers from the midrib of the coconut palm frond. These are grilled or barbecued over a wood or charcoal fire, then served with various spicy seasonings. Satay can be served in various sauces; however, most often they are served in a combination of soy and peanut sauce. Hence, peanut sauce is often called satay sauce. It is popular as street food, and it can be obtained from a travelling satay vendor, from a street-side tent-restaurant, in an upper-class restaurant, or at traditional celebration feasts.

Close analogues are yakitori from Japan, kǎoròu chuàn from China, seekh kebab from the Indian Subcontinent, shish kebab from Turkey and the Middle East, shashlik from Eastern Europe and the Caucasus, and sosatie from South Africa. It is listed at number 14 on ''World's 50 most delicious foods'' readers' poll compiled by CNN Go in 2011.

Origin and history

According to the ''Oxford English Dictionary'', the English word ''satay'' is derived from the Malay word , also or in Indonesian, ultimately originating from Tamil (, a regional variant of meaning 'flesh'. The term is mentioned as ''saté'' in Dutch with one of earliest photographs of satay seller appeared circa 1870 in Java, Dutch East Indies. The usage in English was first attested in 1917 with reference to a "" seller in Singapore, later a mention of in Denpasar, Bali appeared in 1937, with a description of Malays cooking ''satay'' appearing in 1955. Satay may have been developed by Javanese street vendors as an adaptation of kebabs from the Indian Subcontinent. The introduction of satay, and other now-iconic dishes such as and based on meats such as goat and lamb, coincided with an influx of Indian and Arab traders and immigrants starting in the 18th century. The Indonesian publication '' Koran Jakarta'' claimed that ''sate'', and ultimately satay, originated from Javanese term ''sak beteng'' which means one stick, and traced its exact origin to the area which is today Ponorogo Regency, East Java, and that the dish had existed as early as the 15th century.

From Java, satay spread through the Indonesian Archipelago and, as a consequence, numerous variations of the dish have been developed. By the late-19th century, satay had crossed the Strait of Malacca into neighbouring Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand. In the 19th century, the term migrated, presumably with Malay immigrants from the Dutch East Indies, to South Africa, where it is known as . The Indo Dutch people took this dish, as well as many other Indonesian specialties, to the Netherlands, thereby influencing Dutch cuisine.

Preparation

Satay can be made from various meats. Meat commonly used includes chicken, lamb, goat, mutton, beef, venison, and rabbit; seafood such as fish, shrimp, and squid; or offal such as liver, intestine, and tripe. Some have also used more exotic varieties of meat, such as turtle, crocodile, horse, lizard, and snake meat. Chicken is most common, but the other meats are frequently used. Satay is made by cutting the meat into small cube shapes, about thumb-size. However, such recipes as Ponorogo use chicken fillet cut into an elongated finger-like shape, thus one skewer holds only one piece. Yogyakarta has a special goat satay called Sate Klatak the difference between other satays is using iron bars for the stick.

The skewers used for chicken satay are traditionally made from ''lidi'', a midrib of coconut fronds. Bamboo skewers might be used instead. For firmer meats, such as lamb, goat, and beef, a thicker bamboo skewer is used. The skewers are usually soaked in water before using to avoid burning during grilling. Each skewer usually holds four pieces of meat, some only three pieces. A goat meat satay might insert a cube of fat between meat cubes. Turmeric is required to marinate satay to give the dish its characteristic yellow colour. Another popular marinade is sweet soy sauce mixed with coconut oil or palm margarine. The skewered meat is seasoned, marinated, and then grilled on charcoal embers.

Satay may be served with a spicy peanut sauce dip, or peanut gravy, served with slices of ''lontong'' or ''ketupat'' (rice cakes), garnished with a sprinkle of ''bawang goreng'' (crisp fried shallot), and accompanied by ''acar'' (pickles) consisting of slivers of onions, carrots, and cucumbers in vinegar, salt, and sugar solution. Mutton satay is usually served with ''kecap manis'' (sweet soy sauce) instead of peanut sauce. Pork satay can be served in a pineapple-based satay sauce or cucumber relish.

