Beef Satay with Peanut Sauce - 5 stars

this wonderful recipe came from a blog i've recently mentioned in this post - the blog is www.food-fire.com. i loved everything about it except for the peanut sauce. it didn't pack nearly enough flavor - i modified the heck out of it in order to get to a thicker, more flavorful thai-style peanut sauce.

but the beef was really something to talk about. tender, moist, and more flavorful than any satay style meat-on-a-stick that i've had before. the marinade was simple to make, and mr. katz used an excellent shortcut to give it its special satay flavor - just use red curry paste in the marinade instead of toasting spices and grinding them with kaffir lime leaves and lemongrass and other stuff.

i let the beef (i used flank steak) marinate overnight for 24 hours, then threaded it onto skewers and grilled it. i also grilled pineapple slices to have on the side.

since i live so close to uwajimaya, next time, i'll just buy a premade peanut sauce from there to save time.

i can't wait to make this again! five big fat stars.

(note: i did not soak the skewers or double skewer the meat.)

Ingredients

3 pounds boneless sirloin or flank steaks
1 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup honey
2 tablespoons Thai red curry paste
2 tablespoons lime juice (1 medium lime)
2 tablespoons peanut oil
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon dried minced garlic
1 teaspoon ground coriander

1/4 cup peanut butter
1 can (13.5 ounces) unsweetened coconut milk

Directions

Combine the soy sauce, honey, red curry paste, lime juice, peanut oil, rice vinegar, brown sugar, garlic, and coriander in a large bowl and whisk well to combine.

Trim excess fat and gristle from the beef. Cover the roast with a layer of plastic wrap or wax paper. Use the the flat side of a meat tenderizer or a heavy sauce pan to pound the meat until it it’s about 1/2 inch thick. Slice the meat against the grain into 1/4 x 3 inch strips.

Put the beef in a big Ziploc bag and add the marinade. Seal the bag and turn to coat. Marinate for at least 2 hours in the fridge, overnight is much better.

Soak skewers for at least an hour. Set your grill up for a direct cook over very high heat (about 500°F).

Pour the marinade off the beef and into a medium saucepan. Add the peanut butter and coconut milk. Stiring regularly, bring the peanut mixture to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until the sauce has reduced by about a third. Remove peanut sauce from heat and keep warm.

Place steak on the skewers. Double skewer the meat so that it will be easier to flip. Grill for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, or until just cooked through. You want to crispy on the outside and medium on the inside. Serve hot with the peanut sauce.