Almond-coated chicken

Satay is one lovely sauce. The little bit spicy peanut and coconut satay is a steady component in many cuisines. The first one that comes to mind is Indonesia where gado-gado aka a platter of different vegetables is always served with satay as dip. Just like that you can find satay with little variations from Malaysian, Vietnamese, Chinese, Thai, but also European and African cuisines. So, an international star.  

Regardless of its brown and slightly dodgy-looking appearance (you can blame the peanuts), it's a nice and hefty sauce which goes well with surprisingly many foods. The most classic combination is perhaps chicken, but when thinking about gado-gado, there's also our much-loved potato, eggs, cabbage, carrot, tofu, and many other components. All things need to be dipped into the satay sauce before they're put in the mouth, so the flavour combination that has been settled throughout a few hundred years, should be a guarantee that the tastes go together. I have to admit that boiled egg in peanut sauce was at first taste a bit unexpected, but not a bad combination. The same with potato. People learn as long as they live :) But an almond-coated juicy chicken stick is created as if it was meant to get power and richness of flavour from satay sauce.  Almond-coated chicken is one of the favourites of our family's children. There's no problem eating it morning-lunch-evening. I, as a mother, enjoy the fact that it's a simple and quick to make food. I've prepared the satay sauce beforehand, but Thai Choice series satay sauce makes this dish even easier and faster to prepare.

What's needed? 

500 g chicken fillet, cut length-wise in two or three, and then across three or four times into cubes 

1 dl coconut milk 

2 dl almond flour or ground almonds 

oil for frying 

salt and pepper 

fresh coriander

  satay sauce to serve  

How to prepare?

Put the chicken cubes into coconut milk and leave for at least half an hour (it's recommended to keep it longer). Mix the almond flour on a plat with a few pinches of salt. Lift the chicken out of the cocount milk and roll each piece in almond flour. You can put the chicken pieces on a wooden stick, then it's easier to turn them around on the pan. Heat the oil on a pan and fry the pieces until golden and crunchy from each side. Serve with satay sauce and add fresh coriander. 

Explore Tuuli Mathisen's other recipes in her wonderful blog "Ise tehtud, hästi tehtud".

Satay kaste on üks mõnus kaste. Maapähklist ja kookosest veidi terav satay on paljude rahvusköökide kindel komponent. Esimesena meenub Indoneesia, kus gado-gado ehk erinevate köögiviljade jm vaagnale sätitakse alati dipikastmeks just satay kaste. Samamoodi leiab väikeste variatsioonidega satay kastet Malaisia, Vietnami, Hiina, Tai ja ka Euroopa ja Aafrika köökidest. Nii et täiesti rahvusvaheline tegija. 

Vaatamata oma pruunikale ja veidi kahtlasele välimusele (selles tuleb süüdistada maapähklit), on tegemist mõnusa tummise kastmega, mis sobib üllatavalt paljude toitude juurde. Kõige klassikalisem on ehk kanaliha, aga mõeldes kasvõi gado-gado peale, siis sätitakse sinna ka meie oma armast kartulit, muna, kapsast, porgandit, tofut ja veel mitmeid komponente. Kõik komponendid tuleb enne suhupistmist satay kastme sisse dippida, seepärast peaks olema maitsekooslus aastasadade jooksul paika loksunud ning garantii, et maitsed sobivad. Pean tunnistama, et näiteks keedetud muna maapähklikastmes oli esmasel maitsmisel väga ootamatu, kuid üldse mitte halb kooslus. Sama kartuliga. Inimene õpib kuni elab. Mandlipaneeringus mahlane kanavarras on aga kui loodud satay kastmelt väge ja maitseküllust juurde saama.

Mida sa vajad?

500 g kanafileed, pikkupidi kaheks või kolmeks ja siis ristipidi kolmeks-neljaks tükiks tükeldatud 

1 dl kookospiima 

2 dl mandlijahu või jahvatatud mandleid 

õli praadimiseks 

soola ja pipart 

värsket koriandrit 

Satay kastet serveerimiseks

Kuidas valmistada?

Tõsta tükeldatud kanafilee kookospiima sisse ja lase vähemal pool tundi (soovitavalt siiski kauem) kookospiima sees seista. Sega taldrikul mandlijahu paari näpuotsatäie soolaga. Tõsta kanafilee kookospiimast välja ning veerata kanafilee tükke mandlijahus. Võid kanatükid lükata puidust varda otsa, siis saad neid korraga kiiremini pannil ümber keerata. Kuumuta pannil õli ning prae kanafilee tükid igast küljest kuldseks ja krõbedaks. Serveeri koos satay kastmega ning paku juurde värsket hakitud koriandrit. 

Vaata Tuuli Mathiseni teisi retsepte tema värvikast blogist "Ise tehtud, hästi tehtud", mille leiad SIIT.