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Brief Overview
Sate Padang is not your typical satay. While many are familiar with the sweet peanut sauce of Java’s versions, this West Sumatran classic takes a different path. It is bold, spicy, and served with a thick yellow gravy that surprises first timers in the best possible way.
Originating from the Padang region of West Sumatra, this dish is known for its intensity. It is street food at its finest, found sizzling on roadside grills and packed into plates with compressed rice and plenty of sauce. Each bite feels deliberate and rich with spice.
For those who love satay but want something more daring, Sate Padang offers a deeper dive. It is both a meal and a story, seasoned by tradition and fired over hot coals to produce flavours that speak of smoke, spice, and history.
What Is Sate Padang?
Sate Padang is a regional satay made using beef or offal, grilled over charcoal and served with a thick, spiced sauce unlike anything else in Indonesian cuisine. The meat is tender, slightly smoky, and soaked in a curry like gravy.
Unlike the better known peanut based satay sauces, the Sate Padang gravy is made from rice flour and a blend of turmeric, lemongrass, coriander, and chillies. The sauce has a silky texture and coats the meat generously on the plate.
It is typically served with lontong, a compressed rice cake that soaks up the gravy. The dish is eaten with a spoon or fork, and every bite is meant to include meat, sauce, and soft rice to create a full, warming mouthful.
Ingredients and Taste
The meat, often tongue, tripe, or brisket, is boiled until tender and then grilled to order. Before grilling, it is marinated in spices that deepen its flavour. The grilling adds a light char that balances the richness of the sauce.
The sauce itself is what sets this satay apart. Turmeric gives it a yellow hue, while galangal, garlic, ginger, coriander, cumin, and chillies build the complex flavour base. Rice flour thickens the mixture into a rich, fragrant gravy.
The taste is bold and layered. There is heat from the chillies, earthiness from turmeric, and a tangy depth that lingers. The rice cakes bring a cooling contrast, absorbing the spice and mellowing each bite. It is satay, but turned up a notch.
A Taste of History
Sate Padang reflects the broader culinary traditions of the Minangkabau people, known for their love of spice and slow cooked meats. Padang cuisine is famous for rendang, but this satay holds its own among the region’s signature dishes.
The dish is said to have originated in local markets, where street vendors experimented with grilled meats and regional spices. Over time, the yellow sauce became its signature, setting it apart from other satay found elsewhere in the country.
As with many Padang dishes, there are variations. Some use red or brown sauce, depending on the town or even the vendor. Still, the core idea remains the same, grilled beef, bold spices, and a thick sauce that pulls everything together.
Today, Sate Padang remains a favourite across Indonesia. It is a dish that doesn’t rely on sweetness or subtlety but instead leans into its spices with full confidence. It is a reminder of how deeply flavour can be rooted in place and tradition.
How to make Sate Padang
Sate Padang is a bold, spicy satay dish from West Sumatra, known for its tender beef skewers smothered in a thick, yellow curry like sauce made from rice flour and fresh spices. The process involves slow simmering, grilling, and ladling over a rich gravy just before serving. See the recipe card at the bottom for printable directions
Ingredients
For the beef satay
- 600g beef shank or brisket, cut into 2.5cm cubes
- 2 Indonesian bay leaves (daun salam)
- 2 kaffir lime leaves
- 2 lemongrass stalks, bruised
- 1 litre water (for boiling)
Spice paste (Bumbu)
- 8 shallots
- 4 garlic cloves
- 2 red chillies (adjust to taste)
- 3 cm turmeric, peeled
- 3 cm ginger, peeled
- 3 cm galangal, peeled
- 1 tsp coriander seeds
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp salt
For the sauce
- 100g rice flour (or 70g rice flour and 30g tapioca flour)
- 750ml beef stock (from the boiled beef)
- 1 tbsp cooking oil
For serving
- Skewers (soaked in water for 30 minutes)
- Lontong (rice cakes), sliced
- Fried shallots
Cooking Instructions
Step 1: Prepare the spice paste
To begin, blend shallots, garlic, chillies, turmeric, ginger, galangal, coriander seeds, cumin, and salt into a smooth paste. Add a small splash of water if needed to help the blending. Proceed to boil the beef.
