Moo satay

Name: Moo satay
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 185 min
Yield: 24 skewers
Cuisine: Thai
Ingredients: 600 g Pork, shoulder or loin, in strips 5 mm thick and 3 cm wide; 150 ml Coconut milk, 100 ml for the marinade, 50 ml for basting; 1 tsp Turmeric; 1 tsp Ground coriander; 0.5 tsp Cumin, ground; 1 piece Lemongrass, tender part only, finely chopped; 2 clove Garlic; 1 tbsp Palm sugar; 1 tbsp Fish sauce; 0.5 tsp Salt; 1 tbsp Neutral oil; 100 g Peanuts, roasted, unsalted, finely ground; 250 ml Coconut milk; 1.5 tbsp Thai red curry paste; 2 tbsp Palm sugar; 1 tbsp Tamarind, paste; 0.5 tsp Salt; 0.5 piece Cucumber, quartered lengthways and thinly sliced; 2 piece Shallot, thinly sliced; 1 piece Fresh chilli, red, sliced; 60 ml Vinegar, white; 4 tbsp Sugar; 60 ml Water; 0.5 tsp Salt

หมูสะเต๊ะ

Thin strips of pork marinated in coconut milk, turmeric and coriander, skewered and grilled, with peanut sauce and ajad, a sweet-sour cucumber relish.

Recipe by I Want Some Food · Reviewed by the editorial kitchen. Native name preserved: หมูสะเต๊ะ.

Start cooking

Prep: 40 min
Cook: 25 min
Rest: 2 hr
Total: 3 hr 5 min
Difficulty: Medium
Spice: Mild
Cost: Weeknight budget$8–16 USD · indicative, not a store price

Know it before you cook it

Image coming soon

About

Moo satay is Thai pork satay: thin strips of shoulder or loin marinated in coconut milk, turmeric, coriander, cumin, lemongrass and a little palm sugar, threaded on bamboo skewers and grilled until the edges caramelise. It comes with two sauces. One is a thick peanut sauce of red curry paste fried in coconut cream, ground roasted peanuts and palm sugar, sharpened with tamarind. The other is ajad, cucumber, shallot and chilli in sweetened vinegar, which cuts through the richness. Street vendors grill over charcoal, fanning the coals and basting with coconut milk as they turn. At home a barbecue is best and a ridged griddle pan gets most of the way.

What you'll need

24 ingredients. Tap each one once it's out on the bench.

0 of 24 ready

24 servings

Satay
Peanut sauce
Ajad

Ingredients

Servings

Satay

Pork, shoulder or loin, in strips 5 mm thick and 3 cm wide600 g
Coconut milk, 100 ml for the marinade, 50 ml for basting150 ml
Turmeric4.9 ml
Ground coriander4.9 ml
Cumin, ground2½ ml
Lemongrass, tender part only, finely chopped1
Garlic2 clove
Palm sugar15 ml
Fish sauce15 ml
Salt2½ ml
Neutral oil15 ml

Peanut sauce

Peanuts, roasted, unsalted, finely ground100 g
Coconut milk250 ml
Thai red curry paste22 ml
Palm sugar30 ml
Tamarind, paste15 ml
Salt2½ ml

Ajad

Cucumber, quartered lengthways and thinly sliced½
Shallot, thinly sliced2
Fresh chilli, red, sliced1
Vinegar, white60 ml
Sugar59 ml
Water60 ml
Salt2½ ml

Scaling multiplies the written quantities. Baking still prefers a scale.

Steps

Step 1
Pound the lemongrass and garlic to a paste and mix with 100 ml coconut milk, the turmeric, ground coriander, cumin, palm sugar, fish sauce, salt and oil. Add the pork, mix well, cover and chill for 2 hours or overnight. Soak 24 bamboo skewers in water.
15 min
Step 2
For the peanut sauce, simmer 100 ml of the coconut milk in a saucepan until the oil starts to separate, then fry the curry paste in it for 2 minutes. Add the rest of the coconut milk, the peanuts, palm sugar, tamarind and salt and simmer 5 to 8 minutes, stirring, until thick enough to coat a spoon.
12 min
Step 3
For the ajad, warm the vinegar, sugar, water and salt until dissolved and leave to cool. Just before serving, pour it over the cucumber, shallot and chilli.
5 min
Step 4
Thread the pork onto the skewers in flat, slightly bunched ribbons, covering about two-thirds of each skewer.
15 min
Step 5
Heat a barbecue or a ridged griddle pan until very hot. Grill the skewers 2 to 3 minutes a side, brushing with the reserved coconut milk as you turn, until charred at the edges and cooked through.
15 min
Tip: Work in batches and keep the pan smoking hot. Crowded skewers steam and go grey.
Step 6
Serve hot with the peanut sauce and the ajad, and a few squares of toasted white bread if you want to do it the Bangkok way.
2 min

