Backyard Street Food

A national dish of Indonesia, the satay, is a marinated skewered meat with sauce, usually spicy. Satay is often served in Malaysia by street-side vendors. It's an easy and quick solution to backyard grilling. I thought this would be a fun dish to cook street-side on 67th Street in NYC on Live! with Regis & Kelly. The three of us had a blast making this on a NYC street - just imagine the fun you and your guests can have in your own backyard. It's also one of those informal dishes that doesn't require a fork and a knife. 

TIP: I always prefer using metal skewers as I find the food cooks faster and more uniformly. But, when in a pinch and when cleanup of the skewers is not practical, bamboo skewers are very handy. Just make sure to soak the bamboo skewers in water 10 minutes prior to threading, to avoid the skewers from burning up on the grill. 

George Hirsch's Pork Satay with Sesame Dipping Sauce
Recipe George Hirsch | Makes 6 servings 

1 1/2 pound pork tenderloin, cut crosswise into 3-inch-long pieces 
For the Marinade:
1/3 cup sweet onion, chopped fine
1 teaspoon tumeric
1 Tablespoon cilantro, chopped 
3 Tablespoons vegetable oil 
2 Tablespoons oyster sauce (Chinese BBQ sauce) 
2 Tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted 
Juice from two limes 
3 cloves garlic, chopped 
2 teaspoons each soy sauce and sesame oil 
1 green onion, chopped 
6 long skewers

Mix marinade ingredients in medium bowl. 

Cut pork lengthwise into thin 1/4-inch slices. Tip: It is easier to cut meat when it is very cold. 

Thread pork onto each of six skewers. Reserve 1/3 cup of marinade in a small bowl. Brush remaining marinade over both sides of pork. Cover pork, refrigerate for one hour. 

Preheat grill to high heat. Grill pork until cooked through, two-four minutes per side. Brush pork with reserved marinade. Serve on a fresh banana or ty leaf if available and top with chopped green onion or red onion.

Although it is very common to serve a peanut dipping sauce with a satay I find my Sesame Dipping Sauce to go better with the pork. 

For the Sesame Dipping Sauce
Recipe George Hirsch | Makes one cup

1/2 cup rice wine vinegar 
 1/4 cup lite soy sauce 
 2 Tablespoons honey 
 2 Tablespoons ketchup 
 1 Tablespoon sesame oil 
 2 cloves garlic, chopped 
 1 Tablespoon fresh ginger, peeled and chopped 
 1 Tablespoon fresh cilantro

Mix all ingredients in a small bowl one hour before serving. Serve as a dipping sauce for Satay, steamed dumplings or summer rolls. 

Optional: to make spicy add 1 teaspoon chili sauce or hot pepper flakes.