Vietnamese Sate Recipes

HOW TO MAKE BEEF SATAY

Steps:

• Place ginger, garlic, onion, brown sugar, fish sauce, vegetable oil, soy sauce, coriander, cumin, turmeric, and cayenne pepper into a mixing bowl; whisk into a smooth marinade.
• Bruise lemon grass by hitting it lightly several times with the back of a large chef's knife; mince the lemon grass and add to the marinade.
• Cut beef sirloin into strips about 2 1/2 inches long and 1/8 inch thick. Thoroughly mix the beef into marinade until all beef strips are completely coated, about 1 minute. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and marinate in refrigerator for 2 to 4 hours.
• Preheat an outdoor grill for high heat and lightly oil the grate.
• Remove beef from marinade and shake off excess marinade. Thread 1/4 the meat onto each metal skewer.
• Arrange skewers on the preheated grill and cook until the meat stops sticking to the grill, about 1 to 2 minutes. Flip skewers over onto other side and cook until meat is well browned and shows grill marks, 2 to 2 1/2 minutes. Turn onto first side again and cook until meat is still slightly pink, 2 more minutes. Transfer to a platter and let skewers rest about 2 more minutes before serving.

VIETNAMESE SATE SAUCE

Steps:

• Using a small food processor chop the garlic, shallot, lemongrass and chilies separately. You want the chilies and lemongrass to be pretty finely chopped. Set the lemongrass and chilies aside.
• Heat the vegetable oil over medium low heat. Add the garlic and cook for 10 minutes. It should bubble lightly. You don't want it to colour though. Be careful.
• Once the garlic has cooked for 10 minutes, add the shallots and cook for another 10 minutes. Watch closely. Burning is bad.
• After 20 minutes add the lemongrass and cook another 10 minutes or so.
• Once the lemongrass has cooked about 10 minutes add the fresh, chopped red chilies and cook for 5 minutes.
• Now add the crushed chilies and cook another 5 minutes.
• Stir in the fish sauce and sugar. Cook another 2-3 minutes.
• Remove from heat and let cool.
• Mix in the sriracha sauce. Taste and adjust for salt.

VIETNAMESE SATE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees and preheat a charcoal grill.
• Toast the coriander and cumin seeds in the oven for 15 minutes and grind them to a fine powder. Do not do this ahead of time, as the spices lose their flavor quickly. In a flat dish, combine the powdered seeds with the garlic cloves, sugar and fish sauce to make a marinade.
• Place the tamarind paste in a bowl, cover with hot water and stir to dissolve. Strain through a fine mesh strainer. Add 6 tablespoons of the resulting liquid to the marinade and reserve the rest for future use. Add the peanut oil.
• Soak 12 bamboo skewers in water and drain or use 12 metal skewers. Thread the chicken strips onto the skewers and place in the marinade for 30 minutes, turning frequently. Drain and grill the chicken over charcoal. Serve alone or with Vietnamese dipping sauce (see recipe). This marinade is also very good for pork, beef and game.

VIETNAMESE SATE SAUCE (SốT SA Tế)

Steps:

• Place lemongrass and dried shrimps (if using) in a food chopper (or small food processor) and process into quite fine pieces. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
• Place shallots, garlic, galangal and both types of chilis in the food chopper (or food processor) and also process into quite fine pieces. Be careful not to process into a paste. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
• Heat oil over medium heat in a pot. Then add the processed lemongrass and dried shrimps. Cook for 7-8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lemongrass has reduced in volume and taken on just a bit of color.
• Add the processed shallots, garlic, galangal and chilis to the pot. Cook for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until all ingredients have softened, the sauce looks red and you can smell it. You may need to reduce the heat slightly if needed.
• Add salt, sugar and soy sauce and continue to cook for another 8-10 minutes to let all flavors combine and the sauce has a very rich color. Adjust seasonings to taste.
• Transfer the sauce to a bowl or container and let it cool completely. Store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator and it can last for weeks.

SATAY BEEF AND NOODLE SOUP

Steps:

• Heat oil in a deep pan or skillet and lightly saute the ginger and garlic for 1 minute.
• Add the beef stock, nuoc nam, lemon grass, spring onions, cinnamon and star anise.
• Bring to the boil and simmer, covered, for 30 minutes, then strain and return stock to pan.
• Stock can be prepared to this stage, 3 days ahead.
• On the day of serving, prepare the ingredients for the garnishes and place in small serving bowls.
• Around 20 minutes before serving, place the noodles in a heatproof bowl, cover with boiling water and soak until noodles are soft (about 20 minutes), then drain well.
• When ready to serve, bring the stock to the boil and add the satay sauce, and Sriracha chili sauce or sambal oelek, if desired.
• Taste and correct seasoning, adding a touch more satay sauce and chili sauce if desired.
• Divide the hot rice stick noodles between 4 to 6 deep soup bowls, and top with sliced, raw, beef fillet.
• Ladle over enough boiling stock to cover the noodles and meat.
• Whether the beef is rare or well done is determined by how long the beef sits in the hot broth before serving.
• Each person tops their portion with their choice of garnishes, a squeeze of lime juice and Sriracha sauce if desired.

VIETNAMESE-STYLE SATE CHILE SAUCE

Steps:

• 1) Food process the garlic, shallots and lemon grass separately. (An electric mini-chopper works very well for this task.) Get the garlic and shallots to a fine mince, and the lemon grass well processed, but not to powder. 2) Put 14 tablespoons (that's 1 cup less 2 tablespoons) oil in a small saucepan and add garlic. Heat over medium low and after the mixture starts bubbling and making sizzling sounds, lower the heat to the low. Let fry on low, low heat for 5 minutes. 3) Add the shallot and keep frying on low heat for 10 minutes more. It should gently sizzle without browning. 4) Add the lemongrass and let fry on low for another 10-15 minutes, until the lemongrass is fragrant, toasty, and has sunken into the oil. 5) Add the minced fresh chiles and fry for 5 minutes to release their oil and turn the mixture pale orange. 6) Add the crushed red pepper and fry for 5-10 minutes, until there's a nutty, spicy smelling heat. 7) Stir in the Sriracha to achieve the desired color -- orange red. About 3 to 4 tablespoons should do it. Then stir in the fish sauce, sugar, salt, and MSG. Adjust the heat to lightly bubble and let cook 1 or 2 minutes longer. 8) Turn off the heat and allow to cool for about 10 minutes. Taste and adjust with a little more sugar to tame the heat, fish sauce or salt for savoriness, or a bit more Sriracha for extra heat. If you add sugar, warm up the mixture and stir it to dissolve the sugar. There should be a layer of oil floating on top to cover. If not, add more oil as needed to barely cover the top. For a smoother texture, use a stick blender or food processor to grind the mixture finely. Allow to cool completely before transferring to a jar. Store at room temperature for daily use or in the refrigerator for infrequent use and longer keeping.