TEMPTATION: 1. Satay / Sate

Grilling satay.

Source: fred-factor.blogspot.com

It is originated in Sumatra or Java in Indonesia. However, you may find it so popular in many other Southeast Asia countries such as Malaysia, Singapore, Philippines, and Thailand. This dish is also brought into China. Other similar dishes are yakitori in Japan, shish kebab in Turkey, en brochette in French, shashlik in Russian, and sosaties in South Africa.

Although you may find the recipes and ingredients vary from country to country, satay generally consists of chunks or slices of meat, such as beef, mutton, pork, chicken, venison, fish, shrimp, or crocodile, on bamboo or coconut leaf spine skewers, which are then grilled over a wood or charcoal fire. Turmeric is often used to marinate it, so you may find satay is normally yellow in color. It is usually served with a spicy peanut sauce, slivers of onions and cucumbers, and ketupat or Malay dumpling made from rice. Indonesian normally uses soy-based dip as the main sauce.

Add-ons to satay: ketupat, onions, cucumbers, and spicy peanut sauce.

Source: www.friedchillies.com / cpamedia.com

First, we look at Indonesian sate. There are different versions of satay you can find in Indonesia. One of which is sate tegal or sate of goat meat without marinate and is served with sweet soy sauce sliced fresh chili, sliced raw shallots, and quartered green red tomatoes. Satay madura, which named after an island near Java, is also famous amongst Indonesian due to the use of black sauce made from soy sauce, palm sugar, garlic, shallots, peanut paste, fermented shrimp paste, pecans, and salt. Bali is famous with its satay lilit which is made from minced beef, chicken, fish, pork, duck, or even turtle meat. The meat is then mixed with grated coconut, thick coconut milk, lemon juice, shallots, and pepper. Moreover, you can find sate susu in both Bali and Java which is grilled spicy cow breast with milky taste. Satay padang from Padang in west Sumatra and satay Makassar from Southern Sulawesi are distinctive from other types of satay because they are made from cow or goat offal. In addition, satay Makassar has a unique sour and spicy taste and is served without sauce. In Purwakarta and Bandung in Java, there is a satay meranggi which has a unique smell and liquor-like taste due to the use of Nicola buds. Another special satay in Sumatra is called satay kulit, which is a crispy chicken skin satay.

Satay in Indonesia: satay lilit (seafood) vs shrimp and beef satay.

Source: www.baliguide.com

Next, we look at Malaysian satay. You can also find a range of different types of satay in different states of Malaysia. The most famous satay in Malaysia would be the satay kajang in Kajang, Selangor due to the thicker and more generous slices of meat provided. Satay endut in Ipoh is also popular due to its thick smooth gravy. You may also find pork satay with pineapple-based spicy sauce in Malacca and Sarawak. In addition, in Malacca, there is another type of satay called satay celup or steamboat satay. It is a variation of yong tau foo. In Singapore, the common types of satay sold are satay ayam (chicken), satay lembu (beef), satay kambing (mutton), satay perut (intestine), and satay babat (beef tripe).