Availability and outlets of note

Satay can be prepared home-made or acquired from satay sellers; either from fancy restaurants, modest tarp-tent '' warung'' eateries stationed on busy street side, to travelling food vendors frequenting residential areas. Indeed, satay is possibly one of the most popular street food in Southeast Asia; common in Indonesia to Malaysia and Thailand.

In Indonesia, traditionally there are several methods on selling satay. They are:
*''Pikulan'': In Indonesian, ''pikulan'' means carrying items by balancing a rod on one's shoulder. The most traditional way of selling satay appear in early photographs of Java in late 19th century shows the travelling satay vendor using this ''pikulan'' which resembles two small wooden cabinets carried with a rod made of either bamboo, wood or rattan.
*''Sunggi'': In Javanese, ''sunggi'' means carrying things upon one's head using some kind of tray or platter. This practice is quite common in today's Bali and rural Java. The ''sunggi'' satay vendors — usually women — carry raw satays, lontongs, peanut sauce upon the wooden or wicker bamboo tray on their head, while carrying basket containing grill, charcoal, bamboo fan, sweet soy sauce bottle, and wooden small short chair called ''dingklik''. The satay seller ladies may walk through residential areas or position their wares in busy areas (e.g. marketplace or tourism area), and grill the satay to their customer's order.
*''Gerobak'': In Indonesian, ''gerobak'' means wheeled cart. It is one of the common method of selling satay by travelling vendors. The Madura satay vendor cart usually has unique boat-like shape ''gerobak'' food cart.
*''Warung'': In Indonesian, '' warung'' means modest shop, selling foods or other things. The most common satay ''warung'' usually are ''warung tenda'', modest tarp-tent shop stationed in busy street side to await customers.
*Online satay: In recent years with the advent of digital multi-service method that includes food delivery such as GoFood and GrabFood, satay is available by ordering online, and the food immediately delivered by motorcycle taxi called ''ojek''.

In Indonesia there are some restaurants that specialised on serving various kinds of satay and present it as their speciality, such as Sate Ponorogo Restaurant, Sate Blora Restaurant, and also chains of Sate Khas Senayan restaurants, previously known as Satay House Senayan.

Variants

Indonesia

Satay (known as ''sate'' in Indonesian and pronounced similar to the English "satay") is a widely renowned dish in almost all regions of Indonesia; it is considered the national dish and one of Indonesia's best dishes. Satay is a staple in Indonesian cuisine, served everywhere from street carts to fine dining establishments, as well as in homes and at public gatherings. As a result, many variations have been developed throughout the Indonesian Archipelago. The satay variants in Indonesia is usually named after the region its originated, the meats, parts or ingredients its uses, also might named after the process or method of cooking.

Chicken

; Sate Ambal: A satay variant from Ambal, Kebumen, Central Java. This satay uses a native breed of poultry, ''ayam kampung''. The sauce is not based on peanuts, but rather ground tempe, chilli and spices. The chicken meat is marinated for about two hours to make the meat tastier. This satay is accompanied with ''ketupat''.
; Sate Ayam: Chicken satay, the most common and widely distributed type of satay in Indonesia.
; Sate Banjar: A variant of chicken satay popular in Southern Kalimantan, especially in the town of Banjarmasin.
; Sate Blora: A variant originating in Blora, in Central Java. This variant is made of chicken (meat and skin) pieces that are smaller compared to the other variants. It is normally eaten with peanut sauce, rice, and a traditional soup made of coconut milk and herbs. Sate Blora is grilled in front of buyers as they are eating. The buyers tell the vendor to stop grilling when they are sated.
; Sate Kulit: Skin Satay. Found in Sumatra, this is a crisp satay made from marinated chicken skin.

