Beef satay with peanut sauce

Unlike the usual muchomo, the beef is cut into long strips which are threaded on to skewers in a back and forth manner and then bunched together in a zigzag manner.

It is best to use fillet or rump steak which is more tender than regular beef.

Coconut milk adds a nice flavour to the sauce and can easily be made from fresh dried coconut (brown in colour) which cost about 1,500 shillings in Nakasero and other local markets.

Ingredients
1 kg fillet/rump steak
For the marinade
80ml (5 ½ tbsp) soy sauce 2 cloves garlic, grated
1 tsp ginger, finely grated 2 tbsp oil
You will need Wooden skewers
For the peanut sauce
250ml (1 cup) roasted groundnuts 2 cloves garlic, finely grated
2½ tsp soy sauce 2 tsp lime juice
1 level tsp cayenne pepper ¼ small coconut
80ml (1/3 cup) water

1. Trim the steak of any excess fat and sinew.
2. Slice the steak into large slices of 1½cm- 2cm thickness. Cut these slices into long even strips and thread these on to wooden skewers that have previously been soaked in water. When threading the meat on to the skewers, thread them back and forth in a zig-zag manner and then bunch them up, so that the beef covers three-quarters of the skewers.
3. Pour the marinade ingredients in jug and mix well. Put the skewers in a container and pour the marinade over the beef. Cover and keep in the fridge for 2-3 hours or overnight, turning skewers occasionally.
4. Barbecue the skewers over an oiled charcoal grill or hot plate after the coals have formed a whitish ash, until the beef is tender.
5. To make the sauce: Make the coconut milk by scraping the white flesh from the piece of coconut and grate it. Heat 125ml (½ cup) water without boiling. Put the coconut in a bowl and pour the hot water over it. Cover the bowl and let it stand for an hour. Sieve and measure about 80 ml (1/3 cup) for the sauce.
6. Put the roasted nuts, garlic, soy sauce, lime juice, cayenne pepper, soy sauce and 1/3 cup coconut milk and 1/3 cup water in a blender and process to a smooth paste. If the sauce is too thick add a little more coconut milk. Heat the sauce and serve with the beef.