Satay Celup

Ingredients

Skewers, choose freely

• 300 gprawns, peeled
• 200 gsquid, in rings
• 200 gfish balls
• 200 gcuttlefish balls
• 300 gbeef, thinly sliced
• 200 gchicken, thinly sliced
• 300 gmixed vegetables such as okra, cabbage, long beans and mushrooms
• 200 gtofu puffs
• quail eggs, boiled and peeled

Peanut gravy

• 400 groasted peanuts, ground
• 6dried chillies, soaked
• 6shallots
• 4garlic cloves
• 2 stalkslemongrass
• 1thumb galangal
• 1 tspshrimp paste
• 4 tbspoil
• 3 tbsptamarind paste
• 100 gpalm sugar
• 1.5 litreswater
• salt

Equipment

• bamboo skewers
• a wide shallow pot
• a portable burner

Directions

1. Use separate plates for raw and cooked skewers. Never put a cooked skewer back onto the raw plate. Soak the dried chillies in hot water for twenty minutes. Drain them and squeeze out the water. Slice the lemongrass very finely before pounding.
2. Pound or blend the chillies, shallots, garlic, lemongrass and galangal. Add the shrimp paste to it as well. Work it into a completely smooth paste. Heat the oil in a large heavy pot over a medium heat. Add the paste and fry it for ten minutes. Stir it constantly, since it catches easily. Add the ground peanuts to the fried paste. Stir them through and cook for three minutes.
3. Pour in the water gradually while stirring. Add the tamarind and the palm sugar. Season the gravy well with salt. Bring it to a simmer and cook for twenty-five minutes. Stir it often, since peanut gravy catches and burns. The oil should rise to the surface.
4. Start looser than you think you need. Have a jug of hot water beside the pot to thin it. Add sugar if the tamarind dominates. Add tamarind if it tastes flat and heavy. Preparing the skewers is done in advance.
5. Soak bamboo skewers in water for thirty minutes. Slice all the meat very thinly. Thick pieces are the main reason people get undercooked meat. Thread two or three pieces onto each skewer. Do not pack them tight, since gravy must reach between them.
6. Thread seafood, vegetables and tofu onto separate skewers. Lay everything out on trays and refrigerate the raw items. Bring the gravy to the table on a portable burner. Keep it at a steady bubble throughout. Set the trays of raw skewers around it. Cooking the skewers is done by each person. Hold a skewer in the bubbling gravy. Thin beef and chicken take about a minute.
7. Cut into a piece of chicken before eating it. It should be completely opaque with no pink at all. Keep the used sticks beside your plate to be counted. Top the pot up with hot water as it thickens. Skim it occasionally as scum builds up.

Technique

• Keep the gravy at a steady bubble, not a gentle simmer, since raw meat goes into it.
• Use separate plates for raw and cooked skewers.
• Start the gravy looser than you need, as it thickens considerably at the table.

Substitutions

• Shop-bought satay peanut sauce, thinned, if you are short of time.
• Any combination of meat, seafood, tofu and vegetables.

Variations

• Vegetarian, with tofu, mushrooms and vegetables only.
• Made hotter, with more dried chilli in the paste.
• Served with a chilli dip alongside the gravy.

History

A Malacca invention where the peanut gravy replaces water in a steamboat, shared around one table.

Frequently asked questions

What is Satay Celup?

Satay Celup is a street food from Malaysia: raw skewers cooked by the diner in a bubbling communal peanut sauce. A Malacca invention where the peanut gravy replaces water in a steamboat, shared around one table.

How long does Satay Celup take to make?

Satay Celup takes 1 hour of preparation and 40 min of cooking. The recipe makes 6 servings. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Satay Celup?

Yes, within limits. Shop-bought satay peanut sauce, thinned, if you are short of time. Any combination of meat, seafood, tofu and vegetables.

What is the most important thing to get right in Satay Celup?

Use separate plates for raw and cooked skewers. Never put a cooked skewer back onto the raw plate. Soak the dried chillies in hot water for twenty minutes. Drain them and squeeze out the water. Slice the lemongrass very finely before pounding.