Serves: 4
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp coriander seeds
- 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 2.5cm piece of ginger, finely chopped
- 3 tbsp finely chopped lemongrass
- 2 kaffir lime leaves, shredded
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 tbsp kecap manis
- 1 tsp soy sauce
- 500g skinless, boneless chicken thighs
- Crispy fried shallots, to serve (optional)
For the peanut sauce:
- 2 bird’s eye chillies, seeded and finely chopped
- 5 shallots, finely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1/2 tsp shrimp paste
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 150ml coconut milk
- 2 tbsp palm sugar
- 150g unsalted peanuts, roasted and roughly chopped (or finely ground, according to preference)
- 2 tsp kecap manis
- Juice of 1 lime
Method
- Start by making the marinade. Toast the coriander seeds in a dry pan until fragrant, and then grind to a powder in a pestle and mortar. Add the garlic, ginger, lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves and pound to a rough paste along with a generous grinding of black pepper. Transfer to a large bowl and stir in the oil, kecap manis and soy sauce.
- Cut the chicken into long strips about 3cm wide and stir into the marinade, mixing well. Cover, refrigerate and leave to marinade for at least 30 minutes if you’ve got it, and up to 12 hours. Soak eight wooden skewers in cold water until ready to use.
- Meanwhile, make the sauce. Put the chillies, shallots, garlic and shrimp paste in a pestle and mortar, or the small bowl of a food processor, and pound or blitz to a paste. Heat the oil in a wok or wide frying pan, and then fry the paste until it smells cooked. Add the coconut milk and palm sugar and simmer for a couple of minutes, then add the peanuts and simmer until slightly thickened. Stir in the kecap manis and lime juice, add a little water or coconut milk if it’s too thick, then taste to check the balance of flavours; add more lime juice, sugar or soy sauce if you think it’s lacking. Serve warm or at room temperature.
- Thread the strips of meat onto the skewers in an “S” shape, pushing them down so they’re all touching. Cook the skewers on the ESSE hotplate over a medium-high heat, for about 20 minutes until cooked through, turning regularly. You can turn the heat down to medium on the hotplate after all are well charred – don’t worry about black bits, they add flavour.
This recipe was created to demonstrate the ESSE ‘X’ Electric Range Cooker by Georgina Revill of Vivaldi Catering. Georgie runs a bespoke cookery school called The Cook Shack on the Isle of Man.
