When travelling and exploring Asia and their amazing food world, I came across the authentic Thai chicken satay recipe, which I should actually say is a contender to the be the best Thai chicken satay recipe out there. Barbequed chicken thigh fillets, roasted peanuts, coconut milk are some key ingredients of this dish, all deliciously blended to produce a wonderful flavour that I believe many will not be able to resist.

Satay is popular in many Southeast Asian countries including Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam. Thai cuisine for this recipe focuses on using peanut which gives a wonderful nutty flavour to the chicken.

So, the word satay is derived from Indonesian sate and Malay sate and is said to perhaps be of Tamil origin. It is often said that satay could have been developed by Javanese street vendors to be a sort of adaptation of the famous Indian kebabs. Introduction of satay and other iconic dishes such as tongseng and gulai kambing all coincided with an inflow of Indian and arab traders during the 18th century. From Java, satay then expanded through the Malay Archipelago and as a result then crossing the Strait of Malacca and into the neighbouring Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand where the term Thai chicken satay with peanut sauce was then coined.
In Thailand satay or สะเต๊ะ is a very popular dish and is usually served with peanut sauce and achat or ajat. Many thai satay recipes exist ranking from chicken, beef and pork right through to vegetarian variants where tofu is involved, but still my favourite has got to be this Thai chicken satay recipe.

Thai satay has evolved over time via the use of different sauces, meats and marinades and therefore migrated significantly from the original version, so it can be argued that Thai and Indonesian satays are two different things and only share the name and origin. You will find this recipe in your favourite Thai restaurants worldwide where you can sample this dish, however you can always opt for making it yourself and trying out this delicious taste at your home. And due to the popularity of this dish, when you refer to chicken satay, you’ll find that most people will relate to this Thai version of the dish.

Now let me address the common misconception of the word satay. Most people believe that satay represents this lovely brown peanut sauce, however traditionally satay referred to any grilled skewered meats with various sauces. So the sauce that was served originally, may not have been peanut sauce after all, however modern cuisine has now shifted towards using satay term to imply peanut sauce.

So now we take on this recipe right here in Scotland, thousands of miles from its birthplace, sampling the goodness and let me tell you, a recipe to cherish and make again and again. You may ask, what does it taste like? Well, if you just take a look at the ingredients, you can imagine what it is like – chicken thighs have a little bit of fat, more so than a chicken breast, so has a little more flavour, especially good for grilling. Then we have marinade that will sink into that chicken – curry powder, salt and some oil. These will drip feed a little spiciness into the chicken, then we have the famous satay sauce that will taste of peanuts, peanuts and more peanuts! We also have some coconut milk there amongst all other ingredients that will add a little exotic feeling to the taste. Then we have the relish - cucumber, red shallot, chillies, sugar, salt and vinegar all create this lovely combination – sweet and spicy, yet refreshing all at the same time.

Okay, you say, get to the point, is it easy to make? My answer is yes! It is very easy to make. You have a total of 5 steps. Don’t be afraid to have a go, it should turn out quite well. So grab yourself some of these lovely ingredients, follow the instructions and surprise your friends and family with this original and authentic satay recipe. When you get to the table to enjoy the fruit of your labour, the dish will of course be a reminder for your lovely treasured holiday memories letting you enjoy those wonderful stories that will be told all round.

So, enough of talking, time to get to making and enjoying! Have fun and enjoy your wonderful, tasty and irresistible meal now and time and time again as you travel back in time to when satay was first introduced in the 18th century. Lovely jubbly!

STEP 1
Place the chicken in a large bowl add the curry powder, salt and oil. Mix until well combined. Thread the chicken onto bamboo skewers. Set aside to marinate for 10 minutes or overnight if you have the time.

STEP 2
To make the cucumber relish, heat the sugar, vinegar and salt in a saucepan over high heat for 3-4 min or until the sugar has dissolved. Allow to cool. Place the cucumber, cucumber, shallot and chill in a small bowl. Pour over the cooled vinegar mixture.

STEP 3
For the satay sauce, use a mortar and pestle or food processor to grind the roasted peanuts to a fine consistency. Set aside.

STEP 4
Heat the 2 tbsp of vegetable oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the curry paste and cook for a min until fragrant. Add the coconut milk, roasted peanuts, peanut butter, fish sauce and sugar. Cook for a further min. Then remove from heat. Taste and adjust the seasoning with more fish sauce and/or sugar. And keep warm or reheat when ready to serve.

STEP 5
Heat a barbecue grill plate or non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat. Cook chicken skewers for 3-4 min each side or until cooked through. Serve warm with the warm satay sauce and the Thai cucumber relish.

Enjoy!