Smokey Tempeh Satay Sticks Served on Sesame Green Beans and Compressed Rice Sticks with Spicy Peanut Sauce and Chilli Cashews

Ingredients

Contains: milk, wheat, peanut, tree nuts, soy, sesame (auto-detected from the ingredients and method; we can miss things, so check labels)

• 3 tbsp desiccated coconut
• 400ml/14fl oz coconut milk
• 2 shallots
• 3 garlic, 2.5cm/1in piece fresh ginger
• 2 tsp white pepper
• 1 lime
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 x 350g/12oz smoked tempeh, crumbled
• 2 tbsp rice flour
• 4 stalks lemongrass
• 100g/3½oz unsalted peanuts
• 2 stalks lemongrass
• 6 garlic, 5cm/2in piece fresh turmeric, 2.5cm/1in piece galangal
• 6 shallots
• ½ tsp salt
• 4 tbsp caster sugar
• 200g-300g/7-10½oz palm sugar
• 400ml/14fl oz coconut milk
• 1 tsp dried red chilli
• 2 tbsp garam masala
• 400ml/14fl oz water
• 200g/7oz salted butter
• 200g/7oz Thai jasmine rice
• 2 pieces cassia bark
• 3 bay leaves
• 2 black cardamom
• 20 whole cashews
• 50g/1¾oz caster sugar
• 2 tbsp sesame seeds
• 1-2 tsp dried red chilli
• large handful of fine green beans
• salt
• sesame oil
• 500ml/18fl oz sunflower oil
• 3 red chillies
• 2 shallots
• wedges of lime

Directions

Method written by CompKitchen from the ingredient list. Not the original author's method, not kitchen-tested.

1. Toast the desiccated coconut and sesame seeds separately in a dry pan until golden, about 3 minutes, then set each aside.

2. Blend 2 shallots, 3 garlic, the ginger, 4 lemongrass stalks, white pepper, lime zest and juice, half the salt, half the toasted coconut and one can of coconut milk into a paste. Mix into the crumbled tempeh with the rice flour and marinate in the fridge for 30 minutes.

3. Press the tempeh mixture onto bamboo skewers and bake at 200°C [400°F] for 15 minutes, turning once, until firm and browned.

4. For the peanut sauce, blend the peanuts, 2 lemongrass stalks, 6 garlic, turmeric, galangal, 6 shallots, the remaining salt, 1 tsp dried red chilli and the garam masala. Fry the paste in sunflower oil for 5 minutes, then add the palm sugar, caster sugar, remaining coconut milk and water and simmer 20 minutes until thick.

5. For the rice sticks, rinse the jasmine rice and simmer it with the 400ml water, butter, cassia bark, bay leaves and black cardamom, covered, over low heat for 15 minutes. Discard the whole spices, press the rice into a lined tin, chill for 1 hour, then cut into sticks.

6. For the chilli cashews, fry the whole cashews in sunflower oil with the 50g caster sugar and 1-2 tsp dried red chilli for 3 minutes until glazed. Drain on paper towels.

7. For the garnish, fry the sliced red chillies and 2 shallots in sunflower oil until crisp, about 3 minutes, then drain.

8. Blanch the fine green beans in a pan of boiling salted water for 3 minutes, drain, then toss with sesame oil and the toasted sesame seeds.

9. Shallow-fry the rice sticks in sunflower oil until crisp on all sides, about 4 minutes, and drain.

10. Serve the satay sticks and rice sticks with the green beans, peanut sauce, cashews and fried garnish, with lime wedges on the side. Keep leftover sauce warm.