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Satay (Indonesian and Malay: sate) is skewered barbecued or grilled meat, typically made from beef, mutton, and chicken, although other kinds of meat are becoming increasingly popular. The original version uses the midrib of the coconut leaf as skewers but bamboo skewers are nowadays also used. The meat is grilled or barbecued over a wood or charcoal fire, and then served with various spicy seasonings (depends on satay recipe variants).
2. Satay was supposedly invented by Javanese street vendors, judging from the fact that it became popular only after a major influx of Arab immigrants to the region in the early 19th century. However, it can nowadays be obtained from a traveling satay vendor, a street-side tent-restaurant, or an upper-class restaurant in Indonesia where it is considered a national dish. Satay is also popular in many other Southeast Asian countries, such as Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand, as well as the Netherlands which was influenced through its former colonies. A very similar food to satay is yakitori in Japan, shish kebab in Turkey, chuanr in China and sosatie in South Africa.
3. Other than the usual beef, mutton, and chicken, meats used to make satay include pork, venison, fish, shrimp, squid, and even tripe. Some have also used more exotic meats, such as turtle, crocodile, and snake meat. Basically, five pieces of meat cubes is enough to make a stick of satay. Although recipes vary from country to country, turmeric is a compulsory ingredient used to marinate satay and to give it a characteristic yellow color. The marinade comprises a long list of spices and herbs that may include lemongrass, cumin, aniseed, curry powder, chili powder, ginger, salt, sugar, honey, or molasses.[1] For best results, the meat cubes are marinated overnight to enable the flavor to get absorbed into the meat.
4. Satay may be served with a spicy peanut sauce dip, or peanut gravy, slivers of onions and cucumbers, and ketupat (rice cakes). An Indonesian version uses a soy-based dip instead. Pork satay, on the other hand, can also be served in a pineapple-based satay sauce or cucumber relish. A variation of the Malay satay in Malaysia is the Penang satay lok-lok and Melaka satay celup (dip satay). Both are Malaysian Chinese innovations, combining the Mongolian hot pot with the Malay satay. Satay, however, is not the same as the Vietnamese sate which is commonly served alongside noodle and noodle-soup dishes. more... at Wikipedia
