Satay facts for kids
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Sate Ponorogo, grilled marinated chicken satay served in peanut sauce, a speciality of Ponorogo, a town in East Java, Indonesia
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| Alternative names | Sate, Satai, Satti |
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| Course | Entrée or main course |
| Place of origin | Indonesia |
| Region or state | Southeast Asia, Suriname, Sri Lanka, and Netherlands |
| Associated national cuisine | Indonesian |
| Serving temperature | Hot |
| Main ingredients | Skewered and grilled meats with various sauces, mainly peanut sauce |
| Variations | Numerous variations across Southeast Asia |
Satay (pronounced SAH-tay) is a super yummy dish from Indonesia. It's made of small pieces of meat that are seasoned, put on a stick (called a skewer), and then grilled. It usually comes with a tasty sauce. Satay is very popular in Indonesia and other countries like Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand.
You can make satay with many different kinds of meat. People often use chicken, goat, mutton, beef, pork, or even fish. Sometimes, people use tofu for a vegetarian option. The sticks are traditionally made from coconut palm leaves, but bamboo sticks are also common. The meat is cooked over a wood or charcoal fire.
Satay is often served with a special sauce. The most common one is peanut sauce, which is why it's sometimes called "satay sauce." In Indonesia, people also love to eat it with kecap manis, which is a sweet soy sauce. It can also come with lontong, a type of rice cake.
Satay started on the island of Java in Indonesia. It's so popular there that it's considered a national dish. You can find it almost everywhere in Indonesia, from street vendors to fancy restaurants. It's a big part of Indonesian food culture!
Contents
Where Did Satay Come From?
Experts believe that the word "satay" comes from the Indonesian word sate. Many think it started in Java, Indonesia. Javanese street vendors likely created satay by changing kebabs, which were brought by traders from India and the Middle East. This happened around the 18th century.
From Java, satay spread across the Malay Archipelago. This led to many different kinds of satay being created. By the late 1800s, satay had reached nearby countries like Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand. It even traveled to South Africa, where it's known as sosatie. People from Indonesia who moved to the Netherlands also brought satay with them, influencing Dutch cuisine.
How Is Satay Made?
Satay can be made with many types of meat. Common choices include chicken, lamb, goat, beef, and even rabbit. Seafood like fish, shrimp, and squid are also used. Sometimes, people use organ meats like liver or intestine. The meat is usually cut into small, thumb-sized cubes. However, some types, like Ponorogo satay, use long, thin pieces of chicken.
The skewers for chicken satay are traditionally made from the middle part of coconut leaves. Bamboo skewers are also very common. For tougher meats like lamb or beef, thicker bamboo skewers are used. The skewers are often soaked in water before cooking. This helps stop them from burning on the grill. Each skewer usually holds three or four pieces of meat.
A spice called Turmeric is often used to marinate the meat. This gives satay its famous yellow color. Another popular marinade is sweet soy sauce mixed with coconut oil. After marinating, the meat on the skewers is grilled over hot charcoal embers.
Satay is usually served with a spicy peanut sauce. It often comes with slices of lontong or ketupat (which are rice cakes). You might also get acar (pickles) on the side. These pickles are made of onions, carrots, and cucumbers in a vinegar, salt, and sugar mix. Goat satay is often served with kecap manis (sweet soy sauce) instead of peanut sauce. Pork satay can be served with a pineapple-based sauce.
Different Kinds of Satay in Indonesia
Indonesia is the original home of satay, and it has the most types of satay in the world! Satay is a very important dish in Indonesian cooking. You can find it everywhere, from street carts to fancy restaurants. Because Indonesia has so many different cultures, many unique kinds of satay have been created.
Some restaurants in Indonesia specialize in serving different kinds of satay. Examples include Sate Ponorogo Restaurant and Sate Blora Restaurant. The office of the West Java Governor in Bandung is even called Gedung Sate (which means "Satay Building") because of its roof that looks like a satay skewer!
Indonesian satay types are often named after where they come from, the kind of meat they use, or how they are cooked.
Chicken Satay
Chicken satay is one of the most popular types. Sate Madura is a famous chicken satay from the island of Madura.
Beef Satay
Beef satay is also very common. Sate Maranggi is a well-known beef satay from Purwakarta.
Other Red Meats
Besides beef, people also make satay from goat (called sate kambing) and lamb.
Pork Satay
Pork satay is popular in areas where pork is eaten, like Bali.
Fish and Seafood Satay
You can also find satay made from fish and seafood, such as shrimp (sate udang) and squid.
Offal Satay
Some satay uses offal, which are organ meats. Sate Padang from West Sumatra is a famous example, often made with beef tongue or other offal.
Mixed Satay
Some satay types mix different ingredients. Sate lilit from Bali is made by wrapping minced meat (often fish or chicken) around a skewer.
Eggs and Vegetarian Satay
There are also vegetarian options, and some satay uses eggs, like premature chicken eggs (uritan).
Images for kids
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A fancy presentation of Balinese pork satay, the skewers are erected holds by cucumber, Ubud, Bali.
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Javanese satay seller ladies with sunggi method sell their wares in the parking lot of Borobudur, Central Java.
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Grilling sate buntel Solo, Central Java.
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Sate keong (snail satay)
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Satay is a popular dish in Malaysia
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Chicken satay in the Netherlands with peanut sauce, French fries, prawn crackers, and mayonnaise; as served in a pub in Amsterdam
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Satay stalls along Boon Tat Street, near Telok Ayer Market, Singapore
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Thai pork satay
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McDonald's burger sate (satay burger) in Indonesia, which is beef burger served with peanut sauce
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Soto with tripes and cockles satays
See also
In Spanish: Satay para niños
