Who doesn't like satay? It's one of the staple starters you get at a Thai or Indonesian restaurant. It's always been a favourite of mine too. It is one dish I've resorted to making at home more and more since I moved to the Netherlands. I've tried chicken satay a few times here in the Netherlands and found it very sweet and not very spicy. I've got a very savoury palate and like a bit of spice now and again, so I decided to come up with a recipe that was more up my street. 

For those of you attending a BBQ in the Netherlands you might also want to note that it is traditional to bring a pot of satay sauce with you (so I've been told by Dutch friends). So, if you happen to be invited to a BBQ by a Dutch person you can use this recipe.This is also my take on the dishes I came across during my travels in Thailand.

Marinade
½ Teaspoon garam masala or you can make your own with this recipe
Juice of half a lime
1 tablespoon of oil

Sauce
150ml coconut milk
5ml fish sauce
50g Thai red curry paste (you can make it yourself, see recipe below, or use shop bought)
Juice of one lime
10ml ketchap manis or 10ml soy sauce and 1 teaspoon brown sugar
2 dessertspoons peanut butter or 50g peanuts whizzed in a blender until smooth



Pour all ingredients into a pan over a medium heat and stir until thickened. 
Pour into a container suitable for dipping.

You can use chicken thighs or breasts for the recipe, or prawns if you so like (if using prawns do not use the lime juice in the marinade). 
Pork or beef also work well here.
Cut into 1 inch pieces large enough to put onto skewers ( for the prawns no need to cut).
Marinade the chicken for at least 1 hour, but no longer as the lime juice will start to cook the meat
Place the chicken onto skewers and either grill, bbq or pan fry the chicken for 5-7 minutes until nicely charred on the outside.

For those of you who would like to make the Thai red curry paste. Here is the recipe that I use. 
This recipe is an adaptation from the Chiang Mai cookery school where I did a course many years ago in Thailand.

Thai Red curry paste
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
¼ tsp black peppercorns
3 cardamom pods crushed and seeds removed
10g coriander roots or stalks if you cannot get the root, finely chopped
1 shallot finely chopped
1 heaped teaspoon finely grated ginger
1 clove garlic grated
2 stalks lemongrass grated
5 dried lime leaves or fresh if you can get them
1 teaspoon shrimp paste
2 red chillies or more if you like heat
2g sea salt

Take all the ingredients and place in a mortar and pestle and break down until it forms a paste.
You can also use a food processor, but the mortar and pestle gives better results flavour wise