Satay: skewers, charcoal and the sauce that made it famous

Satay is sold from carts all over Indonesia, and the smell of charcoal and grilling meat is one of the defining street-food aromas of the country. The meat is cut small, threaded onto bamboo skewers, marinated in spices and grilled quickly over charcoal.

The sauce is what makes it Indonesian. Peanut sauce, thick and slightly sweet, is the best-known version, but there is also sate bumbu kacang, sate Padang with a thick yellow sauce, and sate taichan with a simple chilli and lime dip. Every region has its own.

The meat and the marinade

Chicken is the most common, followed by beef, lamb and goat. The meat is cut into small pieces, marinated with garlic, shallot, coriander, turmeric, kecap manis and a little oil, then threaded onto bamboo skewers. The marinade tenderises the meat and gives it a sweet, savoury base.

Some versions use offal: sate usus (chicken intestines), sate kulit (skin) and sate ampela (gizzard) are common. In Padang, the meat is simmered in a spice broth before grilling, which gives it a deeper flavour and a different texture.

• Chicken, beef, lamb or goat
• Marinade of garlic, coriander and kecap
• Bamboo skewers
• Grilled fast over charcoal

The sauces

Peanut sauce is the classic. Ground peanuts are mixed with garlic, chilli, palm sugar, tamarind and lime, and thinned with water or coconut milk. It is served warm, sometimes with a drizzle of kecap manis and a squeeze of lime.

Sate Padang uses a thick yellow sauce made from rice flour, turmeric, coriander and beef broth, poured over the skewers. Sate taichan, from Jakarta, is served with a simple chilli and lime dip, and sate bumbu kacang is the peanut version. Each has its own following.

How it is grilled

The skewers are placed over a long charcoal grill, close to the heat. The cook turns them constantly, brushing with oil or a little marinade, and watches for the moment the edges char and the meat is just cooked. It takes only a few minutes.

The charcoal is essential: it gives the meat a smoky flavour that a gas grill cannot match. The skewers are usually grilled to order, so you may have to wait a few minutes. That is a good sign. If the satay is sitting in a tray, it has been cooked in advance.

Where to eat it

Satay carts appear in the evening, often on street corners and in night markets. In Jakarta, the carts around Jalan Sabang and Blok M are well known. In Bali, the sate lilit, a minced-meat satay wrapped around lemongrass, is a local speciality worth trying.

Sate Padang has its own restaurants, usually with a big pot of yellow sauce and a stack of ketupat. In Yogyakarta, the night market at Malioboro has good satay stalls. Wherever you are, look for a cart with a queue and a cook working over charcoal.

What it costs and how to order

Satay is priced per stick, usually IDR 2,000 to 8,000 depending on the meat and the city. A portion of ten sticks with sauce and lontong costs IDR 30,000 to 60,000. It is cheap, and it is easy to over-order: start with ten and add more if you are hungry.

Order by meat: “sate ayam” for chicken, “sate kambing” for goat, “sate padang” for the yellow-sauce version. Ask for “bumbu kacang” if you want peanut sauce, and “tanpa pedas” if you want it mild. Lontong is the usual accompaniment.

Satay and the Indonesian table

Satay is a communal dish, served on a plate in the middle of the table and shared. It is also a dish of small gestures: the cook turns each skewer by hand, the sauce is made fresh, and the customer waits a few minutes for the grill. It is fast food, but it is not rushed.

The dish has spread across Southeast Asia, and versions in Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand are well known. The Indonesian original is distinguished by the sweet soy marinade and the peanut sauce, and it is worth eating at a street cart rather than a restaurant, where the charcoal and the crowd are part of the experience.

Sate lilit and Bali’s skewers

Bali has its own satay tradition, and it is different from the rest of Indonesia. Sate lilit is made from minced pork, fish or chicken mixed with grated coconut, shallot, garlic, chilli and base genep, then wrapped around a lemongrass stalk or a bamboo stick and grilled.

The texture is softer than a meat skewer, and the flavour is more aromatic, with the lemongrass infusing the meat as it cooks. It is served with a peanut sauce or a spicy sambal, and it is a common part of a Balinese ceremonial plate, alongside lawar and babi guling.

Sate lilit is worth seeking out at a market or a family warung, where it is made fresh. The tourist restaurants often serve a milder version, but the real thing is fragrant and a little fiery. If you are in Bali during a festival, you will likely be offered some. Accept, and eat it while it is hot.

Satay etiquette is simple. Take a skewer from the shared plate, dip it in the sauce and eat it in one or two bites. Do not put the skewer back into the communal sauce after eating from it. Use the lontong to soak up the sauce, and ask for more if you need it. The sticks are usually reused by the vendor, so do not take them home.

A final tip: ask for the satay to be cooked well done. The edges should be charred and crisp, and the meat should be just cooked through. If you are unsure, watch how the locals order and copy them. The best satay is always the batch that has just come off the grill, not the one waiting on the counter.

Questions people actually ask

What is satay?

Small pieces of marinated meat threaded onto bamboo skewers and grilled over charcoal, served with peanut sauce, soy sauce or a chilli dip. It is one of Indonesia’s most famous street foods.

Is satay always peanut sauce?

No. Peanut sauce is the most common, but sate Padang uses a thick yellow sauce and sate taichan uses a chilli and lime dip. Ask which sauce comes with the satay.

Is satay safe to eat from a street cart?

Yes, if it is grilled to order over high heat. Look for a busy cart with fresh meat and a cook working continuously. Avoid satay that has been sitting in a tray.

How much satay should I order?

A portion of ten sticks with sauce and lontong is a light meal. Start with ten and add more if you are hungry. It is priced per stick, so it is easy to adjust.