Malaysian Satay Lunch - 15 people

This is a great meal to put on when you don't want to wash up too much aferwards - the satay and profiteroles can be taken from large platters. This makes about 70-80 satay sticks. If there's anyone who might not like spicy food, I usually grab a couple of chicken breasts and make up a few spiceless skewers
SATAY SKEWERS
Satay Marinade 2 tblsp coriander seeds 2 tsp fennel seeds 1 tblsp cummin seeds 6 cloves garlic 2 inch piece of galangal chopped (or ginger) 1 tblsp palm sugar 2 tsp seedless tamarind paste 2 tsp dried shrimp paste (belacan) 1 cup coconut cream 2 tsp turmeric To prepare the spice mix, fry the coriander, fennel and cummin seeds together in an unoiled frypan until fragrant (about 2 mins). Grind until fine using a mortar and pestle or a repurposed coffee grinder. Add garlic, galangal, sugar, tamarind, shrimp paste and coconut cream to a food processor. Add spice mix as well. Process to a paste. Cut meat into small pieces, if you size them about 1cm and 2 cm long it takes less time to thread onto a skewer. Put the beef in one bowl and the chicken in another. Add 1/3 of the paste to the beef and 2/3 to the chicken. Mix through with your hands. Lastly, divide the turmeric between the two bowls and stir with a metal spoon. Cover the bowls and marinade overnight. Satay Sauce 250g unsalted peanuts 1 tblsp coriander seeds 2 tsp fennel seeds 2 tsp cummin seeds 3 red onions, chopped 4 cloves garlic 2 inch piece of galangal chopped (or ginger) 3 cloves garlic 10 candlenuts 4 birds eye chillies 1 tblsp seedless tamarind paste 1 tblsp dried shrimp paste (belacan) ½ cup warm water 3 cups coconut milk 3 tblsp palm sugar salt Toast the unsalted peanuts in the oven. Add to the food processor and process until still a bit chunky. Set aside for later. To prepare the spice mix, fry the coriander, fennel and cummin seeds together in an unoiled frypan until fragrant (about 2 mins). Grind until fine. Add the onion, garlic, candelnuts, chillies, tamarind paste, shrimp paste and water to the food processor, as well as the spice mix, and process to a paste. Fry the paste in a saucepan until it smells toasted (3-5 mins). Add the hot paste to a large saucepan, add the coconut milk and peanuts. Bring saucepan to the boil and simmer for half an hour. Taste and add more sugar and salt to taste.	Meat Skewers 2kg chicken thigh meat 1kg rump steak 1kg prawns 2 chicken breasts Pack of 10cm satay skewers 1 inch piece of ginger, sliced Lay out the skewers in a flat dish with slices of ginger, boil the kettle and pour over the skewers and leave to soak for at least an hour. This will help stop the skewers from burning on the bbq. Vegetable Skewers 1 red onion, chopped 1cm chunks 1 capsicum, chopped 1 cm chunks 1 zuchini, chopped 1 cm chunks 250g swiss brown mushrooms, halved 200g fried tofu ¼ cup vegetable oil 2 tsp coriander seeds 1 tsp fennel seeds 2 tsp cummin seeds 1 garlic clove, chopped finely salt and pepper To prepare the spice mix, fry the coriander, fennel and cummin seeds together in an unoiled frypan until fragrant (about 2 mins). Grind until fine using a mortar and pestle or a repurposed coffee grinder. Mix the chopped vegetables in a bowl, add spice mix and garlic. Stir through. Marinate 2 hours.	Make the satay skewers The first thing is to put on some rubber gloves (preferably disposable ones) because the turmeric will turn everything very yellow! Prepare a large tray, like a roasting tin, with 3 pieces of alfoil. This will prevent the meats touching each other in case anyone has an allergy. Thread the meat pieces onto each skewer. Wrap the tray in cling film so that it doesn't stink out the fridge. Thread the vegetables onto the vegetable skewers and store separately. When you're ready to eat, take the skewers to the bbq and cook until done. The outside should be crisp and the inside tender and juicy. I prefer to cook the vegetable skewers on a separate frypan inside so that they are completely vegetarian. That's it! Enjoy the satay with heaps of sauce spooned over the top and make sure you get enough of the prawn ones! You can set up a central mug or jar for the used skewers.
PROFITEROLES
Custard Filling 6 egg yolks ¾ cup caster sugar 1½ cups milk 1½ cups cream 2 tsp vanilla extract Mix all the ingredients in a cold saucepan and whisk to remove lumps. Put the saucepan on a high heat and whisk until the mixture thinckens (usually about 5 mins). Set aside to cool. Top with a sheet of baking paper so it doesn't form a skin on top. Chocolate topping 100g good quality dark chocolate ½ cup cream 1 tblsp unsalted butter Microwave chocolate, cream and butter in 30 second bursts until the chocolate starts to soften and the cream is hot (not boiling). Stir until the chocolate melts through. Set aside to cool thicken a little.	Profiterole Pastries 2 cups water 125g salted butter 1¼ cups plain flour, sifted to a bowl 4 eggs Preheat the oven to 220℃. Prepare the cooking sheet with a thin layer of butter with a light sprinkling of flour, this will stop the pastries sticking. Put the water and butter in a saucepan over a high heat. Once its boiling turn down the heat to medium and tip in the flour. Stir quickly until the pastry comes away from the sides of the saucepan (about 2 mins). Put the pastry mix into a bowl and add 1 egg, beat until well combined. Continue to add 1 egg at a time, beating after each addition. Plop tablespoons of the pastry mix, about golf-ball sized balls onto the prepared tray. Cook in the hot oven for 15 minutes, then reduce to a moderate temperature 180℃ for a further 15-20 mins. Allow to cool.	Make the Profiteroles Make a small slit with a sharp knife on the top of each pastry. Pour the custard filling into a piping bag and pipe the filling into each profiterole. Use a knife to smooth chocolate over the hole on the top of the profiteroles. These will keep nicely in the fridge until dessert time. Enjoy!