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Sate lilit
Sate lilit — Balinese spiced minced fish pressed onto lemongrass sticks
When a Balinese village gets ready for a temple festival, the men gather the night before to chop, pound and mix sate lilit, while the women prepare the offerings. 'Lilit' means to wrap: instead of threaded chunks, a soft mixture of minced fish, grated coconut and base genep spice paste is moulded around lemongrass stalks or flat bamboo sticks and grilled over coconut-husk embers. The result is tender and lightly springy inside, browned and smoky outside, with the lemongrass perfuming every bite. Eat them hot with rice, sambal matah and a wedge of lime. Chef's tip: knead the mixture firmly until it feels sticky and chill it before shaping, or it will slide off the sticks on the grill.
- Total time
- 50 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the spice paste
For the skewers
To serve
Method
0/9 doneStep 1: Blend 4 shallots, 3 cloves garlic, 2 large red chillies, 2 bird's eye chillies, ¾ in galangal, ¾ in fresh turmeric, ⅜ in fresh ginger, 2 candlenuts, 1 tsp ground coriander and ½ tsp shrimp paste to a paste.
3 minStep 2: Fry the paste in 1 tbsp coconut oil in a small pan over a medium-low heat for 5 minutes, stirring, until fragrant and a shade darker. Cool completely.
5 minStep 3: On a board kept for raw fish, chop 1 ⅛ lb skinless firm white fish fillets finely, then pulse in a food processor in short bursts until it is minced but not a smooth purée.
5 minStep 4: In a bowl, mix the fish with the cooled paste, 2 ⅛ oz grated coconut, 4 makrut lime leaves, 1 tsp palm sugar and 1 tsp salt. Knead with your hand for 2 minutes until the mixture turns sticky and holds together.
3 minStep 5: Cover and chill in the fridge for 15 minutes so it firms up.
15 minStep 6: Divide into 12 portions of about 50 g. With damp hands, press each one around the top half of a 12 lemongrass stalks stalk, squeezing it into a firm, even sausage.
Step 7: Heat a charcoal grill, griddle pan or grill to medium-high. Brush the skewers with 1 tbsp vegetable oil.
5 minStep 8: Grill for 8–10 minutes, turning every couple of minutes, until browned in patches and firm when pressed. The fish is done when it is opaque right through (145°F / 145 °F). Turning too early is the usual reason they stick, so let each side release by itself.
10 minStep 9: Serve hot with 2 limes and 4 tbsp sambal matah.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 230 kcal
- Protein
- 26 g
- Carbs
- 6 g
- Fat
- 11 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does sate lilit take?
- About 50 minutes in total: 35 minutes to prepare and 15 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of shallots?
- Half an onion per 2 shallots.
- What can I use instead of garlic?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
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