When you feel like having some street food, or what was once a type of street food and you don’t want to go through the hassle of preparing all the ingredients either for the marinade or the sauce.

Satay is the Malay name for kebabs or pinchos and is an easy dish as a main, a snack or an appetizer. It is usually served with accompaniments like the peanut sauce (kuah), chunks of cucumber, red onions and the ketupat (compressed rice).

In all quite a fair bit of work and can be prepared ahead if you are planning on serving it for a party.

The ketupat or compressed rice is usually cooked in a packet made out of coconut fronds. I was fortunate to have learnt how to do this the traditional way from a Malay friend many years ago. The last house we rented whilst in the Caribbean had a coconut tree which was harvested for its fruits as well as the fronds. Unfortunately, coconut fronds are not to be found in the local markets as it was in the earlier days, first world influences, many plantations have been cleared and many do not have the time or inclination to make these from scratch anymore. Organisations are quick to capitalise on this shortfall and sell prepacked ketupat casings (usually in plastic) for those wanting some ketupat at home.

Let’s continue with how we can make Satay and it’s accompaniments quickly & easily.