Satay celup

Viscous tawny liquid bubbles slowly. It looks like mud; it smells like heaven. Peanuts, coriander, lemongrass and chillies. I was a few weeks into my solo trip around Asia, and this was my first experience of hotpot. A communal way of eating where skewers of food are cooked in boiling liquid at the table, hotpot is popular all over Asia, where family is the one constant in a rapidly changing economy, and eating “family-style” is the norm. But Melaka is the only place that uses peanut sauce as the cooking liquid: satay celup is a unique adaptation that fuses the culinary traditions of a diverse population into a mouth-watering whole. Seeing I'm alone, a local teacher invites me to join her table.

A huge metal vat of bubbling sauce dominates the centre of our stainless-steel table. Nearby shelves overflow with bamboo skewers: herb-flecked fish balls gleaming like pale pearls, slippery chicken livers, slender green okra stuffed with salty fish paste, morning glory leaves tied into small, neat bundles. There are other things too: strange, meaty things I don't recognise.

My new friend tries to gently steer me away from these stranger foods: “Not for you.” I am a tourist, and hence expected to be more timid in what I eat. But I want to try everything! She smiles at my enthusiasm as the chatter of languages rise around us like steam from the vats: Bahasa Malay, Cantonese, Hindi, English.

Waitresses scurry about topping up the vats of sauce and bowls of diced bread (to soak up the fragrant and spicy liquid); no one ever leaves unsatisfied. Skewers are plunged into sauce and tasty titbits are shared. We laugh. We talk. I am made to feel welcome.

When we're done, the waitress counts the sticky used skewers on our table to calculate the bill. My host, quietly gracious, insists on paying for my dinner, proclaiming me a guest in her city.

I fell in love with Malaysia that day, where four cultures have merged into one tasty broth, and belly and heart are always full.

Recipe

Peanut cooking liquid:

1 tbsp of coriander seeds

2 tbsp oil (can use groundnut, sunflower, or another similar oil)

¾ cup of finely diced Asian shallots (or substitute regular onions if unavailable)

1 tbsp of finely minced garlic (about 3 cloves)

2 tsp of finely minced galangal (if unavailable, the closest substitute is ginger)

3 stalks lemongrass, bruised

1 large fresh red chili, finely minced

2 dried red chilies, broken into large pieces

2 tsp shrimp paste

½ cup peanut butter or ½ cup finely crushed peanuts

2 tbsp palm sugar (or substitute light brown sugar if unavailable)

1 cup chicken stock

Skewers – choose a selection from:

Prawns

Small squid

Thin strips of beef

Thin strips of chicken

Small air-dried sausages

Fish balls (can purchase in Asian supermarkets)

Hard boiled quail eggs

Cubes of deep fried tofu

Small button mushrooms

Baby corn

Small bundles of morning glory

Okra

Scallions

To serve:

Crusty bread

Cucumber

Method:

Heat a dry frying pan and toast the coriander seeds lightly over low heat for a couple of minutes, until fragrant and starting to brown. Do not leave unattended, as can go from brown to burnt very quickly. Take off the heat, allow to cool for a few minutes, then grind in a spice grinder or in a pestle and mortar.

Heat the oil in a saucepan to medium heat, then add the onion and sweat 4-5 minutes, until starting to go translucent. Add the garlic, galangal, lemongrass, both chilies and shrimp paste, and sweat 2 additional minutes, until fragrant. Add a small splash of water if anything looks like it might “catch” and start to burn.

Add the coriander, peanut butter and palm sugar, mix well, and gradually add the stock, stirring all the while until you have a thick sauce. Add additional water, until sauce is the consistency of cream (it will thicken as it cooks, so you don't want it too thick at this stage).

Simmer for 10-15 minutes, while you prepare the rest of the meal by threading ingredients onto bamboo skewers, slicing cucumber into rounds or half-moon shapes, and cutting crusty bread into large cubes.

Check the consistency of the sauce – you want it thick enough to coat ingredients. If it's too thick, thin with a little water. If it's too thin, you can leave on the heat a few more minutes to reduce further.

To serve, lay the skewers out on a platter for guests to help themselves and transfer the sauce to a hotpot or fondue pot in the centre of your table, so the diners can cook their own skewers. The ingredients take only a couple of minutes to cook in the sauce.

Each diner should also be given a serving of bread (to mop up remains of sauce) and cucumber.

As the meal progresses, the sauce will gradually thicken. Just add a little boiling water to thin if required.

Serves: 4-6
Preparation and cooking time: 30-40 minutes to prep the sauce and skewers

Note: the pictures above were all taken when I recreated the recipe at home, as I didn't take any pictures during the meal described in the opening story.