Indonesian Pork Sates with Thai Peanut Sauce

 

When you work at a large NYC law firm, sometime in late May your summers suddenly become consumed with activities for the summer associates (second year law school students aka 2L's who have a summer internship at your law firm).  At least once a week there are cocktail parties and other random events in the evening, in addition to all of the fancy 3 course lunches that you escort the summers on.  And all of that is in addition to your regular work load.  Tonight we had a cocktail party at the office to kick of our summer program.  They served all sorts of good food - sushi, sashimi, a fajita bar, antipasto platters, sliders, etc.  But I was determined to eat dinner at home.  So I purchased all of the ingredients, handed Alex a recipe and told him that I would call when I was on my way home so he could start cooking.  I told him that I would be home around 8:30 pm, but he should know by now that when I say 8:30 pm and I am at a work event that he should build in an extra 30-45 minutes.  Just after 9:00 pm I jumped in one of the company cars and called him to tell him that I was on my way. 

It's a good thing that Alex can cook because otherwise we would order a LOT of pizza.  And as much as I like pizza, I really think that these pork satays were better than any slice of pizza could possibly be.  The marinade on the surface of the pork caramelizes up nicely and it gives the pork such great flavor.  I loved the pork dipped in the Thai Peanut Sauce, but it was flavorful (and moist) enough on its own that it almost didn't need the sauce.  We served the pork satays with the peanut sauce, some white rice and some roast asparagus tossed in sesame oil.  So good.  Pizza, eat your heart out.

Recipe after the jump!

Indonesian Pork Sates

Adapted from Crescent City Cooking

By Susan Spicer

INGREDIENTS:

2 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped

1 tsp fresh ginger, minced

2 tbsp peanut oil

4 tbsp ketjap manis (Indonesian sweet soy sauce)

1 lb trimmed pork shoulder, cut into 1/2-inch to 1-inch cubes

Thai Peanut Sauce (see below)

cilantro for garnish (optional)

Mix garlic, ginger, oil and ketjap manis in a medium bowl.  Add pork.  Stir to coat with marinade; set aside for 30 minutes to marinate at room temperature (alternatively you can marinate for a few hours in the refrigerator).

If you are going to grill the pork, thread pork onto soaked wooden skewers or metal skewers.  Grill or broil for 2-3 minutes on each side.  Alternatively, you can heat a large saute pan over medium heat.  Add peanut oil (there is a decent amount of oil in the marinade so you don't need to add a lot of oil).  Once oil is hot, add pork, sauteing until pork is caramelized and cooked through, about 5-6 minutes.

Serve with Thai Peanut Sauce and garnished with cilantro (if desired).

Thai Peanut Sauce

Adapted from She Simmers

INGREDIENTS:

14 oz can coconut milk

2 oz red curry paste

3/4 cup creamy peanut butter

1 tbsp fish sauce

1 clove garlic

3/4 cup sugar

2 tbsp cider vinegar or white vinegar (we used white)

1/2 cup water

Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan over medium heat.  Bring to a gentle boil, stirring regularly.  Reduce heat to medium-low.  Simmer for 3-5 minutes.  Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature.