Dining in the Long Bar at Raffles is a must-do tourist event in Singapore. This recipe is based on the satay I enjoyed there.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon tamarind pulp
• ½ cup warm water
• 1.5 kilogram lean beef rump, or boneless leg of lamb
• 2 teaspoons ground coriander and cumin
• 1½ tablespoons ground turmeric
• 2 stalks lemon grass
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons oil

Satay sauce

• ½ cup tamarind pulp
• 3½ cups warm water
• 300 grams roasted unsalted peanuts
• 5cm piece fresh ginger
• 2 stalks lemon grass
• 150 grams shallots
• 4 cloves garlic, crushed and peeled
• ¼ cup peanut oil
• 150 grams palm sugar
• 2-3 fresh red chillies, deseeded and finely chopped

Method

1. Mix the tamarind pulp and water together and allow to stand for 5 minutes. Stain the mixture.
2. Cut the beef or lamb into long, 0.5cm wide strips and place them in a non-metallic bowl.
3. In a blender or food processor, combine the coriander, cumin, turmeric, lemon grass, sugar, tamarind juice and oil and blend until smooth. Pour over the meat, toss well and cover. Marinate in the fridge for 8 hours or overnight.
4. Thread about 5-6 pieces of marinated meat onto bamboo skewers, pushing them together well.
5. Grill over a high heat until golden and serve with the satay sauce.

Satay sauce

1. Mix the tamarind pulp and water together and allow to stand for 5 minute. Strain the mixture.
2. In a food processor, put the peanuts, ginger, lemon grass, shallots and garlic and process until smooth.
3. Heat the oil in a saucepan and add the peanut mixture. Cook over a moderate heat for 5 minutes, stirring all the time.
4. Add the palm sugar, chillies and tamarind juice and simmer gengly for a further 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and leave to cool. The sauce will be quite thick.