Satay: Marinade, Skewering, and Grilling

Toast the coriander seed and cumin separately in a dry pan over medium heat until each spice smells open and nutty, then grind to a fine powder — toasting separately prevents the lighter cumin from scorching while the coriander catches up. Combine with the turmeric, lemongrass, garlic, shallots, palm sugar, coconut milk, and fish sauce and work to a smooth paste by mortar or processor. The paste is ready when no coarse lemongrass fibre remains and the mass is uniform in colour and texture.

Slice the chicken to strips of 3–4 mm thickness, 3–4 cm wide, and 8–10 cm long, so that each piece will thread flat on a skewer and grill evenly without thick or thin patches. Coat thoroughly in the marinade paste, cover, and refrigerate for a minimum of 2 hours — overnight is markedly better, as the coconut fat and aromatics need time to penetrate beyond the cut surfaces and perfume the meat all the way through. The meat is ready to skewer when it has taken on a deep yellow colour throughout and feels softened at the surface from the coconut fat.

Soak the bamboo skewers in cold water for 30 minutes so that the exposed ends do not char and catch over the coals before the meat is ready. Thread each strip of marinated chicken lengthwise onto a skewer, weaving the strip back and forth so that it lies flat and cannot rotate or slip when you turn it on the grill. Load no more than 3 strips per skewer; the skewered meat should lie in a single flat plane with no loose ends hanging free.

Prepare the ajaad: combine the sliced cucumber, shallots, and chilli in a bowl. Warm the rice vinegar with enough sugar to produce a light, bright pickling balance — the gentle heat helps the sugar dissolve fully so the liquid is clear and even rather than grainy — and pour over. Allow to stand while the satay grills; the relish is ready when the shallot has softened slightly but the cucumber retains its crunch.

Combine the ground peanuts with coconut milk, palm sugar, and fish sauce in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring continuously so the dense paste does not catch and scorch on the base of the pan. Cook until the sugar dissolves and the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, then hold warm — a sauce left to cool and reheat quickly turns grainy and loses its gloss.

This is where the dish lives or dies. Grill over high charcoal heat with the skewers positioned 5–8 cm from the coals; at 2 minutes, check the first side — the surface must show a deep amber-gold from the turmeric and caramelised palm sugar, with slightly charred edges where the marinade's sugars have gone furthest under the direct heat, and if that colour is absent the baste will not adhere properly on the turn. Baste with coconut milk, turn, and grill the second side for a further 2 minutes, basting once more; the total grill time is 4–5 minutes maximum, and the interior should be just cooked through, since the residual heat of the skewer will continue the process after removal from the coals.

Remove the skewers from the heat immediately once the second side matches the first: deeply coloured, slightly charred at the edges, and glossed from the coconut milk basting. Rest for one minute so the juices redistribute and the surface stays lacquered rather than running when cut. Serve at once alongside the warm peanut sauce and the cucumber relish.