; Sate Madura (Madura satay): Originating on the island of Madura, near Java, it is a famous satay variant among Indonesians. Most often made from mutton or chicken, the recipe's main characteristic is the black sauce made from Indonesian sweet soy sauce/kecap manis mixed with palm sugar (called ''gula jawa'' or "Javanese sugar" in Indonesia), garlic, deep fried shallots, peanut paste, petis (a kind of shrimp paste), ''kemiri'' (candlenut), and salt. Chicken Madura satay is usually served in peanut sauce, while the mutton Madura satay is usually served in sweet soy sauce. ''Sate Madura'' uses thinner chunks of meat than other variants. It is eaten with rice or rice cakes wrapped in banana/coconut leaves (''lontong/ketupat''), they are usually sliced into smaller pieces before being served. Raw thinly sliced shallots and plain sambal are often served as condiments.
; Sate Ponorogo (Ponorogo satay): A variant of satay originating in Ponorogo, a town in East Java. It is made from sliced marinated chicken meat, and served with a sauce made of peanuts and chili sauce and garnished with shredded shallots, sambal (chili paste) and lime juice. The meat is marinated in spices and sweet soy sauce, in a process called ''bacem'' and is served with rice or lontong (rice cake). The grill is made from terracotta earthenware with a hole in one side to allow ventilation for the coals. After three months of use, the earthenware grill disintegrates, and must be replaced.
; Sate Taichan: A spicy chicken satay in hot sambal sauce, served with ''lontong'', popular in Jakarta. It was said that the dish was an adaptation of skewered Chinese snack from Taiwan, which originally uses pork or rabbit meat, and served with soy sauce. The Indonesian version maintain the light Chinese-style seasoning, replaces pork with chicken, and adds spiciness with the addition of hot sambal. Another source mentioned that sate Taichan was devised from a Japanese man's specific request that his satay omits peanut sauce and sweet soy sauce, and only seasoned with a dash of salt and lime juice, and served with chili paste.

Beef

; Sate Bumbon: A spiced beef satay from Kendal, Central Java.
; Sate Buntel: Lit: Wrapped Satay, a speciality from Solo or Surakarta, Central Java. It is made from minced beef, goat, lamb and mutton (especially meats around ribs and belly area). The minced fatty meats are wrapped by thin fat or muscle membrane and wrapped around a bamboo skewer. The size of this satay is quite large, very similar to a Middle Eastern kebab. After being grilled on charcoal, the meat is separated from the skewer, cut into bite-size chunks, then served in sweet soy sauce and ''merica'' (pepper).
; Sate Gajih: Beef fat satay popular in Yogyakarta, especially in Beringharjo Market. The fat satay is seasoned with sweet soy sauce and considered as snack since it is commonly served without any rice or additional sauces.
; Sate Kuah: Lit: Soupy Satay, beef satay served in creamy and spicy ''kuah'' soup akin to soto. Sate kuah can be found in Betawi cuisine of Jakarta and also in Pontianak, Western Kalimantan. The Jakarta version sate kuah soup base is akin to Betawi's soto tangkar, since sate kuah was a variant of soto tangkar created in 1960s. Thus usually the seller offers both sate kuah and soto tangkar. The serving method are either grilled beef satay are dipped into soto soup, or the satay meat are stripped from the skewers and put into the soto soup. Compared to soto meat soup, sate kuah has smoky aroma due to grilling process.
; Sate Lembut: A rare satay recipe of the Betawi people. It is can be found in Jalan Kebon Kacang, Central Jakarta. The satay is made from minced beef mixed with shredded coconut and spices, wrapped around a flat bamboo skewer. Usually eaten with ''ketupat laksa betawi'' (Betawi style Laksa with ketupat glutinous compressed rice).
; Sate Manis: Also a speciality from the Betawi people. It is also can be found in Jalan Kebon Kacang, Central Jakarta. The satay is made from slices of ''has dalam'' ( tenderloin) the finest part of beef, marinated with sweet spices. Usually eaten with ketupat laksa betawi.

