Satay for a dinner party — went down extremely well

I made Satay for eight guests who had varying familiarity with the cuisine. Every single person asked for the recipe. The richly spiced and coconut-sweet profile was the main talking point — no one had quite experienced belacan shrimp paste used that way before.

Penang is considered the food capital of Malaysia and rivals Singapore for hawker excellence. I explained the a mamak 24-hour restaurant context as I served it which helped people appreciate it fully. fresh sugarcane juice was what I offered alongside and it worked perfectly. Excellent dinner party dish — impressive without being inaccessible.