Malaysian Satay

Ingredients - ½ kg beef or chicken or pork meat, 50 bamboo meat skewers (available from the Chinese Commodities shops). Seasoning for the meat - 5 small onions, 5 cloves garlic, 1t pepper, 2t curry powder, 1t tumeric, 2T brown sugar, 2T oil, 1t salt.

Satay Sauce: 5 small onions or shallots, 5 cloves garlic; 5 dry red chillies; 1 piece blachan or dry shrimps paste (optional); 2 stalks lemon grass (optional); 2 cups coconut milk; 1 piece assam or tamarind; 1 cup roasted peanuts; salt; sugar to taste; 2T satay paste (available from Chinese shops but optional); 1T curry powder.

Accompaniment with Satay - cucumber cut into cubes; bread, cubed; pineapple cubes, big onion cut into rings, and lettuce.

Method: 1. Slice the meat into thin slices (about 1" by 2").

2. Marinate the meat with the seasoning ingredients for about 30 minutes.

3. Thread about 3-4 slices of meat from the sharp end of the stick and grill over charcoal or under the grill in the oven until cooked. Sprinkle with a mixture of oil and water during the grilling. Turn over the other side and grill until cooked. Then serve with Satay sauce and accompaniments.

Sauce: 4. Grind the red chillies, garlic, small onions, lemon grass, and the blachan and curry powder into a paste. Add a little water if necessary.

5. Crush the peanuts finely after removing the peanut skins.

6. Mix the tamarind with 2 cups of water and discard the seeds.

7. Heat about ½ cup of oil in a frying pan. When hot, add in ingredients 4 to fry. Add in the tamarind water 6 and peanuts 5 and bring to the boil. Add in the coconut milk, sugar, salt. Simmer for 5 minutes and then serve with the satay.