Golden Pork Satays with Thai Peanut Dip

Slender slivers of grilled curry marinated pork are always a favorite at parties. If you don’t have the time to skewer the meat, use the same marinade on pork chops or even chicken thighs and simply grill the larger pieces over a lower heat. I always pan-roast or deep-fry the peanuts myself for the deepest flavor possible (see page 24), if you must, you can oven roast or buy them already roasted (unsalted and unseasoned—read that label). Don’t use peanut butter unless you see it ground in front of you solely from peanuts, most shelved brands add ingredients that change the flavor profile of the finished sauce completely.

Makes about 30 skewers
Preparation time: 10 mins + marinating time
Cooking time: 20 mins

30 bamboo skewers, about 6 inches (15 cm) in length

1½ lb (750 g) pork leg, shoulder (butt), or loin

2 tablespoons yellow curry paste

¼ teaspoon turmeric powder

¼ cup (75 g) Thai palm sugar or light brown sugar

1 tablespoon fish sauce

2 tablespoons coconut milk

THAI PEANUT DIP

1 ½ cups (400 ml) coconut milk

2 tablespoons red curry paste

¼ teaspoon turmeric powder

½ cup (125 ml) water

3 tablespoons Thai palm sugar or light brown sugar

1 tablespoon fish sauce

6 kaffir lime leaves (substitute 1 teaspoon finely grated lime zest)

½ cup (75 g) roasted or deep-fried peanuts

1 Pour some boiling water on top of the skewers, let them cool to room temperature. This helps keep the meat from sticking and makes them resist burning.

2 Cut the pork into flat strips, about 3 x ¾ inch and ¹⁄8 inch thick (7.5 cm x 2 cm x 3 mm). Whisk together the curry paste, turmeric powder, sugar, fish sauce, and coconut milk together in a medium bowl to create a smooth paste. Add the sliced pork and gently massage so that every surface of the pork is coated. Marinate the pork for at least 30 minutes, ideally overnight.

3 Make the Thai Peanut Dip by heating ½ cup of the coconut milk in a small saucepan over medium-high heat, cook, stirring constantly, until it reduces by about half and thickens considerably (about 5 minutes). Mix in the curry paste and cook for an additional minute. Pour in the remaining coconut milk, turmeric powder, water, sugar, fish sauce, kaffir lime leaves and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to simmer for 2 minutes. Transfer to a blender, add the peanuts and carefully pureé until smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning with sugar, fish sauce and salt. Serve warm, room temperature, or chill for later use—it will thicken when cold, adjust with water/coconut milk if necessary.

4 Skewer the pork strips onto the bamboo skewers. Straighten the strips out so that it will cook evenly. Ideally use a charcoal grill to grill the satay, second choice is a gas grill, lastly you could use a stove-top grill pan. First, preheat the grill on high. Then, place a strip of foil parallel to the hottest part of the grill. Use this foil to protect the skewers from burning, and turn the skewers occasionally. Cook until the pork is golden brown (even dark brown in some areas) and cooked through, about 5–8 minutes. Serve with a dipping bowl of the Thai Peanut Dip on the side.Each trip to Thailand I wander the streets in search of tasty bites like these satay I found charring to perfection in the sleepy town of Lam Nari.

Crunchy Sweet Papaya Pickles

Sweet, sour, and salty pickles adorn tables across Thailand, sometimes eaten with the standard dishes of Thailand. I have taken the liberty of enriching the basic dressing with some red curry paste—a wallop of flavor in one spoonful. I have made these pickles with many fruits and vegetables, I recommend sticking with one or two varieties per batch. Try pickling carrots, cabbage, radish, firm honeydew, or cantaloupe, unripe mangos, or even pineapple. I find myself just snacking on these or you may want to serve them with these recipes: Coriander Beef (page 69); Bangkok “Night Market” Ramen (page 100); Roast Duck with Snow Peas and Mango (page 68); Garlic Crab with Green Beans (page 76); Garlic Soy Noodles with Pork (page 97); Cinnamon-scented Beef Noodle Soup (page 101), or Five Spice Slow-cooked Pork (page 66).

Serves 4–6
Preparation time: 5 mins
Cooking time: 10 mins

½ cup (125 ml) rice vinegar

½ cup (100 g) sugar

1 tablespoon sea salt or kosher salt

2 tablespoons red curry paste

1 tablespoon fish sauce

2 cups (250 g) unripe green papaya, cut into thin slices (see photo box below)

1 Whisk together the vinegar, sugar, salt, curry paste and fish sauce in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and shut off immediately. Remove from the heat, cool to room temperature.

2 Pour over the papaya, pressing under the brine—it’s okay if a few stick out of the top, the papaya will release some water and the next day they will be under the brine.

3 The next day, after giving them a stir—you can eat them right away or slowly tap into this storehouse of flavor over the next few weeks.