satay (สะเต๊ะ)

Thai. Name of any kind of skewered food. Commonly used are small slices or cubes of meat, which are skewered on thin bamboo sticks, seasoned and grilled or barbequed over a charcoal fire, and usually served with a sauce (fig.). In addition, the slices or cubes of meet are often topped with, or separated from each other by, some fruit and/or vegetables, such as a wedge of pineapple, slices of a bell pepper, whole or chopped chilis, some peels of onion, small tomatoes, etc. Besides the many variations of satay made with fresh meat or seafood, also other kinds of food are regularly used, such as sausages, mushrooms, tofu, look chin (fig.), etc. In Thailand, variations commonly found are: diced pork, which is typically topped by a piece of pork fat, eaten with sticky rice and some sliced cabbage, as well as skewered sliced pork or sliced chicken, which is typically served with peanut sauce, and eaten with slightly roasted or toasted bread and a fresh salad of sliced cucumber, red onions and red chilis, usually decanted with some sweet vinegar, translucent in colour. Though originally a dish from Indonesia, where it developed from the Indian kebab brought by Muslim traders, satay is now commonly found throughout Southeast Asia, especially as a street food snack. On markets in some countries, such as China, also skewered insects are readily found (map - fig.). Also spelt sate. 回