Step 2: Simmer the beef
Place the beef cubes in a pot with the blended spice paste, bay leaves, kaffir lime leaves, lemongrass, and 1 litre of water. Bring to a boil, then simmer gently for 1.5 hours or until the beef is tender. Set the beef aside and reserve the stock for the sauce.
Step 3: Skewer the beef
Once cooled, thread the tender beef cubes onto soaked skewers. Avoid packing too tightly so each piece grills evenly. Set aside on a tray and move to preparing the sauce base.
Step 4: Start the sauce
In a saucepan, heat the oil and sauté the remaining spice paste (if any) until fragrant. Slowly pour in the reserved beef stock while stirring. Transition to thickening the sauce.
Step 5: Thicken the sauce
In a small bowl, dissolve rice flour with a bit of water. Slowly whisk this mixture into the simmering sauce. Stir continuously over low heat until it thickens to a gravy like consistency. Set aside and cover to keep warm.
Step 6: Grill the satay
Preheat a grill or griddle pan. Grill the beef skewers over medium heat until lightly charred and heated through, about 2 to 3 minutes per side. Move to plating for serving.
Final step: Serve with sauce and rice cakes
Place 3 to 4 skewers on a plate alongside slices of lontong. Generously ladle the thick yellow sauce over the skewers and rice cakes. Garnish with fried shallots. Serve immediately while hot and fragrant.
Variations and substitutions
- Use tongue or offal for a more traditional Minangkabau version.
- Substitute rice flour with cornstarch if needed, but it may alter texture.
- Add more chillies for a spicier Sate Padang or reduce for milder taste.
Cooking Tips for Perfect Sate Padang
- Always simmer beef gently to retain its juiciness without drying out.
- Use freshly ground turmeric for vibrant colour and earthy flavour.
- Constantly stir the sauce while adding rice flour to avoid lumps.
- Grill quickly to char without overcooking the tender meat.
Indonesian Sate Padang (Beef Skewers with Peanut Sauce)
Ingredients
For the beef satay
- 600 g beef shank or brisket cut into 2.5cm cubes
- 2 Indonesian bay leaves daun salam
- 2 kaffir lime leaves
- 2 lemongrass stalks bruised
- 1 litre water for boiling
Spice paste (Bumbu)
- 8 shallots
- 4 garlic cloves
- 2 red chillies adjust to taste
- 3 cm turmeric peeled
- 3 cm ginger peeled
- 3 cm galangal peeled
- 1 tsp coriander seeds
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp salt
For the sauce
- 100 g rice flour or 70g rice flour and 30g tapioca flour
- 750 ml beef stock from the boiled beef
- 1 tbsp cooking oil
For serving
- Skewers soaked in water for 30 minutes
- Lontong rice cakes, sliced
- Fried shallots
Instructions
- To begin, blend shallots, garlic, chillies, turmeric, ginger, galangal, coriander seeds, cumin, and salt into a smooth paste. Add a small splash of water if needed to help the blending. Proceed to boil the beef.
- Place the beef cubes in a pot with the blended spice paste, bay leaves, kaffir lime leaves, lemongrass, and 1 litre of water. Bring to a boil, then simmer gently for 1.5 hours or until the beef is tender. Set the beef aside and reserve the stock for the sauce.
- Once cooled, thread the tender beef cubes onto soaked skewers. Avoid packing too tightly so each piece grills evenly. Set aside on a tray and move to preparing the sauce base.
- In a saucepan, heat the oil and sauté the remaining spice paste (if any) until fragrant. Slowly pour in the reserved beef stock while stirring. Transition to thickening the sauce.
- In a small bowl, dissolve rice flour with a bit of water. Slowly whisk this mixture into the simmering sauce. Stir continuously over low heat until it thickens to a gravy like consistency. Set aside and cover to keep warm.
- Preheat a grill or griddle pan. Grill the beef skewers over medium heat until lightly charred and heated through, about 2 to 3 minutes per side. Move to plating for serving.
- Place 3 to 4 skewers on a plate alongside slices of lontong. Generously ladle the thick yellow sauce over the skewers and rice cakes. Garnish with fried shallots. Serve immediately while hot and fragrant.
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