GOASIAPLUS October 2018

THE FACE OFF
FACE OFF:
SATAY VS YAKITORI
TWO ENTIRELY DIFFERENT CULTURES YET THEY SHARE
A SIMILAR COMFORT FOOD IN STICKS OF SUCCULENT
BARBEQUED MEATS TO BE SAVOURED OVER A COOL LONG
DRINK–THE SATAY AND JAPANESE YAKITORI.
Text and photos TAN JO HANN
SATAY
ORIGINS
Malaysia’s favourite comfort food- ‘Satay’ or
BBQ meat (chicken, beef, goat or mutton,
pork and animal entrails) on bamboo
skewers eaten with a spicy sweet crushed
peanut chili gravy. Satay is believed to have
its origins in Java and Sumatra Islands in
Indonesia. Some say its birthplace could
possibly be traced back to China, India or
the Middle East. But since then it has made
its way to the dining tables of Malaysia,
Singapore, Brunei and Thailand.
INGREDIENTS
The Satay meat is usually marinated with
sugar, sweet soy sauce and spices such as
coriander seeds and cumin. Some cooks
add a touch of tamarind juice to balance
the sweetness, but turmeric is almost
always the main ingredient to give Satay its
distinctive sweet spicy aroma and saffron
like colour to the roasted meats. The
peanut gravy consists of ground roasted
peanuts, coconut milk, soy sauce, tamarind,
galangal, chili peppers, sugar, garlic, scented
with different herbs and spices (such as
coriander seed, cumin and lemongrass).
VARIATIONS
Over the years, the original recipes of
chicken, beef, mutton and chicken entrails
have evolved to include an array of
ingredients such as rabbit meat, fish, prawn
and other seafood. But what has remained
unchanged is Satay’s signature smoky chargrilled
taste and caramelised aroma, and of
course the accompanying delicious crushed
peanut-chili gravy. A typical companion of
Satay is also the ketupat, or packs of slow
steamed rice dumplings wrapped in woven
palm leaves.
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