Last week, I talked about trying to decide what to make and thinking about what region of the world happens to be sparking your interest at the time. Start with the two main ingredients that come to mind for that region or country, and then build from there. This week, I was trying to think of a good recipe to write and I thought I would go about it in kind of a similar way with a slightly different twist.
Instead of starting with the region or country and then thinking of the ingredients, I just went to the cupboard and looked at what I had. I knew my main ingredient was beef, (you also can substitute chicken or pork with this dish), but I also haven’t been keeping a well-stocked pantry lately, so I didn’t know exactly what I was going to do with the beef. I had a piece of chuck, but London broil, tri tip or top round also would work great.
I had noticed a can of coconut milk that was getting old and it just happened to be sitting above the peanut butter that I pretty much lived off of for lunch all summer. Maybe I was subconsciously still thinking of all the ingredients I had leftover from last week’s teriyaki sauce, or maybe I really do need to add a few things to my pantry selections, but everything I saw screamed “Asian.”
I also had just had a conversation at work about hot dishes and how I tend to use a lot of chili paste for heat instead of the Tabasco-like products. Now, I still thought about going Mexican, but I also like salsa, guacamole and sour cream with that style of cooking and had none of those ingredients or fixings to make them, so after noticing the bottle of sesame oil, and soy sauce, I settled on some satay.
After making the satay using an old recipe and what I had, the only thing I would have changed for my personal taste would be to add a little more chili paste, but there was enough heat, so if you are making it for a crowd, this would be a good way to appease those who prefer a little less spicy and you can always spice up the dipping sauce for those heat lovers. Enjoy.
Beef Satay
1 lb. beef, cut into ¼-inch thick strips by ½-inch wide
2 shallots, diced
3 garlic cloves, diced
1 thumb tip-sized piece of ginger, peeled & diced
1½ T turmeric
1 t cumin
1 T coriander
5 T soy sauce
5 T brown sugar
4 T peanut butter
5 T peanut oil or vegetable oil
1 t sesame oil
1 T Hoisin sauce
2 T coconut milk
1½ T chili paste
½ t red pepper flakes
¼ bunch cilantro, chopped
1 T rice vinegar
1 lime juiced
Mix all the ingredients together until smooth. Layer the meat in an airtight container covering each layer with some of the marinade and let marinade for 8 hours or overnight. Grill about 1 to 2 minutes per side.
Dipping Sauce
½ C peanut butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 shallot, minced
1 1-inch piece of ginger, peeled & minced
1 t soy sauce
1 t sesame oil
2 T brown sugar
¼ C coconut milk
1 t coriander
1½ t chili paste
½ t red pepper flakes
1 lime, juiced
1/3 C water
¼ C peanuts, rough chopped
2 T cilantro, chopped
Blend all the ingredients down to the water well. Add the water to thin out the sauce, if needed. Garnish with the chopped peanuts and cilantro
Trained under Master Chef Anton Flory at Top Notch Resort in Stowe, Vt., Smitty is a personal chef specializing in dinner parties, cooking classes and special events. For more information and archived copies of Stir it Up, visit chefsmitty.com. Smitty welcomes your questions and comments at smitty@chefsmitty.com or (530) 412-3598.
