Satay, when made fresh and spiced gives a certain exotic feel to those lucky enough to experience it. I love the way the dish layers against the pickles which balance the spiciness beautifully. Serve this dish with rice.
For the pickles
1 cucumber, peeled , seeded and cut into thin sheets with a mandolin
1 mango, peeled , seeded and cut into thin sheets with a mandolin
20 x 3 inch thin sticks of celery
1 cup (250 mls) water
1 cup (250 mls) white wine vinegar
2 tbsp granulated sugar
1/2 tbsp salt
1 small red chilli pepper, sliced
2 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp crushed white peppercorns
Combine the water, vinegar, sugar, salt, chilli pepper, mustard seeds and crushed peppercorns into a saucepan and dissolve the sugar by bringing the mixture to a simmer. Place the cucumber, celery and mango slices into a china bowl then cover them in the hot pickling liquid. Allow to cool, cover or seal in a clean jar and refrigerate for at least 24 hours before serving. This can be made up to a week in advance and kept in a closed container to prevent evaporation.
For the lamb
Wrap a lamb shoulder in foil and cook on a baking sheet in the oven at 180C/350F for 25mins per pound (500 gms). Carefully remove the lamb from the foil and let it settle for about 10 minutes. Carve the lamb into about 20 thin roughly 4 x 4 inch (10 x 10 cms) slices (~ 0.2 inches/ 0.5 cms) thick. Wrap the slices in foils and keep warm.
For the spiced satay sauce
1/2 cup (120 mls) peanut butter
3 tbsp (45 mls) water
2 1/2 tbsp (40 mls) dark Chinese soy sauce
2 tbsp (30 mls) rice wine vinegar
2 tbsp (30 mls) fresh lime juice
1 tsp (5 mls) Chinese chilli oil
1 1/2 tsp (7.5 mls) grated ginger
1 tsp (5 mls) red chilli flakes
Place all the ingredients into a bowl and whisk them together. Place the sauce into a flat saucepan that has a close fitting lid and warm it gently to simmering point. Add the lamb slices into the pan and gently incorporate the meat into the sauce. Cover the saucepan again and bring the contents back to a simmer for a further ten minutes.
Completing the dish
Plate out the dish in alternating layers of lamb and pickles, piling the construction