Culture

I am Dutch so I thought “oh I’ll make something Dutch!” Alas, I couldn’t find anything really Dutch. Just Pancakes or how to make pea soup.

I settled on making a meal based around a satay sauce recipe which, according to Wikipedia, the Dutch stole from Indonesia and is now massively popular in Holland. This also gave me the chance to make peanut butter from scratch, something I have always wanted to try!

Serves 3-4

Chicken Skewers

• 500g Chicken breast (beef, mutton and pork will do nicely too)
• 6 tbsp Ketjap Manis (Sweet soy sauce—a must have in the kitchen)
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 tsp oil
• 1 tsp crushed chilli
• ¼ tsp salt 
• bamboo skewers—make sure to soak in water for at least ½ an hour before skewering the chicken pieces.

Satay Sauce:

• 1 cup unsalted peanuts
• 2 tbsp Ketjap Manis
• 2 tsp oil
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1 onion—medium
• 150ml chicken stock

Method

1. Cut the chicken into 3 cm pieces. Place into a medium bowl and mix with 2 finely chopped garlic cloves, 6 tbsp of ketjap manis and 1 heaped tsp of crushed chilli. Cover and leave to marinate in the fridge for at least one hour. 
2. Peanut butter time—make your own by food processing the peanuts with ~2 tsp of oil and a pinch of salt, mix until desired texture. Alternatively buy pre made peanut butter.
3. Finely chop the onion and chuck it in a pot (medium heat) with a dash of oil. Add the rest of the chilli and garlic and cook for ~1 min, until cooked but not browned.
4. Add the ginger and chicken stock. When you can smell the ginger, add the peanut butter, remaining ketjap manis and brown sugar. Stir well.
5. Add in the milk and another pinch of salt (check to see if it really needs it first!)
6. Now you can add a dash of sweet chilli if you feel like it. Add the coconut too and simmer for a few minutes. If you desire a thinner consistency, add more milk or water.
7. To finish the meal, skewer the chicken and grill it or cook it on a griddle pan until chicken is cooked through and slightly charred. 
8. Serve with satay sauce on the side, alongside with rice, or kroepoek/veggie crisps (I know Countdown sells them in the chips aisle). 
9. Pairs with most vegetables; stir-fry mix always works well.