Nutrition

Per serving · estimate

Calories: 144 kcal
Protein: 8.4 g
Carbs: 6.6 g
Fat: 9.6 g
Saturated fat: 4.7 g
Fibre: 0.9 g
Sugar: 5.3 g
Sodium: 229 mg

Calculated from canonical ingredient data (USDA FoodData Central averages and equivalent published tables). Estimates only.

Allergens

Informational only. Not a medical guarantee. Cross-contamination happens in real kitchens.

Peanuts
Fish
Shellfish

Dairy-free
Gluten-free

Adapt this recipe

The original recipe stays as it is. Personal versions are labelled. Serving changes are simple maths.

Adaptations · 0 / 15 used. Resets 12 November.

Substitutions

Pork → Chicken thigh
Gai satay, the most common version outside Thailand. Same marinade and timings.
Roasted peanuts → Smooth unsweetened peanut butter
Use 80 g and reduce the palm sugar a little. Smoother and less nutty.

Tips

Slightly fatty shoulder stays juicier than loin over a fierce heat.
The peanut sauce thickens as it cools. Loosen it with a splash of coconut milk or water.

History & culture

Satay carts work Bangkok's markets and busy junctions from late afternoon, selling skewers by the ten with the sauces tied in little plastic bags. It is a snack, eaten standing up or taken home to go with rice and other dishes. Many Bangkok vendors add a few squares of toasted white bread for mopping up the peanut sauce.

Satay came to Thailand from the Malay and Indonesian world, probably through the Muslim communities of the south and of Bangkok. Where the word comes from is argued over, with Javanese, Malay and Tamil roots all proposed. In Muslim Malaysia and Indonesia satay is mostly chicken, beef or goat; pork satay belongs to Thailand, Bali and Chinese communities across the region, and the Thai peanut sauce is sweeter and carries red curry paste.

Traditional — Vendors grill over a long trough of charcoal, which gives smoke and a fast char. A charcoal barbecue is the closest match at home; a smoking-hot ridged griddle pan is written as the alternative and gives less smoke. Most red curry pastes contain shrimp paste, hence the shellfish allergen.

Provenance: Editorial adaptation.

Questions about this recipe

Answers taken from this dish's times, amounts, swaps and tips.

How long does Moo satay take?

3 hr 5 min all in — 40 min prep, 25 min cook, 2 hr rest. Cook and rest follow the method. Leftover storage and optional extra waits are not included.

How many does it serve?

The recipe is written for 24 skewers. Scale the ingredient list on the page if you are cooking for a different number.

How hard is it?

Medium.

How spicy is it?

Mild.

What allergens should I watch?

This recipe is labelled for Peanuts, Fish, Shellfish. Labels are informational — check the packets in your kitchen. This is not medical advice.

Does it fit a diet?

The published recipe is labelled Dairy-free, Gluten-free.

10 more questions

What does it cost to cook?

Weeknight budget — about $8–16 USD, as a grocery budget for this recipe, not a restaurant price.

What equipment do I need?

Mortar and pestle, Mixing bowl, Saucepan, Frying pan, Tongs.

How much salt do I put in?

The recipe lists Salt at ½ tsp.

How much fish sauce?

1 tbsp of Fish sauce.

How much vinegar?

60 ml (white) of Vinegar.

How much sugar?

4 tbsp of Sugar.

What can I use instead?

Pork → Chicken thigh. Gai satay, the most common version outside Thailand. Same marinade and timings. Roasted peanuts → Smooth unsweetened peanut butter. Use 80 g and reduce the palm sugar a little. Smoother and less nutty.

Any tips from this recipe?

Slightly fatty shoulder stays juicier than loin over a fierce heat. The peanut sauce thickens as it cools. Loosen it with a splash of coconut milk or water.

Can I prepare this ahead?

Pound the lemongrass and garlic to a paste and mix with 100 ml coconut milk, the turmeric, ground coriander, cumin, palm sugar, fish sauce, salt and oil. Add the pork, mix well, cover and chill for 2 hours or overnight. Soak 24 bamboo skewers in water.

Can I use an air fryer?

This method is not written for an air fryer. The core technique on the page still applies.