Thai Chicken Satay

Satay is Thai barbecue and is a signature of Thai food. Its preparation is very impressive as street vendors carefully thread the chicken, pork or beef onto skewers made of dry coconut leaves or soaked thin bamboo sticks. The fragrance of sweet coconut milk, garlic, lemongrass and ginger in the marinade is mouthwatering when the meat hits the hot charcoal.
 Ingredients:
4 chicken breasts, skinless, boneless
1 cup coconut milk
1/4 cup oil
2 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp curry powder
1/4 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp salt
1 tbs soy sauce
2 tbs fish sauce
2 tbs brown sugar
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 shallots, chopped
2 tbs chopped lemongrass
1 tbs chopped ginger
1/4 cup oil
About 25- 6 inch bamboo skewers (soak skewers in water for 30 minutes to prevent burning)

Peanut dipping sauce
1/2 cup coconut milk or whole milk
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup water
1 tsp red curry paste
2 tsp fish sauce
2 tsp lemon juice
Sugar to taste

Directions:

In a bowl, whisk all the ingredients together, except the chicken.

Wash and pat dry the chicken breasts. Slice the chicken breasts diagonally against the grain into 1-inch wide strips.

Add the chicken strips into the bowl and marinate for a few hours.

Preheat the grill to medium heat or cast iron over medium heat.
Thread the chicken strips onto the bamboo skewers.

Grill the meat until just cooked through (about 2 or 3 minutes each side). Serve with the peanut dipping sauce and cucumber salad.

Dipping sauce directions
In a sauté pan, add oil, red curry paste and turmeric. Stir until the mixture sizzles. Add the rest of the ingredients and reduce the heat to low. Simmer the sauce for 5 minutes. Remove the sauce from heat. Adjust the seasoning to achieve a balance of sweet, salty, and a hint of spicy to personal taste. If red curry paste is not on hand, then sauté the chopped lemongrass, garlic, shallots, red chilies and galanga to mirror the taste of red curry.

Thai cucumber salad dressing ingredients
1/4 cup vinegar
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 salt
Bring all the ingredients to boil or until the sugar is dissolved. Let cool. This dressing can be kept for a long time in the refrigerator.
Cucumber salad ingredients
1 English cucumber, thinly sliced
1/4 cup chopped white or yellow onions
1/4 cup chopped mint leaves
1 fresh red hot chili, thinly sliced
1/4 tsp chili flakes
2 tbs chopped cilantro

Combine the cucumber salad ingredients in a bowl. Top with 1/2 cup of the dressing. Let sit 20 minutes before serving.