Satay spice blend

Which Dishes to Use the Satay Blend In?

The Satay blend is a traditional Balinese spice mix used to prepare the famous satay or satay sauce used to marinate meat skewers.

How to Use the Satay Blend?

Our recipe ideas for using the Satay blend in your cooking:

• Authentic Satay Sauce: after blending roasted peanuts, add 1 teaspoon of Satay blend (find the complete recipe below);

• Satay-style Appetizer Sauce: add 1 teaspoon of Satay blend to yogurt to dip your raw vegetables in;

• Satay Zucchini Stir-fry: add 1.5 teaspoons of Satay blend to your vegetables before stir-frying them;

• Asian Soup: add 1 teaspoon of Satay blend to your broth;

• Shrimp Pasta: cook your shrimp in a pan with 1 teaspoon of Satay blend mixed with coconut milk;

• Satay Duck: sprinkle 2 teaspoons of Satay blend on your duck before cooking it.

Discover here the recipe for Shrimp skewers with satay sauce

The Recipe for Authentic Satay Sauce

Ingredients

100 g roasted peanuts;
3 tablespoons coconut milk;
1 teaspoon tamarind paste;
2 tablespoons soy sauce;
2 teaspoons Nuoc Mam sauce;
Juice of one lemon;
1 garlic clove;
1 tablespoon Terre Exotique brown sugar;
2 teaspoons Terre Exotique Satay blend;
1 teaspoon Sambal oelek sauce (or alternatively, Espelette chili paste or Terre Exotique Harissa).

Preparation

In a pan, sauté minced garlic and onion with tamarind paste, Satay blend, and chili paste, then remove the pan from the heat. Place the peanuts in a blender and blend until you get a paste. Add the blended peanuts to the pan off the heat with coconut milk, brown sugar, soy sauce, Nuoc Mam sauce, lemon juice, and a little boiling water. Mix the two preparations and use this sauce to marinate your meats or enhance your rice or pasta.

The Aromas of the Satay Blend

The flavors of the Satay blend are both sweet and savory. Spicy notes of chili pepper balanced by the sweetness of peanuts make this blend an explosion of flavors in the mouth…

What Is the Satay Blend Composed of?

This blend consists of garlic, chili pepper, brown sugar, peanuts, sesame, and galangal.

Garlic, whose botanical name is Allium sativum, belongs to the Lily family. This perennial plant consists of a bulb made up of cloves wrapped in membranes. Garlic can grow up to one meter tall.

Originating from Lebanon, sesame seeds have been delicately hand-roasted at a constant temperature. Once roasted, the spice releases notes of hazelnuts and roasted cashews.

The Cayenne pepper that makes up this blend is one of the hottest peppers in the world. Also called Pili-pili, this red pepper is harvested in Uganda ("the Pearl of Africa"). Its scientific name is Capsicum frutescens and it belongs to the Solanaceae family. It is also grown in Madagascar, Congo, and Zanzibar. This pepper, with a heat level of 9/10 on the Scoville scale (volcanic), has a very strong and sweet flavor.

The brown sugar in this blend comes from the partial refining of sugarcane juice. It contains 5% molasses, giving it its blonde color and subtle vanilla scent. After harvesting, the sugarcane is pressed to extract the juice. The juice is then heated to evaporate the water and concentrate the sugar, which will agglomerate and crystallize.

Galangal is related to ginger; indeed, it is a very aromatic rhizome with a ginger aroma and a burning flavor. Its botanical name is Alpinia galanga. Its flowers are white and red, and its fruits are small capsules containing seeds. During its growth, the galangal plant can reach up to 1.5 meters in height.

The History of Satay

Satay is one of the most widespread dishes in Indonesia; it can be found everywhere, and it is enjoyed at any time, on the beaches, in restaurants, on the streets…

Its origin dates back to the 15th century, where Indian Muslim merchants are said to have created these grilled meat skewers wrapped in spices. This is how Indonesians discovered grilled meat! There are many variations of satay around the world, each civilization adapting this dish according to its traditions.