I'm having satay for dinner today...

Satay is a very popular Malay dish in Penang and throughout Malaysia. It is basically grilled chunks of meat (often chicken or beef) on bamboo skewers. You may think this is similar to shish kebab or the japanese dish called yakitori but the taste is totally different! This is because satay marinade consist mainly of tumeric and other local spices.

Satay is grilled over charcoal fire and served together with spicy peanut sauce, slices of fresh cucumbers, onions and sometimes ketupat (boiled rice cut into cubes). In Penang, you can usually get satay in the evening at Malay stalls, at the pasar malam (night market), hawker centers or at certain coastal seafood restaurants (like the ones in Batu Maung area).The price varies from 40 cents to 60 cents per stick.

I personally think the type sold at seafood restaurants (grilled together with peanut sauce) taste yummier although the price couldbe higher there.

When I was a kid, we used to make our own satay during family barbecues. My mother would prepare a whole bucket of satay meat and all of us would sit on the floor to skewer the meat onto bamboo skewers. I remembered after finishing the chore our fingers had all turned yellow because to the tumeric powder in the satay marinade. My fingers even smelled like satay for a day or two! Then my father would set up the barbecue pit outside our house and would grill the satay equipped with a fan like a professional satay seller. We really enjoyed the barbecue!