Beef Satay

As it is with most Asian dishes, the vast majority of the time expended is in the prep. Once the prep is done for this recipe, you will only need 4 to 6 minutes of grill time. If you don't have a grill, fire up your broiler. Now Beef Satay is so darn delicious by itself, you could skip the Spicy Peanut Dipping Sauce. But if you strive to achieve culinary nirvana, you'll want to take the time to make the sauce.

While just about any cut of beef will do, my two favorite cuts for this are New York Strip or Flank. The key to Beef Satay is to keep the strips nice and thin. After you put them on the skewers and dip them in the marinade, they should look just like this:

I've found that six-inch skewers work best. If you're using wood ones, remember to soak them in water for 30 minutes before you thread the beef on. I like serving this dish up with Basmati rice and Asian Cole Slaw (http://terrygruggen.blogspot.com/2011/05/asian-cole-slaw.html). As an entree, this recipe will serve 4 to 6 people.


Ingredients for Spicy Peanut Dipping Sauce
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
1/4 cup hot water
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 tablespoons lime juice
2 tablespoons Sriracha Sauce
1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
1 clove of garlic, pressed or minced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
2 scallions, white and green parts, sliced thin


Ingredients for Beef Satay
1 1/2 pounds New York Strip or Flank Steak
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons Sriracha Sauce
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro
2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
4 scallions, white and green parts, sliced thin


Direction

1. Prepare a grill for direct cooking over high heat.
2. Prepare the Spicy Peanut Dipping Sauce: Whisk the peanut butter and hot water together in a medium bowl. Stir in remaining ingredients. Set aside.
3. Freeze the steak for 30 minutes (this makes it easy to slice the steak very thin). 
4. Combine the soy sauce, oil, Sriracha sauce, brown sugar, cilantro, garlic, and scallions in a shallow glass baking dish; set aside. Remove the steak from the freezer and slice each piece across the grain into 1/4-inch-thick strips. Weave the meat onto individual skewers. Dunk the meat end of each skewer in the marinade to coat; lay the skewers in the shallow dish. Refrigerate for exactly 1 hour.
5. Spread the skewers out over hot cooking grate and grill, uncovered, until meat has cooked through and is lightly charred around edges, about 4 to  6 minutes, flipping them over halfway through grilling time. Serve immediately with peanut sauce. 

Wine pairing: White wine lovers should choose a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. Red wine folks should pick a big, fruity California Zinfandel.