Peanut Cultivars Used in Satay Sauce/Indonesian and Malaysian Cooking

[Simon Lewinson]

Hi all, I have been trying for years to create a sate sauce that has the rally rich peanut flavour that I have tasted many times in Indonesia and Malaysia. I think that the peanuts we have in the western countries are aimed at better yield and easier farming rather than flavour. My limited observations are that the Indonesian peanuts are really small and almost spherical in contrast to our larger and more elongated nuts.

Has anybody else experienced this? Any sources of information on the peanut cultivars used in the Asian countries?

Thanks in advance

Simon

[Lisa Shock]

Do you start with raw nuts and roast them before grinding them? I find that roasting right before using the nuts really makes a big difference. I even make peanut butter in tiny batches that I consume in a day maybe two max.That said, different types do seem to have different flavor, I tend to prefer the 'Spanish' ones.

[Simon Lewinson]

Lisa, I have tried roasting the raw nuts but they still lack that real peanutty flavour that I have tasted overseas.

I have managed to buy some Indonesian sate sauce that is the closest I have found - Enak Eco Bumbu Sate Ayam. If you can get some I would be interested in your thoughts.

Simon

[Lisa Shock]

Hmmm, will look for it an my next trip to the super-big asian market. I'll also check out the Indonesian aisle for peanuts. Gonna be a few days, though.

[Simon Lewinson]

Lisa, will look forward to your feedback.

Simon

[huiray]

Have a look here and follow the links for Menglembu Peanuts (and the roasting method & etc) for one kind of peanut one gets in Malaysia...  :-) 

[Simon Lewinson]

Huiray, they might indeed be the peanuts that I am chasing. I will see if I can find that brand at the Asian supermarket when I travel to Melbourne next week.

Simon

[Simon Lewinson]

Have a look here and follow the links for Menglembu Peanuts (and the roasting method & etc) for one kind of peanut one gets in Malaysia...  :-)

Huiray, I have tried some menglembu peanuts and they are much better than the local ones but do not seem to be quite "dark" enough in flavour. I will try roasting a few further to see if that gets me to where I want to be.

Simon

[huiray]

Huiray, I have tried some menglembu peanuts and they are much better than the local ones but do not seem to be quite "dark" enough in flavour. I will try roasting a few further to see if that gets me to where I want to be.

Simon

 

Interesting to hear.

 

Yes, the peanuts are usually toasted/"grilled"/"fried" (Malay: goreng) before making the satay sauce in Malaysia.  Here's one web-published recipe, by "Cheff" (a cooking personality with a mixed reputation) for the satay sauce (for chicken satay) purportedly from Haji Samuri, which is the most well-known (and reputed**) purveyor of satay in Kajang, Malaysia, which in turn is supposed to be the kind that is held up as the popular standard for satay in peninsular Malaysia.  Whether or not that recipe is genuine, who knows.  Heh.

 

http://resepicheff.blogspot.com/2013/10/kuah-satay-haji-samuri.html

Google translation.

(p.s. "dihiris" = sliced; "dikisar" = ground/ground up)

 

** Its reputation has had ups and downs in recent years, especially at the new restaurants/outlets beyond the "mother restaurant" in Kajang.  Even the original one in Kajang has had mixed reviews in recent years, especially since the old guard moved on/passed on (I think).  C'est la vie.

Edited May 1, 2014 by huiray (log)

[huiray]

.....

 

http://resepicheff.blogspot.com/2013/10/kuah-satay-haji-samuri.html

Google translation.

(p.s. "dihiris" = sliced; "dikisar" = ground/ground up)

 

.....

 

p.p.s. "7 biji bawang merah" is not quite "7 onion seeds"; rather, it is "7 shallots", of the size commonly used in the cuisine and in SE Asia which would perhaps be around 1" to 1.5" in diameter.  (Also, "4 garlic pillowcase" should be 4 cloves of garlic. :-) )

 

("biji" is a measure word; "bawang merah" is "onion red" = shallot, as the closest cousin in the West)

Edited May 2, 2014 by huiray (log)