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Sate Padang
Sate Padang — simmered beef skewers under a thick spiced rice-flour sauce
Night-time in Padang and Bukittinggi brings out the sate carts, fanning charcoal under skewers of beef that were already simmered tender in spices before they ever met the grill. That two-stage cooking is what sets West Sumatra's satay apart, and so is the sauce: no peanuts at all, but the spiced cooking broth thickened with rice flour into a smooth, glossy, turmeric-yellow gravy with plenty of chilli and ginger. It is ladled generously over the skewers and over slices of ketupat rice cake on a banana leaf, then finished with fried shallots and a crisp cracker. Chef's tip: keep the cooking broth; it's the base of the sauce, and the deeper it tastes, the better your sate.
- Total time
- 90 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the spice paste
For the beef
For the sauce
To serve
Method
0/10 doneStep 1: Blend 6 shallots, 4 cloves garlic, 8 large red chillies, 1 ⅛ in fresh ginger, 1 ⅛ in galangal, 1 ⅝ in fresh turmeric, 1 tbsp ground coriander, 1 tsp ground cumin and 1 tsp ground black pepper with a splash of water to a smooth paste.
3 minStep 2: Heat 3 tbsp vegetable oil in a large pot over a medium heat and fry the paste for 8 minutes, stirring, until it darkens and the oil separates.
8 minStep 3: Add 1 ⅓ lb beef brisket or topside, 2 stalks lemongrass and 4 makrut lime leaves and turn the meat in the paste for 2 minutes. Use a board kept for raw meat when you cut it.
2 minStep 4: Pour in 5 cups water with 2 tsp salt and 1 tsp sugar, bring to the boil, then cover and simmer gently for 50 minutes until a skewer goes into the beef easily.
50 minStep 5: Lift the beef out and let it cool for 10 minutes. Cut into 2 cm cubes and thread 4–5 pieces onto each of the 16 bamboo skewers.
10 minStep 6: Discard the lemongrass and lime leaves. Boil the broth over a medium-high heat until you have about 800 ml, 5–8 minutes.
8 minStep 7: Whisk 1 ¾ oz rice flour with ¾ cup cold water until smooth. Turn the heat to low and pour it into the broth in a thin stream, whisking all the time. Pouring it in all at once is the usual cause of lumps.
2 minStep 8: Simmer the sauce for 8–10 minutes, stirring, until thick, glossy and smooth with no raw, floury taste. Taste for salt and keep warm.
10 minStep 9: Brush the skewers with 1 tbsp vegetable oil and grill over hot charcoal or in a griddle pan over a high heat for 2–3 minutes a side until charred at the edges.
5 minStep 10: Lay sliced 14 oz ketupat or lontong rice cakes on plates, add the skewers and ladle plenty of sauce over the top. Finish with 3 tbsp fried shallots and serve with 1 handful cassava crackers (kerupuk).
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 520 kcal
- Protein
- 36 g
- Carbs
- 48 g
- Fat
- 20 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does sate Padang take?
- About 90 minutes in total: 30 minutes to prepare and 60 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 very spicy?
- It has some heat. Use less chilli for a milder version, or more if you like it hot.
- 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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