[quote][quote]
1 Tablespoon of Golden Syrup (though treacle may work)
[/quote]I hope this isn't what I think it is.[/quote]I don't know what your filthy mind has conjured up, but golden syrup is unrefined sugar cane sap. If it sits for long enough in the jar it will eventually crystallise into brown sugar.
I have only two recipes that are my very own. One is the culmination of many years of experiments, trying to create the perfect milkshake (the secret is to add a bit of cream). The other is my very own super-special satay marinade and sauce. It has slowly evoilved over a few years, and I have never tried to actually write it down, but here it goes...
[u]Ingredients:[/u]
Vegetable oil (peanut is best, but soya, olive, or any other nice oils are all fine)
An onion
Some garlic cloves (as many as you like, from just one to... lots)
A big jar of peanut butter (the crunchier the better)
Soy sauce (just the regular black stuff)
Worcestershire sauce
Sweet chilli sauce
Hot chilli sauce (Asian type, not Mexican type)
Curry powder
Optional ingredients:
Ketjap manis (premium soy sauce, thick and sweet, made in Indonesia)
Coconut milk/cream
Something to marinate (I have used beef, chicken, lamb, kangaroo, and fish with good results, and I assume tofu would be fine too)
You can also use a leek instead of or in addition to an onion.
[u]Cooking[/u]
Get yourself a wide, deep pan and heat it with a big splash of oil. Finely chop your onion and garlic and fry them until the onion starts going clear. Turn the heat down low.
Start with the peanut butter. Add a big glob of it, about as much as you can heap into a wooden cooking spoon. Stir it over the low heat until it starts to liquefy.
Add a big splash of soy sauce (and optionally a tablespoon or so of ketjap manis for extre-rich flavour). Keep all the ingredients moving and mixing as you go. Add a big splash of sweet chilli sauce, and just a little dash of hot chilli (or more, or even none, depending upon your taste, though the sauce is a bit dull without a good hot chilli kick to it). Add a moderate splash of Worcestershire sauce for a fuller flavour. Finally, shake in some curry powder (a few teaspoons full should do it) and give the whole concoction a thorough mixing until it is smooth and heated-through.
Here's the fun bit - taste the result and see what you think. If you think any of the important ingredients (peanut butter, soy, chilli, and curry) are lacking at all, feel free to add a bit more. Remember, this is a marinade, so make sure the flavour is strong and sharp. The milder dipping sauce is yet to come.
Okay, you're done with the marinade. Set aside about a fifth of your sauce. Take the meat or vaguely meat-like substance of your choice and marinate it for a minimum of an hour, preferably several hours, six or more if you can manage it, in the larger portion of the sauce. When you're ready to cook it, grilling is good, either in thick strips, or in cubes or smaller strips on skewers.
While the meat is cooking, take the smaller portion of the sauce you have set aside and keep it on the low heat. Add a bit more peanut butter and sweet chilli to it, and a small amount (one or two tablespoons) of coconut cream or coconut milk - whichever you can find in the supermarket, it really doesn't matter which. Stir it until it is smooth and creamy, then serve it alongside the meat in small bowls to be used as a dipping sauce. It will be milder and nuttier than the sauce used in the marinade.
Eat and enjoy.
...and that's James's Famous Satay.
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