Welcome back to my food series, A Look Into Indonesian Authentic Food.
This time, I will be introducing you to another Indonesian Food Diva, Sate Padang. Many websites, blogs, and travel blogs often refer you to trying this meat in a skewer dish. So, today I will uncover the characteristics of this satay, the differences between other satay in Indonesia, and also tell you about its taste. Who knows, after reading this, you will be tempted to try!
Sate is how indonesian refers to grilled meat pierced in a skewer. There are many types of sate, or satay in English, that exist in Indonesia. Each region, island, and provinces have their own signature of sate. The common sate is the one that’s from Java island where the sate is made from lamb, beef, or any meats, grilled and served with peanut sauce. But, there are some unique satays in Indonesia that are quite distinguishable, such as Sate Padang.
Sate padang is a rich spice and flavorful sate with a distinct sauce. Unlike most sate in Java, The meat in sate padang is made of beef boiled with various spices including pepper, cumin, coriander, nutmeg, cayenne, and other spices. Then, after boiled, it will be pierced with the skewer then grilled.
After the grilling process, it will be served with thick sauces made from rice flour and the beef stock from the boiling process. This sauce is different from javanese satay where they use peanut and soy sauce for the sauce. Sate padang hot, peppery , and full of spice flavour is truly a spice delight.
If you are not allowed to eat spicy food, I think you can skip this one. But if you are a fan of spicy dishes, this is a must try food when you travel to Indonesia. If you can, always try to get the food from its place, but if you can’t then that’s okay. So to summarize, here are the differences of Sate Padang with other satay.
- Sate Padang uses plenty of spices and pepper.
- Sate Padang uses beef stock and the rice flour for its sauce
- Sate Padang flavor is dominated by spicy flavor
Today was actually my first time trying this Sate padang after being told by a colleague two years ago. It was a unique experience especially for my palate that was used to sweet and savory satay. The gooey texture from the sauce was intriguing. I don’t know what is the proper way to eat this satay, so I just bathed the satay with the sauce and also ate the ketupat, rice cooked inside a bamboo woven pouch.
When I had the first bite, I could already feel the spices, the peppery and the hotness of the satay. That moment, I knew that this would be the last, I would be eating this satay as I can’t eat food with too much pepper on it. Sate Padang that I got was quite okay and it left me wondering, what would the taste be, if I get it from Padang, the capital of Indonesia's West Sumatra province? I bet it would have tasted even better. And that’s it, see you in my next series on A Look Into Indonesian Authentic Food.
If you want to read my previous series on it, here are the list that will make you crave to taste Indonesian cuisine :
Nasi Kuning, Aromatic Savory Yellow Rice: A Look Into Authentic I ndonesian Food.
Nasi Campur, Experience The Diversity of Indonesia Through Nasi Campur
 | Mac is a content creator that covers literature, books, technology, philosophy, nootropics, productivity, minimalist lifestyle, cybersecurity, and languages. Other than those, she is passionate about cooking and travel. In her free time, she enjoys learning various things. |