Yummy Satay!

Let us take a moment to appreciate the chunks of meat skewered on a stick and then grilled to perfection that is satay. A loved food across the island, you can say that satay is an obligatory dish that has to be served in gatherings. It’s also used a lot in offerings, especially during Galungan Day.

The term “satay” refers to any type of grilled meat skewered on a stick. The typical Indonesian satay is made of meat chunks (usually goat or chicken) that are grilled over a fire and enjoyed with peanut sauce. But we think the Balinese have more variety with their satay.

In Bali, there are two major types of satay: tusuk (skewered) and lilit (twisted). Satay tusuk refers to the typical Indonesian satay. However, rather than served with peanut sauce, Balinese satay tusuk is often served with a hefty dose of red sambal. On the other hand, satay lilit is unique to Bali. To make satay lilit, the meat has to be made into a form of dough mixed with spices and then twisted around a flat stick. It takes time and skill to make satay lilit, as twisting the meat paste around the stick is a lot harder than it looks. If you do it wrong, the satay will fall apart when it’s grilled. There are also two types of satay lilit: nyuh and gede. Satay lilit nyuh mixes shredded coconut into the meat paste. This adds the flavour of coconut to the meat and also shortens the grilling time. It is often used for lean meats, like chicken and fish. Satay lilit gede features meat paste that is entirely meat. It is reserved exclusively for pork. It takes way longer to cook, but the meat is juicy. It’s a favourite during Galungan day feasts.

Speaking of Galungan, the day before Galungan is the day the Balinese make satay. It’s for the feast and also for offerings. It seems the gods also like satay, just like the Balinese!

While typical satay is made from chicken or goat meat, Balinese satay features many kinds of meat. Beef satay is not popular due to the strong Hindu influence. The most popular is, obviously, pork. In second place, it’s chicken. Then, we have fish. In some restaurants, cuttlefish and squid are also made into satay, albeit only the tusuk variant. Around two decades ago, the Balinese used to make sea turtle satay. Sea turtle satay has been banned now, due to the endangered status of the sea turtle.

Satay is available almost anywhere, from street vendors to high-end restaurants. Just look for some smoke while walking, and if you see a person with a fan and grill, that’s where you can find satay.