Thai and Indian grilled meats are perfect for a luncheon buffet or dinner party. These delicious skewered meats come with their own dipping sauces. International flavors from Thailand and India use a handful of intense, flavorful spices and fresh ingredients to make your food memorable.
Having spent almost a decade living in Asia, these recipes have been in my family for most of my life but do change with the times. For example, instead of using peanut butter in the Satay, it's very easy to find Tahini (ground sesame seeds) in most food markets today. Either one works fine in the recipe but I'm really partial to the flavor of Tahini.
Lamb Tikka Meatballs
Tikka Marinade Ingredients:
- 1-1/2 cups plain yogurt
- 1 Tbsp ground nuts (cashew, almonds or peanuts)
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- Juice of one lemon
- 1/2 tsp ground cardamom
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 tsp curry powder
- 2 Tbsp chopped fresh mint
Directions for the Marinade:
- Put all the ingredients in a bowl and stir well to mix. Reserve 1/2 cup of mixture in a separate bowl in refrigerator for use as dipping sauce later.
Ingredients for Lamb Tikka:
- 1 lb ground lamb
- 2 scallions, chopped
- wooden skewers, pre-soaked in water
Directions for Lamb Tikka:
- Mix onions and 2 Tbsp marinade into ground lamb, blending well.
- Prepare meat into balls, about one or two inches in diameter. Arrange in a shallow dish.
- Spoon remaining marinade and cover with plastic wrap; chill meatballs overnight in refrigerator.
- Thread meatballs onto pre-soaked wooden skewers and place on grill (4-5 minutes-turning once) or until they are crisp and golden brown on all sides. Serve with the reserved marinade for dipping sauce.
Thai Chicken Satay
Ingredients:
- 12 bamboo skewers
- 1 English (seedless) cucumber, thinly sliced
- 1-1/2 tbsp salt
- 1 Tbsp Thai green curry paste
- 1/4 cup plus 1/3 cup well-stirred unsweetened coconut milk (not cream of coconut)
- 4 medium skinless, boneless chicken breasts (cut into 8 strips)
- 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter or Tahini (sesame seed paste)
- 2 tsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp dark brown sugar
- 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1/4 cup rice vinegar
- 3 Tbsp sugar
- 2 med shallots, thinly sliced
- optional: 1 jalapeno pepper, minced (seeds and pulp discarded)
Directions:
- Place skewers in water to soak for 30 minutes.
- Toss cucumber in bowl with salt; let stand 30 minutes.
- In another bowl, stir curry paste and 1/4 cup coconut milk until combined.
- Add chicken and turn to coat.
- Prepare gas grill / med heat.
- Drain cucumber, discarding liquid in bowl. Pat cucumber dry with paper towels. Return cucumber to bowl and stir in vinegar, sugar, shallots and jalapeno; refrigerate until ready to serve.
- Thread chicken strips on skewer, accordion-style (see photo below); discard marinade. Place skewers on hot grill. Cover grill and cook 5-8 minutes or till chicken loses its pink color; turning skewers over once.
- Prepare Peanut sauce: In small bowl whisk peanut butter, soy sauce, brown sugar, cayenne pepper and remaining 1/3 cup coconut milk with 1 Tbsp hot water until blended and smooth. Put in serving bowl. Makes about 2/3 cup.
- Serve chicken with peanut sauce and pickled cucumbers.
If you want to reduce the intensity of the spice factor, leave out (or reduce) the cayenne pepper and/or the jalapeno pepper. The curry powder is not spicy or hot, it just has an intense and unique flavor. If you know you're going to have any picky eaters in the crowd, leave a few lamb meatballs and chicken skewers plain and mark them as such.
Vicki F. Chavis - Growing up in Asia, Europe and North America left Vicki with a love of cuisine, history, language, fashion and travel. Today she writes on ...
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