Tuesday, April 8, 2014

So Thai

Chicken Satay/สะเต๊ะไก่_DSC3411

I have such admiration for my uncle who retired from Honda Motors a while back. He was assigned to a job in Thailand for a few years. He sent me some pictures but they were lost in my fine filing system somewhere…too shay.
Basically Thailand has three seasons- cool, hot and rainy. Their cool season and hot season temperature difference is mere a few degrees…sounds like Hawaii ya? But with much humidness. A long rainy season –July to October – brings heavy rains of course though, typically afternoon flash down pour and sunshine the rest. He thrived there in such a paradisiac, tropical land._DSC3436

In this recipe adapted from Food Network Magazine, the use of nam chim sate /peanut sauce instead of turmeric so it won’t stain my hands.
By the time my husband was ready to grill the chicken, it had started drizzling outside. Plan B? No, he braved the rain and grilled them to perfection.

Ingredients and instruction for 8 to 10 skewered chicken (Print Recipe Here)

Necessary equipment: bamboo skewers, oven or grill

  • 1/2 cup orange juice (freshly squeezed if available)_DSC3356
  • Zest of 1 orange (about 2 teaspoons)_DSC3361
  • 1/2 cup smooth peanut butter (no sugar added)
  • 2 Tablespoons packed dark brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup soy sauce (I used gluten free type) 
  • 2 teaspoons peeled grated fresh ginger_DSC3364
  • 4 medium cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 1-1/2 pounds boneless,skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch wide strips
  • Oil for grill grate
  • Skewers –have plenty just in case 12-16
  • 1/4 cup roughly chopped fresh cilantro leaves
  • 1/3 cup roughly chopped roasted salted peanuts
  1. Make marinade sauce - In a large bowl, whisk together the orange juice, orange zest, peanuts butter, sugar, soy sauce, ginger, garlic, and red pepper flakes until smooth. Reserve 1/3 cup of the mixture in a small bowl and set aside._DSC3367
  2. Put the marinade in a resealable gallon plastic bag. Add chicken and seal tight. Put in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes or up to 2 hours.
  3. Soak bamboo skewers in water for 20 minutes. _DSC3376
  4. Heat grill to medium heat (350 F), and rub the grate with paper towel dipped in oil.
  5. Thread 1-2 chicken strips on each skewer. Grill the chicken until thoroughly cooked, 2-3 minutes per side and until they have a nice charred mark._DSC3378_DSC3415
  6. Sprinkle with cilantro leaves and peanuts. Serve with reserved peanut sauce as dipping sauce.

 

An un-invited guest was already there at the grill. Yeeek!_DSC3384

Life after retirement…not only nice and generous, musically gifted, my uncle taught himself to play piano and guitar, made an amateur band with friends with his family’s blessing. As the vocalist/lead guitar, he and his buddies do some occasional gigs at local establishments. I sincerely hope to have the opportunity someday to watch him play.

 

My husband’s pet project…Kefir kimuchi is about ready for consumption._DSC3420_DSC3424

Here is something you don’t see everyday…I drove by…What the heck!
A turkey in the middle of the road. Temperature in low 70’s. It already smelled foul. I pinched my nose and took this photo. IMG_1043

I hope you have a not stinky but pleasant week!

17 comments:

  1. Chicken skewers in general are among my favourite dishes (whenever I go to Japan, my favourite izakaya is the teriyaki one; they even serve chicken rump I adore!) and I am crazy for chicken satay too! Your skewers look fantastic (no wonder: the marinade sounds amazing and they were made on a real grill, not a pan or an oven...). The kimchi kefir experiment sounds very tempting! I hope you will publish the recipe one day. As a serial pickler, I'd be delighted to learn more about it.
    Thailand sounds like a nice place to retire. I would much prefer such a climate without winters.
    The turkey looks scary... well, I suppose someone has forgotten to close the trunk of the car ;-)

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    1. Thank you Sissi! I loved your 'pickle 'post. Here is what he did to make the kefir kimchi. Use a paper towel or coffee filter and strainer to separate the whey from the liquid kefir. Soak the cabbage and other vegetables in salt water like usual. Rinse and use the kefir liquid and salt water to cover the packed cabbage. Let it ferment for a couple of days (to your taste). Keep in refrigerator after done with fermentation.

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  2. this looks wonderful and sorry about the guest :-) ha

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    1. Thank you Rebecca. I know, we have lots of those creatures here in the Northwest.

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  3. こんばんは。素敵な料理が載ってます。ご家族の方は、いつも美味しい料理を食べられて幸せですね。

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    1. コメントいただいて感謝しています。 洗い物が大変ですが、料理するのは楽しいです。 
      今度はどこに行かれたろうとブログにおじゃまするのを楽しみにしています。 これからも頑張ってください。

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  4. The chicken look yummy. I love chicken.

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  5. I can imagine someone unloading their groceries and saying, "Hey where's the turkey?" LOL. Your satay looks wonderful.

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    1. Ha ha ha! I know it was strange sight. Thank you so much for your comment, Jalna.

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  6. Absolutely gorgeous! I love chicken satay!

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    1. Thank you Katerina. I would like to make your bread and chocolate cookies soon.

      I tried to post comments on your blog but not successful. I'm not sure what did I do wrong.

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  7. I love Thai food and satay. This is one of my favorite dish. So fragrant and delicious.

    Cheers,

    Rosa

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    1. Thank you Rosa. You're so nice! You're great photographer!

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  8. A turkey in the middle of the road?! lol, I wonder how it got there? Sad though... I bet someone was looking forward to having that for dinner!

    I love the look of your husbands pet project. Kefir kimchi? Sounds so interesting... would love to try it! I like the new background of your site too.

    Lovely looking chicken skewers... I'm not such a massive fan of chicken I have to say, but I do enjoy it occasionally - I think when it's done satay style it's always really nice.

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    1. Ha ha ha I know it was strange!
      I may have to post the kifer kimuchi recipe someday.
      Thank you so much for your comment. Sorry took me so long to replay.

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  9. The satay turned out excellent. Unfortunately no idea about the skewers. Even my wife is asking for them to make satay dishes on a regular basis but they are not available in the local supermarkets, but I have to check specialty crockery stores though. Will keep you posted if I do find them. thanks nippon !

    http://tasteusa.blogspot.com

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