I taught at a school in Koh Samui (an island in Thailand) for two years. Living in a tropical paradise was amazing, and every night we would go out to eat dinner by the sea. A popular starter was always chicken satay – grilled chicken on bamboo skewers smothered in a thick, peanut sauce. However, chicken satay actually originates from Indonesia, which just so happens to be where I met my wife!
Ingredients (serves 2 – easily doubled)
For the chicken
250g chicken breast
1 tablespoon of curry powder
2 tablespoons of coconut milk
Wooden kebab skewers
For the sauce
30g peanut butter (I like to use crunchy, but smooth also works)
15ml soy sauce
1 teaspoon of sugar
½ a teaspoon of chilli flakes
For the pickled cucumber
½ a cucumber
1 spring onion
30ml rice vinegar (or any other vinegar)
1 teaspoon of sugar
120g basmati rice
Method
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Soak the kebab skewers in water. This helps prevent burning when cooking.
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Chop the chicken into 8-10 long, thin strips.
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Place the chopped chicken into a bowl and add the curry powder, 2 tablespoons of coconut milk and a pinch of salt. Give everything a good mix and leave to rest.
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Put all of the sauce ingredients into a pan and place over a low heat. Stir it every now and again. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes or until it is a slightly thick, custard-like mixture.
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Cut the cucumber in half lengthways. Scrape out the seeds with a teaspoon and discard. Slice the cucumber and spring onion finely. Add to a small bowl with the rice vinegar, sugar and a pinch of salt. Leave to pickle.
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Add the rice to a saucepan with 240ml of cold water and a pinch of salt. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to the lowest setting and put a lid on the pan. Turn the heat off after 10 minutes and leave alone until you are ready to serve the meal – this will get you perfect rice!
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Thread one chicken strip onto each bamboo skewer. If the skewer is very long, snap off the excess wood.
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Heat a large frying pan over a medium-high heat with a drizzle of oil. Once hot, add the chicken skewers and fry for 4-5 minutes on each side. They should slightly charred on the edges.
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Serve the chicken skewers over the rice with the pickled cucumber to the side. Smother the chicken in the peanut sauce and devour.
