Mini Beef Satay with Spiced Peanut Sauce and Quick Sambal

Combine minced garlic, sliced shallots, soy sauce, coconut oil, and lime juice in a large bowl. Whisk together until well emulsified.

Add beef cubes to the marinade and toss to coat every piece. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or up to 2 hours. Do not reuse this marinade after contact with raw beef.

In a dry wok or large skillet over medium-high heat, toast garlic and shallots for 2 minutes until fragrant and lightly charred at the edges.

Add cayenne pepper and cook for 30 seconds, stirring constantly.

Transfer to a mortar or cutting board and roughly pound/chop. Mix in diced tomato, lime juice, and salt. Set aside — this is your soul.

In the same wok over medium heat, toast raw peanuts in coconut oil for 3-4 minutes until golden and fragrant. Watch carefully — they burn fast.

Add garlic and cook 1 minute more.

Pour in 150ml water and soy sauce. Simmer for 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until sauce thickens and peanuts have absorbed most liquid.

Stir in lime juice, cayenne, and salt. Taste and adjust. Remove from heat — sauce will thicken further as it cools.

Thread marinated beef cubes onto bamboo skewers (4-5 pieces per skewer). Brush with remaining marinade.

Heat wok over high heat until smoking. Add a splash of coconut oil and sear skewers in batches, 2-3 minutes per side, until deeply browned and internal temperature reaches 63°C. Rest on a wire rack.

Arrange satay skewers on a platter. Serve peanut sauce in a small bowl for dipping, and sambal alongside — never on the side, never mixed in. Garnish with cucumber slices and scallions.