Beef Satay is one of those dishes that can be a hit or miss at Thai restaurants.
If you want a sure thing, make it at home!!
Youll love the secret for how to make economical beef cuts so succulent youd swear theyre top shelf meat.
Marinating beef for Thai Beef Satay
Beef Satay, on the other hand, can be terribly hit or miss.
Bland, chewy and dry beef is an all-too-common refrain.
To experience Beef Satay the way its meant to be, better to make it yourself.
Its easy to do, cheaper and you know it will hit the mark!
And what is that mark?
Its succulent pieces of beef, firstly tickled in a marinade of satay seasoning.
Then theyre seared on a ripping hot skillet for charry crust while staying lovely and pink inside.
Its based on a method used by Chinese restaurants calledvelveting.Heres the velveting recipecovering the technique in detail.
The baking soda is also rinsed off before cooking.
Marinating beef for Thai Beef Satay
The result is soft, velvet-like texture, hence the technique name.
The amount is so small too it cannot be tasted.
The result?Succulent pieces of beef that youd swear are from a premium cut!
Beef Satay skewers ready to cook
The added bonus is that its also virtually impossible to overcook baking soda-tenderised beef.
If you do, skip the baking soda as obviously theres no benefit to tenderising the beef further.
And take care not to overcook it!
My recommended red curry pastebrand is Maesri, pictured below.
It comes in small cans, and is very cheap (~$1.25).
The flavour is far superior (in my opinion) to other mainstream curry pastes.
Coconut milk Not all coconut milk is created equal.
you’re able to use low fat coconut milk, but I wont condone it!
Elseclick herefor other recipes using coconut milk.
Curry powder Curry powder is the other flavouring in satay.
Its a background flavour so theres no need to use a specific throw in.
Any generic curry powder is fine here.
I use Clives or Keens (mild, not hot).
Thai Peanut Sauce
And heres what you need for a restaurant-style Thai Peanut Sauce!
It is different to mass-market stuff in that it has no added sugar, salt or other preservatives.
This means better flavour in the sauce and makes the sauce the right consistency.
Commercial peanut butter spreads by contrast are thickerandthe peanut flavour is not as good.
That said, commercial peanut butter does work just fine as a substitute!
Dark soy sauce This adds salt to the sauce as well as making the sauce a darker colour.
If you dont have it, light soy sauce or all-purpose soy sauce is fine to use too.
And dont talk to me about low fat coconut milk!
How to make Thai Beef Satay
1.
As I said, its a simple plonk and simmer!!
How to make Thai Beef Satay
Cut beefinto 2.5cm / 1 cubes.
Prevent screen from sleeping
Mix Satay Marinadeingredients in a bowl.
Mix beefinto the Satay Marinade.
Marinate beef for 24 hours.
Clearly I picked Dozer up from the boarder on this day last year!
Thread beefon to skewers.
I like to use short skewers that fit inside a skillet.
Cook skewerson the stove in a griddle pan or skillet or better still, barbecue them over high heat.
For the most authentic Thai street food experience, cook it over charcoal!
Its important to know that beef thats been tenderised with baking soda only becomes tender once thoroughly cooked.
An even more amazing fact out beef tenderised using baking soda is that its virtually impossible to overcook.
In fact, even when cooked to well done, it will still be pink inside!
Restthe skewers for 3 minutes before serving.
And of course, dont forget the peanut sauce!!
Notice how pink the beef is inside, even though this is cooked through to medium.
Thats the baking soda at work here the beef stays pink even when cooked beyond medium rare.
This is typical with some types of tenderised beef, such asKorean Beef Galbi.
However, more often than not, it forms part of a main course when I make it.
Asian BBQ is a firm favourite menu theme when I have friends over!
Plain is fine because youll douse it with peanut sauce!
Else tryThai Fried RiceorPineapple Fried Rice;
Salad options A coolingThai Green Papaya Saladis classic!
Meanwhile, some other options for you:Smashed Cucumber Saladwith a Ginger Dressing (personal favourite!
);Asian Slaw;Asian Side Salad.
