Satay is a culturally significant dish in Malaysia: a must-have at most gatherings, from festive occasions and weddings to night markets and birthday parties. At Lucky Lychee, we currently offer three types of satay on the menu.
This version features deeply flavoured bavette steak marinated in an earthy, aromatic spice paste, served with a sprightly sauce. The marinade is largely based on the Indonesian version but we’ve added a Malaysian influence of turmeric and lemongrass. Instant coffee is not a usual ingredient in satay, but I love the bitter complexity it brings to the marinade.
In Malaysia, satay is almost always served with peanut sauce, but in our Winchester restaurant we pair this dish with wild garlic sambal to make the most of the glut of wild garlic filling local woods. During the warmer months, when tomatoes are abundant, we serve it with sambal kecap, a sweet soy and tomato relish originating from Indonesia. Its sweet, sour, spicy and savoury profile complements the beef wonderfully. Our version includes coriander stems, not traditional, as we use the leaves in other dishes.
Ground spices are more commonly added directly to the marinade, but we prefer to finish the skewers with our freshly toasted and ground fennel and cumin salt for a brighter aroma, inspired by a trip to Marrakesh.
INGREDIENTS
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500g bavette steak
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10 bamboo or metal skewers
For the marindade:
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½ banana shallot, roughly chopped
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4 stalks of fresh lemongrass, remove the tough outer layer and chop the inner stalk finely
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15g fresh root ginger, roughly chopped
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20g fresh galangal, roughly chopped
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3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
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½ tsp ground turmeric
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½ tsp instant coffee powder
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½ fresh red chilli, roughly chopped
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½ tbsp tamarind paste
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1 tsp fine sea salt
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1 tsp dark brown sugar or palm sugar
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1 ½ tbsp beef tallow or vegetable oil
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2 ½ tbsp Indonesian sweet soy sauce (kecap manis)
For the sweet soy butter (to baste):
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3 tbsp unsalted butter, melted, or beef tallow
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2 tbsp Indonesian sweet soy sauce (kecap manis)
For the fennel & cumin salt:
- 2 tbsp of whole coriander seeds
- 2 tbsp of whole fennel seeds
- 1 tsp of whole cumin
- 1 tsp of whole black peppercorn
- 1 tsp of flaky sea salt
For the sweet soy sambal:
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½ banana shallot, finely chopped
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Juice and zest of 1 lime
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1 medium tomato, deseeded and finely diced
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1 ½ fresh red chilli, deseeded (keep the seeds if you like it hot), sliced finely
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½ tbsp coriander stem, finely sliced (optional)
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125ml Indonesian sweet soy sauce
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1 bird’s eye chilli, finely sliced (optional)
METHOD
Marinade the beef:
Slice the meat against the grain, then cut into 1-inch pieces. Blend all the marinade ingredients in a blender until smooth. Add the meat and marinate in the fridge for at least 4 hours, or ideally overnight. Soak the bamboo skewers in cold water for at least 2 hours. Thread the meat onto skewers, about 3 pieces per skewer, pack them tightly as you go.
Prepare the sweet soy butter:
Mix melted butter or beef tallow with sweet soy sauce. Set aside to baste the skewers later.
Make the fennel & cumin salt:
Add the whole spices to a dry pan and toast it over medium heat until they become fragrant. Crush spices roughly in a pestle and mortar. Mix the spices evenly with sea salt flakes.
Make the sweet soy sambal:
Lightly pickle the chopped shallot with lime juice, let it sit in a bowl while you prepare the other ingredients. Mix everything together in the bowl.
Cook the beef skewers:
Set up your charcoal or gas grill for high heat. Place the skewers over direct heat and baste with the sweet soy butter, turning frequently. Grill until the meat is charred on all sides and the internal temperature reaches 52C, about 2-3 minutes per side. Transfer the skewers to a serving plate and rest for 5 minutes. Sprinkle each skewer with the fennel & cumin salt and serve with the sweet soy sambal.
Wine pairing:
Peppery reds are great with this style of grilled beef, we recommend it with a Côtes du Rhône from Les Vignerons d’Estezargues available here. Made with indigenous grapes using natural methods, there is nothing funky about it: expect bags of ripe red fruit with a spicy finish and soft tannins. The herbal aromas of the wine accentuate those in the marinade and sambal, the earthiness of the spice salt is reminiscent of the garrigue aromas of the south of France. It’s characteristic of the wines we favour, made with minimal intervention to get the purest, cleanest expression of the grape and region. We try to find bottles which interest and provoke discussion, while of course being deeply enjoyable to drink.
