Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce

Ingredients

For the Preparations:
• 2 lbs boneless and skinless chicken thigh and leg meat
• Bamboo skewers, soaked in cold water for 2 hours
• 1 cucumber, cut into small pieces
• 1 small onion, quartered
• Oil for basting

For the Chicken Marination:
• 3 tablespoons oil
• 2 stalks lemongrass, white parts
• 2 cloves of garlic, peeled
• 6 small shallots, peeled
• 2 teaspoons turmeric powder
• 1 teaspoon coriander powder
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 tablespoon salt or more to taste
• 2 tablespoons sugar or honey

For the Peanut Sauce:
• 1 cup dry roasted peanuts, unsalted
• 1 heaping tablespoon tamarind pulps
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste
• 2 1/2 tablespoons sugar, palm sugar preferred
• 1 teaspoon coriander powder
• 1 tablespoon sweet soy sauce (Kecap Manis)
• 8 dried red chilies, seeded and soaked in warm water
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled
• 4 cloves small shallots or pearl onions, peeled
• 1 stalk lemongrass, cut into 3 strips, use only 1 strip at the bottom
• 1/2 inch galangal, peeled

Step by step

For Chicken Satay:
1. Cut the chicken meat into small cubes. Set aside.
2. Blend all the marinade ingredients in a food processor. Add a little water if needed.
3. Combine the chicken and the Marinade together, and stir to mix well. Marinate the chicken for 6 hours in the fridge, or best overnight. When ready, thread 3-4 pieces of the chicken meat onto the bamboo skewers.
4. Grill the chicken satay skewers for 2-3 minutes on each side until the meat is fully cooked and the surface is nicely charred, on both sides. Baste and brush with some oil while grilling

For Peanut Sauce:
1. Crush the peanuts with a mortar and pestle or use a food processor to ground the peanuts. Set aside. Ground peanut for peanut sauce.
2. In a small bowl, add the tamarind pulps plus 1/4 cup warm wat in a small bowler. Set aside for 15 mins. Squeeze and extract the juice from the tamarind pulps and discard. Keep the tamarind juice. Tamarind juice for peanut sauce.
3. Chop the Spice Paste ingredients coarsely, transfer to a food processor and blend until very fine. Add a few tablespoons of water to help blending. Peanut sauce ingredients
4. In a sauce pan, heat the oil on medium heat and add the spice paste. Peanut sauce spice paste
5. Add the remaining two strips of lemongrass to the spice paste. Cook the spice paste until it becomes aromatic and smell spicy. Making peanut sauce in a sauce pan.
6. Add the ground peanuts, water, tamarind juice, salt, sugar, coriander powder and sweet soy sauce. Stir to combine well.
7. Turn the heat to medium-low heat, stir continuously for about 5-10 minutes or until the peanut sauce thickens to your desired consistency. The oil and the peanut sauce should separate when it's done. Peanut sauce in a saucepan.
8. Let cool at room temperature and serve the peanut sauce with satay