The Sumatran minced duck sate | Sate lilit bebek The West Sumatran region of Padang is famed for its spicy cuisine. The island’s wealth of spices such as cinnamon, pepper, chile, and cumin, as well as turmeric, ginger, galangal, and lemongrass, has been fought over for centuries. These quite unusual sate use minced duck meat or chicken, or a combination of the two.
Serves 6
Ingredients:
For the spice paste
1 1⁄2 teaspoons ground turmeric or 3⁄4in (11⁄2cm) piece dried turmeric
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
1⁄2 teaspoon black peppercorns 2 cloves pinch of grated nutmeg
8 macadamia nuts
11⁄4in (3cm) piece of fresh ginger, finely chopped
1 1⁄4in (3cm) piece of galangal,
finely chopped (if not available, double the quantity of ginger)
12 shallots, sliced
3 fresh red chiles, seeded and finely chopped
6 garlic cloves, sliced
2 tablespoons palm sugar
1 teaspoon shrimp paste
handful of cilantro leaves
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 lb (450g) boneless duck breast, coarsely chopped
1 teaspoon crushed black peppercorns
1 teaspoon salt
3⁄4lb (350g) ground chicken
5 kaffir lime leaves
12–14 lemongrass stems
MEthod:
1. To make the spice paste, use a mortar and pestle, or a spice mill, to grind the turmeric, coriander seeds, black peppercorns, cloves, and nutmeg into a powder. Add the macadamia nuts. Put the ginger and galangal in a food processor and pulse to a paste. Add the shallot, chile, and garlic. Blend together until smooth.
2. Combine the ground spices, palm sugar, and shrimp paste, and add to the food processor with the cilantro. Process to combine. Heat the oil in a saucepan over a medium-high heat. Sauté the spice paste for about 5 minutes until fragrant. Set aside to cool.
3. Put the duck meat in the food processor with the salt and crushed black pepper (you do not have to wash the food processor after making the spice paste). Blend into a smooth paste, remove, and combine with the chicken and the cooled spice mix. Turn the lime leaves over so that the undersides are facing up. Using a sharp knife, shave off the stems so that the leaves lie flat.
4. Place the leaves on top of each other, and roll them tightly like a cigar. With a fast rolling motion of the knife, finely chop the lime leaves into thin needle-like shreds. Combine with the duck mixture and mix together.
5. Remove the tough outer layer of the lemongrass and discard. Cut the stems in half through the middle. Mold 2 tablespoons of the sate mixture tightly around the base end of each lemongrass stem. Grill over a hot barbecue or in a preheated ridged cast-iron grill pan for 2–3 minutes on each side until golden brown.
6. Serve straight away. The meat will be perfumed with the spices and lemongrass that have made the island of Padang so famous. You will definitel get the right reaction from your guests when you serve these.
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| Sumatran minced duck sate recipe |
