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Satti
Satti: Zamboanga breakfast skewers of grilled chicken in a spicy-sweet red sauce, with rice cakes
Satti is how Zamboanga City starts the day: small skewers of grilled chicken or beef, smoky from charcoal, drowned in a thin, spicy, slightly sweet red sauce and eaten with ta'mu, little rice cakes cooked in woven palm-leaf pouches. Satti houses near the port open before sunrise and are busiest on weekend mornings. It is a cousin of Malaysian and Indonesian satay, but the sauce is runnier and spiced with chilli and a little peanut. Pressed rice cubes or plain rice stand in well for ta'mu at home. Chef's tip: thread the chicken in small, flat pieces and close together; they cook fast and stay juicy before the outside dries.
- Total time
- 60 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the skewers
For the red sauce
To serve
Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Mix 1 ½ lb boneless skinless chicken thighs with 4 cloves garlic, 2 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp brown sugar, ½ tsp ground turmeric and 2 tbsp vegetable oil. Cover and marinate in the fridge for at least 1 hour, or up to overnight.
5 minStep 2: Thread the chicken onto the soaked 16 bamboo skewers, 4–5 small pieces each, packed close. Wash your hands and board after handling the raw chicken.
10 minStep 3: For the sauce, heat 2 tbsp vegetable oil in a pan over a medium heat and fry 1 onion and 3 cloves garlic for 4 minutes until soft. Stir in 2 tbsp chilli paste or sambal, 1 tsp sweet paprika and 1 tsp mild curry powder and fry for 1 minute.
5 minStep 4: Add 1 tbsp smooth peanut butter, 1 tbsp tomato purée, 1 tbsp brown sugar and 1 ¾ cups chicken stock and whisk smooth. Simmer for 10 minutes until slightly thickened but still pourable, then stir in 1 tbsp cane vinegar. Keep warm.
10 minStep 5: Grill the skewers over hot charcoal, on a griddle pan or under a hot grill for 8–10 minutes, turning every 2 minutes, until charred at the edges. A common mistake is pulling them off when they look done outside: cut a thick piece open; there should be no pink and the chicken should reach 165°F.
10 minStep 6: Put the 4 portions pressed rice cakes (ta'mu or puso) or steamed rice in shallow bowls, lay the skewers on top and ladle over plenty of hot sauce. Serve straight away.
2 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 470 kcal
- Protein
- 41 g
- Carbs
- 34 g
- Fat
- 19 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does satti take?
- About 60 minutes in total: 30 minutes to prepare and 30 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it very spicy?
- It has some heat. Use less chilli for a milder version, or more if you like it hot.
- What can I use instead of garlic?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
- What can I use instead of soy sauce?
- Tamari, same amount (gluten free).
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