This Indonesian pork satay recipe is pretty special. Not only is it packed with flavour from a marinade of kaffir lime leaves, kecap manis (or kicap manis) and sweet shallots, but it’s also healthy, quick and easy to make. Oh and it’s a low carb pork recipe too! Stir fried asparagus is in season right now and makes the perfect companion for the Indonesian pork. To marry everything together, there’s a super simple vegan peanut butter sauce recipe (with a birdseye chilli kick!) that I’ve been eating with just about everything lately.
The star of this dish though is absolutely the Balinese pork satay. My version is made using pork tenderloin, which is such an underrated cut here in the UK and a total bargain. For some reason, a fillet of a beef is revered and priced accordingly, yet the fillet of pork is almost entirely ignored. When cooked perfectly, it makes for such a tasty cut. If you want know how to grill pork tenderloin, the key is in the marinading. It doesn’t need to be done for long to make a BIG difference and this is 100% the perfect marinade for grilled pork tenderloin. It’s so simple too. Beautiful caramelised shallots form the base, then there’s a lovely hit of crushed garlic but the real stars of this marinade recipe are the kaffir lime leaves and the kecap manis. If you’ve not used kecap manis before, it makes for a stunning marinade! It’s a super sweet and sticky soy sauce that coats the pork beautifully. The kaffir lime leaves are one of my all time favourite ingredients, but they must be either fresh, or frozen. Personally, I wouldn’t bother with dried kaffir lime leaves, they miss everything that makes the fresh version so special. The kecap manis marinade is also loaded up with plenty of crushed black pepper, delicious!
Alongside the Indonesian pork satay is one of my absolute favourite seasonal ingredients, British asparagus. The English asparagus season is now in full swing, so I’ve been making the most of this delicious veggie in recent weeks (such as in this beautiful frittata). This stir fried asparagus could not be quicker or easier, but best of all, it makes the most of that delicious Balinese satay marinade. Once the satay pork is cooked and is resting, quickly stir fry the asparagus and pour over what’s left of the satay marinade. Once this is piping hot and bubbling away it’s ready and tastes wonderful.
One ingredient that goes beautifully with both grilled pork and asparagus are peanuts. To finish off this low carb lunch, I came up with a simple vegan peanut butter sauce to serve alongside. It’s got a spicy kick from the birdseye chilli, and a delicious creaminess from the coconut milk. As it’s vegan, it’s really versatile and can be enjoyed by almost everyone. It goes so well with grilled veggies!
A great big thank you to Rick Stein for the inspiration behind this Balinese pork satay recipe. Rick Stein’s Far Eastern Odyssey is packed with delicious Asian recipes and the kecap manis marinade recipe came from his book.
INDONESIAN PORK SATAY, STIR FRIED ASPARAGUS & A SIMPLE PEANUT BUTTER SAUCE RECIPE
Ingredients
Pork Satay
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 banana shallot finely chopped
- 6 cloves garlic crushed
- 1 tsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp kecap manis
- 2 tsp black pepper coarsely ground
- 4 kaffir lime leaves finely sliced
- 500 g pork tenderloin cut into 1" medallions
Simple Peanut Butter Sauce
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 banana shallot finely chopped
- 4 cloves garlic finely crushed
- 1 red birdseye chilli finely sliced
- 100g smooth peanut butter
- 2 tsp kecap manis
- 1 lime, juice of
- 80 g coconut milk
- Water as required
Other ingredients
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 bunch asparagus spears sliced, woody ends removed
- Thai basil, toasted peanuts & lime wedges to serve
Instructions
- For the pork satay – Heat oil in a medium frying pan over medium heat & gently sweat shallots until golden. Once cooked, tip into mixing bowl with garlic, soy, kecap manis, pepper & lime leaves. Mix thoroughly then add pork and stir well. Marinate for at least ten minutes.
- For the peanut sauce – in a small pan on a low heat, sweat shallots & garlic until golden, stir in chilli and sweat for another minute. Tip into bowl. Add peanut butter, kecap manis & lime juice. Stir thoroughly, then add coconut milk. Whisk into smooth sauce. You can loosen the sauce with a little water if required (some peanut butters are stiffer than others).
- Heat a griddle pan or barbecue to medium high heat. Thread marinated pork onto skewers. Grill skewers for 8-10 minutes, flipping every minute or two, until cooked through. Allow to rest.
- Finally, in a large frying pan heat remaining oil and stir fry asparagus for 2-3 minutes until vibrant and tender. Pour in any leftover pork marinade and sizzle for a couple of minutes until piping hot. Serve kebabs and asparagus with peanut sauce and finished with herbs, toasted peanuts & lime wedges.
