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Thai Pork Satay with Peanut Sauce

This Thai-inspired pork satay dish is so versatile and easy to cook. Serve these as an appetizer, a side or main course. The skewered meat pieces are flavored with a sweet-savory and spicy marinade that comes alive once it’s grilled. Simply marinate the sliced pork shoulder pieces a few hours or up to overnight. Serve it with a nutty sauce made of tamarind juice, coconut milk and sprinkled with crushed peanuts. This was inspired by a recipe from the cookbook “Nong’s Thai Kitchen” by Nongkran Das and Alexandra Greeley, with a foreword by Nancie McDermott (Tuttle Publishing). Serves 2 as a main dish up to 4 for a side dish.

Ingredients

  • 1/8 cup for marinade fish sauce or Filipino patis
  • 1/8 cup for marinade brown sugar
  • 2 Tablespoons for marinade soy sauce
  • 2 Tablespoons for marinade vegetable oil
  • 1 teaspoon for marinade curry powder (yellow)
  • 2 teaspoons for marinade cornstarch
  • 1/2 teaspoon for marinade sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon for marinade freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 pound sliced in 1-inch pieces, for skewers pork shoulder
  • about 12 pieces pre-soaked in water for 30 minutes before putting meat on it bamboo skewers
  • 1 cup for side sauce coconut milk (canned or fresh)
  • 1 piece sliced, for side sauce shallots
  • 1/2 cup crushed, for side sauce peanuts (bottled/unsalted)
  • 1/8 cup for side sauce brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup from Asian markets for side sauce tamarind juice concentrate
  • 1 Tablespoon from Asian markets for side sauce chili sauce (bottled)
  • 2 teaspoons for side sauce fish sauce or Filipino patis
  • 1/2 teaspoon for side sauce sea salt
  • for serving garlic or boiled white rice
  • for serving vegetable green salad tossed with a light mirin dressing

Instructions

  • Mix together in a medium sized bowl the marinade ingredients : fish sauce (or patis), brown sugar, soy sauce, vegetable oil, curry powder, cornstarch, sea salt and black pepper powder. Blend well. Pour over the pork shoulder slices. Store in a resealable plastic bag (Ziploc bag) and refrigerate for 4 to 6 hours or overnight.
  • The next day, prepare the bamboo skewers by soaking at least 30 minutes before you start skewering the meat. Soaking the bamboo skewers prevents the wood from burning while you grill or from splinters getting into the meat. (Note: for this recipe I used re-usable stainless skewers which were a gift from family).
  • Preheat the outdoor grill to a medium high for about ten minutes. Meanwhile, skewer the meat, about 4 to 5 pieces per stick. Spread the meat apart and don't let the slices clump up or it will not cook evenly.
  • Place the skewers with the pork pieces on the grill. Turn the heat down to a medium. Cook on a gas or charcoal grill for about 10 to 12 minutes, turning them around to cook evenly. (Important: for safety reasons, pork must be cooked thoroughly until no pink parts remain).
  • While the pork satay in  skewers are grilling, prepare the side dipping sauce. Separately, in a small stock pot, pour the coconut milk. Heat this over medium high heat. When it boils, reduce the heat to a medium low. You don't want the coconut milk to curdle, so keep the heat low.
  • Add the remaining ingredients (except for the crushed peanuts) for the side sauce. Continue to cook for about 5 to 8 minutes till sugar dissolves and sauce boils. The sauce will thicken by then. Sprinkle the crushed peanuts on the sauce.
  • Remove the sauce from the heat and pour into a small serving bowl or gravy boat. Serve the skewered pork satay straight from the grill. Serve with the Peanut Sauce. Additionally, serve with garlic or boiled white rice and a big bowl of salad greens.
  • Cook's comments: in the original recipe, the authors used chicken (boneless) instead of pork. Feel free to use chicken or a combination of both if you prefer.
  • Shop For It: The cookbook "Nong's Thai Kitchen" by Nongkran Das and Alexandra Greeley (Tuttle Publishing) is available where most books are sold. Some of the bottled or canned ingredients used for this recipe are also available on Amazon. For my readers' convenience, I have an Amazon affiliate page here on the blog. It is the 'Shop For It' tab. Click here to buy this cookbook or dry ingredients. The price stays the same for those who purchase it. I earn a small commission from Amazon that goes to the ingredients and maintenance of this blog. Thanks for your support. Click here to buy.
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