Sate – despite of its vast variety, only one reign supreme…

It has been long since i have eaten my last stick of satay. It was two months ago, at a sate outlet that is undoubtly the most popular in malaysia – “Sate Kajang Hj. Samuri”.  I can say that Malaysian sate is a delicious treat indeed. Its balanced sweet and savoury combination makes this dish hard to beat – for an Asian palate.

A Malaysian sate usually needs to be marinated overnight, to lock its various spices in – which includes turmeric, ginger and others. The gravy is usually called ‘kuah kacang’, made from crushed peanuts. In some satay outlets, the ‘kuah kacang’ is mixed with a hot chilli paste, called ‘sambal’. All of this, is served with slices of cucumber, onions and rice cubes. A neat feat indeed.

I have seen many types of dishes served in skewers such as sates, which originates from different countries  and each offers different tastes. Despite of its vast variety, only one reign supreme in my personal palate – ‘Sate Kambeng’.

Sate kambeng

‘Sate kambeng’ is a Javanese dish, mainly sold at the streets of Indonesia. However, it can also be found in Malaysia. I have encountered this rare stall, strictly selling Javanese food, at Kampung Pandan Dalam, 13 years ago. It has been my regular place ever since.

This dish, is very different from its Malaysian counterpart. While Malaysian sate needs to be marinated, ‘Sate kambeng’ is grilled fresh. Bits of fresh mutton meat, some still with its fat intact, is grilled on a charcoal stove. In the process, the ‘chef’ will constantly brush the meat with soy sauce – to give its distinctive sweetness while still retaining its freshness. Some of the muttons’ fat thats still intact gives the ‘Sate kambeng’ a nice tinge of ‘sweetness’ that is very pleasing to the mutton lovers’ palate.

These ‘Sate kambeng’ is usually served on a plate with a peculiar gravy, a concoction of soy sauce, crushed peanut, onions and chilli paste. A slice of Kaffir lime is served at the side of the plate as an optional, to be squeezed onto the ‘Sate kambeng’. This is to add a tinge to the freshly grilled mutton, or to tone down the ‘overpowering’ mutton smell, which some cant tolerate. Usually one will grab all the sate sticks on the plate, and dips and rotate them onto this gravy, making sure that it coats the whole of the sate’s surface. Unlike the Malaysian sate, which is served with rice cubes – ‘Sate kambeng’ is either being eaten on its own or with a plate of rice.

Me, myself – as an avid mutton lover, find it very hard to resist this temptating dish. For those who havent got the opportunity to try this mouthwatering dish, just ask around someone from ‘Kampung Pandan Dalam’. They will show you the whereabouts of these ‘Sate kambeng’ stalls. Try it. you’ll love it!

Pecel Lele – What the heck is this?

Assalamualaikum.. and a very good Wednesday for all of you.

Thousand apologies

I must apologize to all my readers for my absence for quite some time. It has been a tough couple of weeks, handling the critical thinking mid-term and final exam. Not to mention some ‘troubled’ students that are desperately in need of counseling, and some numerous domestic issues. Now that all these is finally settled and at rest, i got all the reason in the world to focus on this blog once more.

However, this post is yet again, of no educational value I’m afraid. It’s regarding food. Good food. I went back home from work, and went out again for an appointment with a friend and quickly rushed home to finish up the students’ mark statistics. Tired and hungry, I quickly went down to eat. For your info, I have just taken my late dinner, or should i say an early breakfast (about 1:00am just now). I have ordered a nice menu – ‘Nasi Kukus Ayam Dara’ at a restaurant just the opposite of my home. This meal is actually just a plain steamed rice and a quarter chicken fried with mixed herbs on a plate, garnished by 2 slices of cucumber, served with a mixed concoction of curry, ‘rendang’ and ‘chilli paste’. Sounds appetizing, but its not.

To my despair, I cannot finish my meal. I felt that suddenly my appetite wanes slowly, probably because of the unsightly dirty and the sight of the rats the size of cats play hide and seek – only surpassed by how the ‘mamak’ themselves unhygenicly prepare the food , or the torturous experience of looking at the old Indian transvestite that had taken the very same meal at the table beside me. I decided to head home after 3 spoonfuls. Such a waste of good money!

‘PECEL LELE’

Right at home, I felt overwhelmed by joy upon looking at an unopened food container at the kitchen counter. It was the food I bought earlier tonight, and have totally forgot about. Have you ever heard of a dish called ‘Pecel Lele’?. This is a popular Indonesian menu, which consisted of a hefty helping of a catfish, deep fried or grilled – in such a way that the tiny thorns of the fish, is deliciously edible. It’s usually served with slices of kaffir lime, peeled cucumber and fresh, crisp cabbage and juicy tomatoes. But what makes this dish is so unforgettable is, the special gravy that is served with the fish – its a kind of a thick paste consisting of chillies, tomatoes, garlics maybe and ‘god knows what’ (havent got the opportunity to ask the cook, yet!). The result is a very hot mixture (which usually be mixed with a generous chunk of the fried catfish, the veggies and a small portion of rice before you eventually eat it) that makes you wanting for seconds every time you sink your teeth with them.

I opened the food container, fried the catfish again and slice some fresh veggies. As I suspected, I finish the whole content of the container, in less than 20 minutes.

I don’t lie. This dish is worth a try. Call me, and I will give you the direction to the place where this culinary delight ‘Pecel Lele’ is served.

And for my dear readers, I apologize again for the long absence. Wait for more interesting posts coming your way soon!