buffalo satay, kudus — Central Java, Indonesia

Buffalo satay is a grilled skewer dish made from small cubes of water buffalo meat, marinated before cooking and charred over charcoal until the edges caramelize. It belongs to the broad Indonesian satay family, in which the same basic technique, skewering, marinating, grilling, is applied to many different meats across the archipelago. This version is reported from Kudus, an old trading town on the north coast of Central Java. Local custom there has long limited the use of beef out of respect for the town's Hindu minority, and buffalo meat came to stand in for it in several dishes, this satay and the town's soto among them. The meat is diced small, threaded onto bamboo skewers, and left to soak in a paste of shallot, garlic, coriander seed, turmeric, and palm sugar. It is grilled over glowing charcoal, turned often, then served with a sauce built on sweet soy sauce, sometimes thickened with ground peanuts, alongside sliced shallot, chili, and steamed rice or rice cakes. What distinguishes this satay from other regional versions is chiefly the meat itself: buffalo is firmer and more assertive in flavor than goat, chicken, or beef, which is why cooks dice it small and marinate it longer, so it stays tender rather than tough once it reaches the grill.