Grandma's Visit is Worth 2 or 3 Pounds

Mom arrived last Tuesday and commandeered my kitchen. Part of me is a bit annoyed because I can’t find anything and there’s been a constant aroma of Thai food in my home, and I suspect, on my clothing. Oh, and I’ve gained 3 pounds. Truthfully though, most of me is not annoyed because I haven’t eaten this well since I left home in 1993. In six days I’ve eaten red curry, pad Thai, thom kha gai, Issan sausages, fishcakes, fried mackerel, som tom, fried rice, sticky rice with mango, naam prik kapi with various veggies, and chicken satay. Unfortunately, she didn’t want to be photographed in action, and I didn’t photograph most of the food, but I did manage to get the chicken satay. And yes, it tasted as good as it looks.

Chicken Satay

• 3 Asian shallots (or 1 large French shallot), roughly chopped
• 5 cloves garlic
• 4 coriander roots roughly chopped
• 1 knob ginger, approximately the size of an adult thumb, sliced
• 1 tbs ground coriander
• 1tbs ground cumin
• 1 tbs madras curry powder (or yellow curry paste)
• 2 tbs soy sauce
• 1 large can coconut milk, cream removed and reserved
• 2 tbs sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 2-3 lbs pork sirloin, tenderloin or chicken, sliced for skewering
• 1 portion peanut sauce (recipe follows)
  

Mom doesn’t own a food processor, so she chops everything small, then pounds the hell out of it in a mortar. I don’t have the patience for that so I use a food processor. Your choice, but honestly, the result will be the same. In a food processor, combine the shallots, garlic, coriander roots and ginger. Pulse until you have a uniform paste. In a large Ziploc bag, combine the paste and other ingredients. Marinate in the fridge overnight. An hour before grilling, thread the meat onto skewers. Pour the marinade over the skewers and a set aside until ready to grill.



Peanut sauce

• 1 cup roasted, unsalted peanuts, roughly chopped or pulsed in a food processor
• 5 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 knob ginger about the size of an adult thumb, crushed or grated
• 1 tsp massaman or yellow curry paste
• chilies, to taste, crushed or sliced
• reserved coconut cream from above + 1 small can coconut milk
• salt or fish sauce (or both) to taste
• 1-2 tbs sugar, to taste

In a wok (preferred) or small sauce pan, add about 1 tbs peanut or vegetable oil. When hot (but not smoking), add the ginger, garlic, chilies and curry paste. Saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the reserved coconut cream slowly down the sides of the wok. It will spit and spatter, but not too violently. Allow the mixture to cook at medium heat for 5 minutes or until the oil starts to separate out. Stir frequently to prevent burning. Add the peanuts and coconut milk, sugar and salt. Allow to simmer. The oil should continue to separate. Stir frequently to prevent burning. If it looks like this, you’re done.

There’s no doubt this sauce has a lot of oil, mostly due to the coconut milk. If you let the sauce sit for a bit in a bowl, a lot of the oil will rise to the top and you can skim or pour it off.