EITHER as an appetiser or main course, satay is a Malaysian staple when it comes to street food.
A good satay must factor in the marinade for the meat, grilling method and the essential peanut sauce.
A rich, flavourful peanut sauce makes a good satay meal, along with freshly cut cucumber, onions and nasi impit.
Here are some of our must-try spots for satay in the Klang Valley.
SATAY STATION
55, Jalan A, Kampung Pandan Dalam, Kuala Lumpur
Hands down, this is my top pick for satay.
The chicken satay is grilled just right slightly charred, but still tender and juicy.
The chicken is generously marinated with lemongrass, onions and spices to make it aromatic.
An indication of good satay is the balanced ratio of meat to fat. Here, the skewered meat had the right amount of fat.
No satay dish is complete without the peanut sauce, and unlike most places, the peanut sauce here is spicy, which is why I highly recommend this place.
The gravy is thick and has small peanut chunks for added crunch.
Their “satay budget” option has smaller amount of meat on the stick. A chicken satay budget costs RM1.20 per stick, while the regular one is RM2.20 per stick.
The side dishes are worth a try including mee rebus and beef ribs soup.
Satay Station has several branches in Klang Valley including Shah Alam, Mont Kiara, Titiwangsa and Bandar Tasik Permaisuri.
The Kampung Pandan branch operates from 3pm to midnight, daily.
SATAY WARISAN
Jalan Wangsa 2, Taman Wangsa Ukay, Bukit Antarabangsa
The draw of this place is definitely the chicken satay with its generous chunks of meat well marinated with spices.
The meat was leaner than expected, but it was still juicy despite the lower fat content.
Although the peanut sauce was watered down, the flavours still came through.
It was not too sweet and had hints of chillies.
Apart from satay, they also serve nasi lemak and lontong, which are popular with visitors.
This location is good as there is ample parking and other eateries nearby. The chicken satay costs RM1 per stick.
Satay Warisan has several branches in the Klang Valley including Damansara Perdana.
The restaurant is open from 3pm onwards.
GERAI SATAY CINA THOO YUEN
Medan Selera Jalan Othman @ PJ Old Town
One of the better non-halal satay has to be this stall at the Jalan Othman food court.
Here, they grill up pork, chicken and mutton satay with their own version of peanut sauce.
The pork satay was slightly sweet from the marinade, but this went well with the spicy sauce.
There is a generous dose of cili padi and dried chillies in the sauce.
The mutton satay was not overcooked, although it was a little gamey .
The satay had nice bits of char on the meat and the smokiness went well with the peanut sauce.
The chicken satay costs RM1.20 per stick, while the pork and mutton costs RM1.70 per stick.
It is open from 5.30pm to 9pm, daily.
SATAY SEDAP
Jalan UP 1/7, Ukay Perdana, Ampang
This restaurant is not bragging by calling themselves Satay Sedap, because theirs is indeed tasty.
Although a newcomer, the restaurant has made a name for itself in the satay business.
The draw factor here is the clean and retro ambience.
The chicken satay was fragrant thanks to the coriander spice and turmeric marinade. There was sticky, sweet caramelisation on the meat.
Each skewer had a little bit of fat that tenderised the meat.
The sauce was thick and sweet, and nuttier, making it easier to scoop up with some rice cubes and cucumber.
Chicken satay here costs RM1 per stick, while beef satay is RM1.20 per stick.
It is open from 3pm to 11.30pm, daily.
ZAINI SATAY
Jalan Kolam Air Lama, Ampang Jaya
This place could be a hit or miss with different people.
If you prefer your satay lean and fat-free, this is the place to visit.
The satay comes with generous chunks of meat on the skewer and is reasonably priced.
The meat was juicy and had a hint of sweetness from the marinade.
The sauce was sweet and spicy, while the peanuts were ground finely into the sauce.
It costs RM1 for the chicken satay and RM2 for mutton satay.
It is open from 6pm onwards.
