Sate Sapi<r>
Editor's note: This recipe is adapted from James Oseland's book Cradle of Flavor: Home Cooking from the Spice Islands of Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore. It was originally accompanied by Lemongrass-Shallot Sambal and was part of an article by Oseland on Indonesian cuisine.
There are few more dependable sounds in Indonesia than the rhythmic rat-a-tat-tat-tat of satay vendors who roam the streets and alleys of every town and village announcing their presence with a wooden stick rapped against their portable grills. When a customer approaches, the satay men set up their makeshift kitchens—a tiny grill, a basket containing the already skewered meat, a fan to breathe life into the fire—on the spot, grilling skewers of meat to order. The smoky-sweet aroma is irresistible, and, soon neighbors can't help but gather to order some for themselves.
This recipe is from Jimi, a West Javanese street vendor with a languid smile. Over the course of three hot nights back in the 1980s, on an extended stay in Bogor, West Java, I watched him grill petite skewers of this delicious satay as he made his rounds. Eventually I worked up the courage to ask him for his recipe, which he gladly shared. Ginger, coriander, and palm sugar (dark brown sugar can be substituted) are the keynote tastes. The tamarind in the marinade acts as a powerful tenderizer, making even very chewy meat tender, so it's important to use a somewhat toothsome piece of beef, such as flank steak or skirt steak. If you start with tender meat, the marinade is likely to make it mushy.
For a skewerless satay, try using this marinade for a whole piece of flank steak, then broil the meat as you would for London broil.</r>
• Tamarind pulp is the pleasingly sour flesh of the tamarind fruit. It is sold in firm, one-pound rectangular blocks at Southeast Asian and Indian specialty markets. If you can't find it, it can be omitted from the recipe.
• Turmeric, a member of the ginger family, is a rhizome (underground stem) native to the Malay Archipelago and often used in the region's flavoring pastes. Added to curries and stews, it imparts an appetizing golden color and musky, peppery flavor. Each rhizome is a roughly one-and-a-half- to three-inch-long, fingerlike nub with thin, golden-tan skin that closely resembles that of mature ginger and brown, narrow concentric rings running down its length. Fresh turmeric must be peeled before it is used. The flesh inside is a vivid carrot orange and has a sharp, pleasantly acrid smell. For easier handling, it is coarsely chopped or thinly sliced before being ground into flavoring pastes. Look for fresh turmeric at Southeast Asian and Indian specialty markets; it's also available frozen at many Southeast Asian markets. Dried, ground turmeric won't have as much depth of flavor, but may be substituted.
