Cuisine Of Indonesia

Satay (spelled as sate in both Malay and Indonesian) is a dish consisting of chunks or slices of dice-sized meat (chicken, goat, lamb, beef, pork, fish etc) on bamboo skewers, which are grilled over a wood or charcoal fire, then served with various spicy seasoning (depends on satay recipe variants). Satay may have originated in Java or Sumatra, Indonesia, but also popular in many other Southeast Asian countries such as Malaysia, Singapore, Philippines, and Thailand, as well as in the Netherlands which was influenced through its former colonies. Satay is a very popular delicacy in Indonesia with rich variety among Indonesia's diverse ethnic groups' culinary art (see Cuisine of Indonesia). In Indonesia satay can be found from traveling satay vendor, street side tent-restaurant, upper-class restaurant, or during traditional celebration feasts. In Malaysia, satay is a popular dish especially during celebrations and it can be found throughout the country. A close analog in Japan is yakitori. Additionally, shish kebab from Turkey and sosaties from South Africa are also very similar to satay.

Although recipes and ingredients vary from country to country, satay generally consists of chunks or slices of meat on bamboo or coconut leaf spine skewers, which are grilled over a wood or charcoal fire. Turmeric is often used to marinate satay and gives it a characteristic yellow color. Meats used include beef, mutton, pork, venison, fish, shrimp, squid, chicken and even tripe. Some have also used more exotic meats, such as turtle, crocodile and snake meat. It may be served with a spicy peanut sauce dip, or peanut gravy, slivers of onions and cucumbers, and ketupat. Pork satay can be served in a pineapple based satay sauce or cucumber relish and only be eaten by non-Muslims. An Indonesian version uses a soy-based dip. The Philippine version is marinated then brushed on with a thick sweet sauce (which is usually reddish in colour) then grilled. Satay is not the same as the Vietnamese condiment "Sate", which typically includes ground chili, onion, tomato, shrimp, oil, and nuts. Vietnamese sate is commonly served alongside noodle and noodle soup dishes.