Chicken Satay (Chinese Style)

Originally uploaded by My Little Rascal.

Blk 209 Kovan Hawker Centre.

One of the most popular Malay dishes in Singapore, it brings to mind the Japanese yakitori minus the spices. Pieces of meat, usually chicken, mutton, pork or beef are skewered on bamboo sticks and grilled over a charcoal fire. What gives the satay its distinctive taste is the blend of spices used to marinate it.

Satay is usually served hot with a sweet and spicy peanut sauce or pineapple sauce (chinese satay stall) for dipping, and cucumber, raw onions and ketupat (compressed rice cake) on the side.

You can find it in nearly all hawker centres, some food courts and a few hotels.

In the 1950s, it was often sold at roadside stalls and by pushcart vendors. In the 1960s, crowds thronged then-Satay Club at the Esplanade, where they would enjoy the food in the open-air food centre. The culinary landmark was demolished in the 1990s to make way for Esplanade - Theatres On The Bay.

Some of the vendors have since moved to Clarke quay in River Valley and others to Lau Pa Sat in Shenton Way, but the original Satay Club remains a fond memory for many Singaporeans.