Each evening a street beside Lau Pa Sat, the old market hall in the Central Business District, closes to traffic and fills with satay grills, smoke and folding tables, a short walk from Marina Bay. Satay came to Singapore with Malay and Javanese cooks, and it is sold by the bundle: you order ten sticks, then another ten, then quietly admit the truth and order twenty.

The meat is small and quick, the sauce is made ahead, and skewers can be eaten standing up with a drink in the other hand. As crowd food for a race weekend, it would be hard to design better.

The marinated chicken

Ingredients

• 2 lb (900 g) boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• 2 stalks lemongrass
• 4 shallots
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 inch (2.5 cm) galangal or ginger
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground turmeric
• 2 teaspoons ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 3 tablespoons (40 g) light brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3 tablespoons (45 ml) neutral oil

Peanut sauce

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups (180 g) roasted unsalted peanuts
• 3 shallots
• 2 cloves garlic
• 4 dried red chilies
• 1 stalk lemongrass
• 2 tablespoons (30 ml) neutral oil
• 1 cup (240 ml) coconut milk
• 1/2 cup (120 ml) water
• 1 tablespoon tamarind paste
• 3 tablespoons (40 g) light brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

To serve

Ingredients

• 1 cucumber
• 1 small red onion

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