; Sate Maranggi: Commonly found in Purwakarta and Cianjur, the cities in West Java, this satay is made from beef marinated in a special paste. The two most important elements of the paste are ''kecombrang'' ('' Nicolaia speciosa'') flower buds and ''ketan'' (sweet rice) flour. Nicola buds bring a unique aroma and a liquorice-like taste. The satay is served in sweet soy sauce with ''acar'' pickles. It is served with ketan cake (''jadah'') or plain rice.
; Sate Matang: A satay variant from Matang Geulumpang Dua, Bireun, Aceh. This satay is made from beef, usually served with peanut sauce and soto or soup separately.
; Sate Sapi: Beef satay, served in sweet soy sauce and peanut sauce. Specialty of Jepara town in Central Java.
; Sate Susu: Literally it means "milky satay", however it contains no milk, the term ''susu'' is actually refer to cow's breast or udder. This dish that can be found in Java and Bali, is made from grilled spicy beef udder, served with hot chilli sauce.
; Sate Tambulinas: Spiced beef satay from Sulawesi. Tambulinas satay do not use peanut sauce or soy sauce, it is marinated in spice mixture containing ground chilli pepper, ginger, lemongrass, shallot and garlic, and served with juice of kaffir lime.

Other red meats

; ''Sate kambing'': Goat satay, a variant of satay popular in Java, made with goat, lamb or mutton meat. Different from other satays, ''sate kambing'' (lamb satay) is not usually pre-seasoned or pre-cooked. Raw lamb, mutton, and goat is skewered and grilled directly on the charcoal. It is then served with sweet soy sauce (''kecap manis''), sliced shallots, and cut-up tomatoes. Since the meat is not pre-cooked, it is important to use young lamb. The best vendors use lamb under three to five months old. Lamb from goat is also more popular than lamb from sheep due to milder flavor.
; ''Sate kerbau'': Water buffalo satay, a variant of satay popular in Kudus, where most Muslim believed that it is forbidden to eat beef to respect the Hindus. This satay is made with water buffalo meat. The meat is cooked first with palm sugar, coriander, cumin, and other seasoning until very tender. Some vendor choose to even grind the meat first to make it really tender. It is then grilled on charcoal, and served with sauce made with coconut milk, palm sugar, and other seasoning. Traditionally, satay kerbau is served on a plate covered with teak wood leaves.
; ''Sate kronyos'': Breast of goat satay can be found in Bantul Regency, Yogyakarta.
; ''Sate loso'': Water buffalo meat or sometimes replaced with beef satay, served in spicy chili peanut sauce. Specialty of Pemalang, Central Java.
; ''Sate rusa'': Deer satay, a delicacy from Merauke, Papua.
; ''Sate tegal'' (tegal satay): A sate of a yearling or five-month-old lamb; the nickname for this dish in Tegal is ''balibul'', an acronym of ''baru lima bulan'' (just five months). Each ''kodi'', or dish, contains twenty skewers, and each skewer has four chunks — two pieces of meat, one piece of fat and then another piece of meat. It is grilled over wood charcoal until it is cooked between medium and well done; however it is possible to ask for medium rare. Sometimes the fat piece can be replaced with liver or heart or kidney. This is not marinated prior to grilling. On serving, it is accompanied by sweet soya sauce (medium sweetness, slightly thinned with boiled water), sliced fresh chilli, sliced raw shallots (''eschalot''), quartered green tomatoes, and steamed rice, and is sometimes garnished with fried shallots.

Pork

; Sate babi (pork satay): Pork satay, popular among the Indonesian Chinese community, most of whom do not share the Muslim prohibition against pork. This dish can be found in Chinatowns in Indonesian cities, especially around Glodok, Pecenongan, and Senen in the Jakarta area. It is also popular in Bali where the majority are Hindus, it is also popular in Northern Sulawesi, Northern Tapanuli, and Nias, where most people are Christians, and also popular in the Netherlands.
; Sate plecing: Satay made with variety of grilled meat most often pork, served with sambal plecing, sauce made from chili, garlic, onion, tomatoes, and shrimp paste, popular in Balinese cuisine.

