Hay Hay It's Chicken Satay for the Next Donna Day

The year really has started off so well! My sun dried tomatoes and purple basil pesto entry to HHDD #24 was one of the two winning entries. I am sharing the honor with another lovely blogger, Tartasacher of Mil Postres who presented a grand panna cotta with sweet pesto and raspberry sauce. When Joey wrote to me telling me the news I could hardly believe it. But yes - it seems for the first time since the begin of Hay Hay it’s Donna Day! there has been tie.

So, for the first time we decided to have two Donna Hay recipes for you to present. In this 25th session of HHDD you will be creating a savory and a sweet recipe as presented by Donna Hay. I hope you're getting excited about this.

While Tartasacher has selected a delicious sugar grilled fruit and cinnamon yogurt (mouthwatering picture to the right), I thought chicken satay skewers would be ideal for a light and easy meal. This makes an incredibly flavorful combination and a great Donna Hay meal.

I liked the chicken satay because it promised to be full of flavor, marinated in coconut milk and ginger. I loved the fact that cashews are used to coat the chicken adding a lovely crunch. Finally, it's light and easy, which currently fits perfectly into my attempt to avoid heavy foods.

The sugar grilled fruit is so deliciously tantalizing. The fruit is pressed into some sugar and then caramelized in a hot pan. Adding to the caramel flavor is the light cinnamon flavored yogurt. Simply irresistible. You'll find the recipe for the sugar grilled fruit and cinnamon yogurt over at Tartasacher's blog.

A note for Vegetarians/Vegans: You can really go crazy with a vegetarian version of the satay. I love a mix of mushrooms: porcini or button mushrooms are just perfect. Or try tofu, which should be incredibly good with the lovely coconut flavor. Allow your fantasy to take control!

As this is a special HHDD event, a few of the guidelines have been modified so please read carefully.

As with each HHDD here are the guidelines for your entries:

Hay Hay It's Donna Day is open to all food and wine bloggers.

Entries submitted for HHDD must be made specifically for this event, although photos may be submitted to Does My Blog Look Good In This.

The host/s will select, make and  post the original Donna Hay recipe without any changes. Participants may make the same recipe as is, or put their own spin on the recipe by altering the ingredients whilst remaining with the theme or if they prefer to share a well loved recipe within the theme. Entrants must include a link to the host/s and the HHDD facilitator - Bron, in their post.

Entries can be made at any time once the event has been announced but must be posted and emailed to the host by the closing date.

The deadline for your submissions is February 2, 2009.

As we have two hostesses this month with two Donna Hay recipes we ask you to send all your sweet Donna Hay recipes for sugar grilled fruit and cinnamon yogurt to Tartasacher at: milpostres[AT]gmail[DOT]com.

Your savory Donna Hay recipes for chicken satay should be sent to me at:
blogmeeta[AT]gmail[DOTcom.

When emailing your savory submissions to me, please include "HHDD # 25 - Satay Skewers Entry" in the subject line of your email and the following information:

• Your blog name

• Your name

• The URL of blog

• Your location

• Your recipe name

• The URL or the permalink to your entry.

After the deadline all participants will get the opportunity to vote on their favorite dish and one overall winner shall be selected from both the sweet and savory dishes.

So, enough of all those guidelines and now to Donna Hay's recipe for Chicken satay.

Recipe Coconut Cashew Chicken Satay Skewers

(as presented by Donna Hay - Chicken Satay Skewers)

Ingredients
Printable version of recipe here.

Serves 4

½ cup (125ml) coconut milk
1 cup (150g) cashew nuts
½ teaspoon grated ginger
½ teaspoon fish sauce
½ teaspoon chilli flakes
1 tablespoon soy sauce
3 x 200g chicken breast fillets, trimmed and sliced
12 bamboo skewers, soaked and drained
¼ cup (60ml) vegetable oil
lime wedges, to serve

Method

1. Place the coconut milk, cashews, ginger, fish sauce, chilli and soy in a small food processor and process until well combined.
   
   
2. Place the chicken in a bowl, add the coconut milk mixture and toss to coat. Cover and marinate in the fridge for 1 hour.
   
   
3. Thread the chicken onto the skewers. Heat a large non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon of oil and cook the skewers, in batches, for 2−3 minutes each side or until cooked through.

 

---

Verdict

A flavor explosion! The coconut milk kept the chicken wonderfully tender and succulent. There was just a hint of coconut flavor - you could just taste the bit of exotic without it being overpowering. The best part for me was the coating with the crunchy cashews, which added not only texture but a crunchiness. I served it with a large green salad, which was just perfect for a light and easy lunch!

So, get those thinking caps on and get cooking. Bron, Tartasacher and I are all looking forward to your delectable creations!

You might like these Asian flavors from WFLH:

Tilapia Asian Style	Chinese Vegetable Noodles	Stir-Fried Root Vegetables

From around the blogs:

• Satay Prawns - Rasa Malaysia
• BBQ Satay - Dad ~ Baker & Chef
• Tofu Satay with Coconut Peanut Sauce - Albion Cooks

Daily Tiffin Reading Tip:

•  Cooking for One, Plus Everyone Else by Andrea

 

---

All photographs and written content on What's For Lunch, Honey? © 2006-2009 Meeta Khurana unless otherwise indicated. | All rights reserved | Please Ask First