Satay!

One of my favorite Malaysian dishes is satay. The other is lor-mai-kai. Amongst the zillion other dishes that make a Malaysian expatriate homesick, this is my number one.

Lor-mai-kai I was able to learn to make a few years ago, enough to satisfy my cravings till my next trip back.

But satay has always eluded me. Perhaps I was intimidated by the recipes I've read. Perhaps I was disappointed by the satay marinade mixes I've bought. Perhaps I thought making the satay sauce was just too much damn work. Or that the few times I've tried to make it, it tasted like meat cooked in someone's armpits (too much cumin that time, I guess).

Every trip back I stuff myself with these marinated skewers of meat. And everytime I visit a Malaysian restaurant in the US, satay is always something I'd order.

Today, I felt adventurous. The recipe I found here didn't seem that intimidating (maybe it had something to do with the pretty chef too!). And the ingredients I had or was able to find quite easily.

Anyway, after tinkering around in the kitchen for a few hours, I present:

I'd be lying if I said this tasted like Kajang Satay. But omifarkinggawd this was the best satay I've tasted in the last 2 years (our last trip). Between the 3 of us (Kristin, Allison and I) we devoured the 4 chicken thighs I used to make the meal. Ok, I ate most of it obviously- but it did turn out pretty good.

And strangely enough, I'm more proud of this achievement than my academic accomplishments!