Fish and seafood

; Sate ikan tuhuk: Blue marlin Satay, a delicacy from , Lampung.
; Sate Bandeng: Milkfish Satay, from Banten. It is a satay made from boneless ''bandeng'' (milkfish). The seasoned spicy milkfish meat is separated from the small bones, then placed back into the milkfish skin, clipped by a bamboo stick, and grilled over charcoal.
; Sate Belut: Eel Satay, another Lombok rare delicacy. It is made from ''belut'', (lit. eel) commonly found in watery rice paddies in Indonesia. A seasoned eel is skewered and wrapped around each skewer, then grilled over charcoal fire, so each skewer contains an individual small eel.
; Sate Gurita: Octopus satay, a specialty dish from Sabang.
; Sate Kerang: Shellfish Satay. The most popular variant of sate kerang is from Medan, North Sumatra, it is rich spicy cooked shellfish in skewer and often become ''oleh-oleh'' (souvenir) for visitors visiting Medan. In Java, sate kerang it is mildly marinated and boiled, also served as a side-dish to accompany soto.
; Sate Tuna: Tuna Satay, a specialty satay from Gorontalo.

; Sate Udang: Shrimp Satay that uses large shrimps or prawns, shelled and cleaned and often with the tails off and lightly grilled. Some recipes call for a marinade of thick coconut milk with ''sambal'' (chili paste), powdered ''laos'' (galangal root), ground ''kemiri'' (candlenut, one can substitute macadamia nuts in a pinch), minced shallots and pressed garlic. One can add salt to taste. Shrimp satay seldom served with the peanut sauce so popular with other satays, because it might overpower a delicate shrimp flavour.

Offals

; Sate Ampet: Another Lombok delicacy. It is made from beef, cow's intestines and other cow's internal organs. The sauce for ''sate ampet'' is hot and spicy, which is no surprise since the island's name, ''lombok merah'', means red chili. The sauce is ''santan'' ( coconut milk) and spices.
; Sate Babat: Tripe satay. Mildly marinated and mostly boiled than grilled, usually served as a side-dish to accompany soto.
; Sate Burung Ayam-ayaman:Bird Satay, the satay is made from gizzard, liver, and intestines of ''burung ayam-ayaman'' (watercock). After being seasoned with mild spices and stuck on a skewer, this bird's internal organs aren't grilled, but are deep fried in cooking oil instead.
; Sate Hati:Liver Satay. There is two types of liver satays, cattle liver (goat or cow) and chicken liver satay. The cattle liver made by diced whole liver, while the chicken liver satay is made from mixture of chicken liver, gizzard, and intestines. Usually gizzard is placed on the bottom, intestine on the center and liver or heart on the top. After seasoning, the internal organs are not fried or grilled, but are boiled instead. It's not treated as a main dish, but often as a side dish to accompany ''bubur ayam'' (chicken rice porridge).
; Sate Jando: A specialty dish from Bandung, this satay is made from cow's nipple fat.
; Sate Kikil: Cow skin satay from Java, this satay is made from boiled cow skin, skewered and seasoned either in spicy peanut sauce or yellow sauce.
; Sate Makassar: From a region in Southern Sulawesi, this satay is made from beef and cow offal marinated in sour carambola sauce. It has a unique sour and spicy taste. Unlike most satays, it is served without sauce.

; Sate Padang: A dish from Padang and the surrounding area in Western Sumatra, which is made from cow or goat offal and meat boiled in spicy broth then grilled. Its main characteristic is a yellow sauce made from rice flour mixed with spicy offal broth, turmeric, ginger, garlic, coriander, galangal root, cumin

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