Version from Surakarta, Indonesia
Sate buntel — Surakarta, Indonesia
Minced lamb satay wrapped in a thin veil of caul fat before grilling, a Solo specialty that keeps the meat moist over the charcoal.
- 40 min
- Prep
- 25 min
- Cook
- 4
- Servings
- Medium
- Difficulty
Sate buntel is a satay made from minced lamb or mutton, seasoned and shaped around a skewer, then wrapped in a thin membrane of caul fat before grilling. The word buntel means wrapped, describing the casing that holds the loose meat together over the fire.
It is reported from Surakarta, also called Solo, a court city in Central Java known for a cuisine shaped by the palace kitchens and by a taste for sweeter, milder seasoning than found further east on the island.
The meat is minced fine, sometimes with a little fat folded in, then seasoned with shallot, garlic, pepper, and a touch of sweet soy sauce before being molded around a flat skewer and wrapped in caul fat. It is grilled slowly over charcoal so the fat renders and bastes the meat, then unwrapped, sliced, and served with sweet soy sauce, shallot, and chili.
What distinguishes this satay from other skewered meats of the region is the caul-fat wrapping itself, a technique that keeps ground meat from drying out or falling off the skewer, producing a juicier result than the cubed-meat satays cooked directly over the coals elsewhere.
Preparation
Mix the minced lamb with the minced fat, shallot, garlic, pepper, salt and a spoon of sweet soy sauce.
Mold the seasoned meat around a flat skewer into a long sausage shape.
Wrap each skewer in a thin sheet of caul fat, tucking the edges underneath.
Grill slowly over medium charcoal, turning often, until the fat renders and the meat is cooked through.
Remove from the skewer and slice into rounds.
Serve with the remaining sweet soy sauce, sliced shallot and chili.
