Beef Satay Skewers with Spicy Peanut Sauce

The beauty of this dish is that there are many different, easy ways to do this. And there’s various ways to serve it, as starters, sides, or an entrée.

Any way you choose, the tender soy sauce-lemon based beef strips set off a fiery kick when you dunk it into the peanut sauce that’s sweet, salty and spicy all at once. Serve this skewered beef specials sizzling hot, with chilled wine, a tangy slaw and everyone will surely stick around for an enjoyable feast.

Beef Satay Skewers with Spicy Peanut Sauce
Servings : 4

For the beef and marinade:

1 and ½ pound skirt steak or rump steak, sliced in 1 ½ inch pieces
4 Tablespoons soy sauce
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper powder

For the peanut sauce:

2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon minced garlic
½ teaspoon minced ginger
¼ cup smooth peanut butter
4 Tablespoons soy sauce
½ cup ginger ale
½ cup warm water
1 Tablespoon honey
1 Tablespoon brown sugar
½ Tablespoon red chili flakes
½ teaspoon Tabasco
1 to 2 drops sesame oil
16 to 18 pieces bamboo skewers, about 8-inches long, pre-soaked in water for 30 minutes
Boiled jasmine white rice, for serving

Directions:

· Pre-marinate the beef strips with the soy sauce, lemon juice, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Cover with a plastic wrap in a non reactive bowl. Refrigerate 2 to 4 hours, or overnight .

· To cook the peanut sauce: In a small bowl, blend the soy sauce and peanut butter with the warm water and ginger ale. Mix in the brown sugar and honey, blending till smooth, or gravy will be lumpy. In a separate small pan, over medium heat, add the vegetable oil. Saute the garlic and ginger for 1 minute till fragrant. Pour in the soy sauce-peanut butter mixture. Blend well. Add the red chili flakes, Tabasco, a drop of the sesame oil. It will boil in about 3 to 5 minutes. Turn off heat and set aside for serving as a side dipping sauce later.

· Soak the bamboo skewers for at least 30 minutes. You need to do this so there will be no wood splinters caught in the beef strips.

· Thread the beef strips on the skewers. Place 3 to 4 pieces to a stick.

· Char-grill on an outdoor grill or roast beef skewers indoors. If preferred, you can also pan-sear the beef strips in a grill pan, then skewer then when serving.

· Cooking time guide should be as follows for medium rare steak strips: Char-grill outdoors – over pre heated high heat, grill 3 to 4 minutes per skewer, turning often. Oven roast indoors – place beef skewers atop a shallow roast pan with the grill plates, roast at preheated 375 F degrees for 5 to 6 minutes, basting and turning often. Or if you choose to pan-sear – use a medium sized grill pan or skillet over medium high heat with 1-2 tablespoons of vegetable oil, for 5 to 6 minutes. If pan searing, cook the beef strips first, then skewer after it is cooked.

· Serve the beef satay skewers hot with the accompanying spicy peanut sauce, together with boiled jasmine white rice.

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Elizabeth Quirino believes that “food brings the world together.” She loves to cook, develop recipes, photograph & write about her culinary adventures on her 2 blogs Asian in America & The Queen’s Notebook. Outside the kitchen, Elizabeth paints watercolors, reads everything and ends every week with ballroom dancing. For great food stories find her on Facebook and follow Mango_Queen on Twitter.