Vietnamese Sate Recipes

Steps:

• Place ginger, garlic, onion, brown sugar, fish sauce, vegetable oil, soy sauce, coriander, cumin, turmeric, and cayenne pepper into a mixing bowl; whisk into a smooth marinade.
• Bruise lemon grass by hitting it lightly several times with the back of a large chef's knife; mince the lemon grass and add to the marinade.
• Cut beef sirloin into strips about 2 1/2 inches long and 1/8 inch thick. Thoroughly mix the beef into marinade until all beef strips are completely coated, about 1 minute. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and marinate in refrigerator for 2 to 4 hours.
• Preheat an outdoor grill for high heat and lightly oil the grate.
• Remove beef from marinade and shake off excess marinade. Thread 1/4 the meat onto each metal skewer.
• Arrange skewers on the preheated grill and cook until the meat stops sticking to the grill, about 1 to 2 minutes. Flip skewers over onto other side and cook until meat is well browned and shows grill marks, 2 to 2 1/2 minutes. Turn onto first side again and cook until meat is still slightly pink, 2 more minutes. Transfer to a platter and let skewers rest about 2 more minutes before serving.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees and preheat a charcoal grill.
• Toast the coriander and cumin seeds in the oven for 15 minutes and grind them to a fine powder. Do not do this ahead of time, as the spices lose their flavor quickly. In a flat dish, combine the powdered seeds with the garlic cloves, sugar and fish sauce to make a marinade.
• Place the tamarind paste in a bowl, cover with hot water and stir to dissolve. Strain through a fine mesh strainer. Add 6 tablespoons of the resulting liquid to the marinade and reserve the rest for future use. Add the peanut oil.
• Soak 12 bamboo skewers in water and drain or use 12 metal skewers. Thread the chicken strips onto the skewers and place in the marinade for 30 minutes, turning frequently. Drain and grill the chicken over charcoal. Serve alone or with Vietnamese dipping sauce (see recipe). This marinade is also very good for pork, beef and game.

Steps:

• 1) Food process the garlic, shallots and lemon grass separately. (An electric mini-chopper works very well for this task.) Get the garlic and shallots to a fine mince, and the lemon grass well processed, but not to powder. 2) Put 14 tablespoons (that's 1 cup less 2 tablespoons) oil in a small saucepan and add garlic. Heat over medium low and after the mixture starts bubbling and making sizzling sounds, lower the heat to the low. Let fry on low, low heat for 5 minutes. 3) Add the shallot and keep frying on low heat for 10 minutes more. It should gently sizzle without browning. 4) Add the lemongrass and let fry on low for another 10-15 minutes, until the lemongrass is fragrant, toasty, and has sunken into the oil. 5) Add the minced fresh chiles and fry for 5 minutes to release their oil and turn the mixture pale orange. 6) Add the crushed red pepper and fry for 5-10 minutes, until there's a nutty, spicy smelling heat. 7) Stir in the Sriracha to achieve the desired color -- orange red. About 3 to 4 tablespoons should do it. Then stir in the fish sauce, sugar, salt, and MSG. Adjust the heat to lightly bubble and let cook 1 or 2 minutes longer. 8) Turn off the heat and allow to cool for about 10 minutes. Taste and adjust with a little more sugar to tame the heat, fish sauce or salt for savoriness, or a bit more Sriracha for extra heat. If you add sugar, warm up the mixture and stir it to dissolve the sugar. There should be a layer of oil floating on top to cover. If not, add more oil as needed to barely cover the top. For a smoother texture, use a stick blender or food processor to grind the mixture finely. Allow to cool completely before transferring to a jar. Store at room temperature for daily use or in the refrigerator for infrequent use and longer keeping.