As the world's largest archipelagic state, Indonesia has a huge variety of different foods, each originating from a different island.
With all this variety, however, there is one unique dish that can be found in every province. Satay (saté in Bahasa Indonesia) can be called Indonesia's national food and the number of variations on the dish is almost endless— satay tegal, satay madura, satay lilit, satay padang, satay meranggi and satay kulit, to name just a few.
In Indonesia, different satays mean different ingredients, cooking methods and taste. However, the internationalisation of satay has led many people to think that there is only one kind—the barbequed meat skewer in peanut sauce.
One of the most famous satay variants is satay kambing (literally 'goat satay') which originated from Java, my home island. Instead of the rich peanut gravy generally associated with satay, satay kambing has a rather more spicy and refreshing taste.
The meat is marinated in black sauce made from bawang merah (fresh shallot), cabe rawit (bird's eye chili) and kecap manis (sweet soy sauce). The basic ingredients are the same for any satay kambing, so the end result depends entirely on the meat.
To make a perfect satay kambing you'll need a top-grade meat, a clean cut and appropriate grilling time. As with any meat, if you grill it for too long, you'll end up with meat as tough as your shoes.
Satay is traditionally served with warm rice and savoury mutton soup to complement its predominantly sweet, hot taste.
And speaking of the taste, satay begins with a beautiful aroma, followed by the stimulating flavour of the soft textured juicy meat melting on your tongue, complemented by a sweet taste with a hint of lime, that leaves you wanting more…and just as you're savouring it all, the chili and shallots will give your taste buds a refreshing kick.
As we say back home, "mantaff," which means "perfect".
Feeds