Chicken Satay Skewers

Ingredients

• 700 g boneless chicken thighs, cut into strips
• 2 lemongrass stalks, tender part only
• 2 shallots
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 2 tsp ground coriander
• 150 ml coconut milk
• 20 g palm sugar
• 4 tsp fish sauce
• 150 g peanut butter, for the sauce
• 2 limes

Method

1. Pound the paste

   Blend or pound the lemongrass, shallots, garlic, turmeric and coriander into a paste. Lemongrass is tough and fibrous — it has to be broken down properly or you get woody splinters in the marinade.

2. Marinate

   Mix the paste with half the coconut milk, the palm sugar and fish sauce, and coat the chicken. Two hours is good, overnight is better. Thigh rather than breast: it survives a hot grill without drying.

   2 h

3. Thread flat

   Weave the strips onto soaked wooden skewers in a flat ribbon rather than bunching them up. Flat means every surface touches the heat and chars.

4. Grill hot and close

   Cook over a high heat, turning often and brushing with the remaining coconut milk, until charred at the edges. The sugar in the marinade catches fast, so keep them moving.

   10 min

5. Serve with satay sauce

   Warm the peanut butter with the rest of the coconut milk and a splash of water into a pourable sauce, sharpen with lime juice, and serve alongside with lime wedges.