Snail Satay — East Java, Indonesia

Snail satay, known locally as sate keong, is a grilled skewer dish made from freshwater snails taken out of their shells, marinated and threaded onto skewers before being cooked over charcoal. It sits within the wider Indonesian satay repertoire, which covers meats and seafood alike, and applies the same skewer-and-grill technique to a shellfish not commonly used elsewhere in the country. It is associated with East Java, where roadside vendors sell it alongside other grilled skewers, often from carts set up in the evening. The snails are usually gathered from rice paddies and freshwater channels, and the dish is eaten as a snack or light meal, served hot off the grill with the marinade brushed on again just before serving. To prepare it, the snails are first purged in clean water to rid them of grit, then boiled briefly and picked out of their shells. They are marinated in a mixture of sweet soy sauce, ground chilies, garlic, shallots and a little tamarind, then threaded several to a skewer. The skewers are grilled over charcoal, basted repeatedly with the marinade so the outside turns glossy and slightly caramelized while the snails inside stay tender. What distinguishes this version from other Indonesian satays is chiefly the ingredient itself, a freshwater snail rather than the more common chicken, beef or goat, along with the preliminary purging and shelling steps that set its preparation apart. The heat level and the sweetness of the glaze are said to vary from vendor to vendor, with some serving it plain and others with an extra dip of chili sauce on the side.