Thai Beef Satay

This was the second time I made this meal since it was a huge hit with David. Heck, it was a huge hit with me too. The original recipe is from Food Made Fast: Weeknight (Williams-Sonoma) and is available online. The original recipe uses chicken, but I like beef better, so that's how I make it.

I largely stuck to the original recipe. The first time I made it I ended up using a third of the soy sauce because I ran out and since we loved it I decided to keep the change since less sodium is never a bad thing. Here's the recipe:

zest from 1 lime

juice from 2 limes

1/2 cup rice vinegar

1/3 cup all-natural chunky peanut butter

1/4 cup fresh cilantro, minced

1 tablespoon minced ginger

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon less sodium soy sauce

3 tablespoons firmly packed dark brown sugar

1 tablespoon sesame oil

1 1/2 pounds beef chuck steak, trimmed of fat and cut into chunks

5 oz package arugula

1 large cucumber, sliced

6 scallions, sliced

cooked brown rice

Place 8 bamboo skewers in cold water to soak until ready to use. Whisk together the lime zest, lime juice, vinegar, and peanut butter until smooth. Stir in the cilantro, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, brown sugar, and sesame oil. Reserve about 1/2 of the mixture in a separate bowl to use as a sauce. Add the meat to the marinade and turn to coat. Refrigerate for up to 2 hours.

Prepare a gas grill. When ready to cook, remove the meat from the marinade and divide among 8 skewers. Place the skewers on the grill and spoon the remaining marinade over the meat. Cook, turning once, until done to your liking, about 8 minutes total for well-done. Serve over a mound of brown rice, arugula, and cucumber slices. Sprinkle with scallions. Drizzle with some of the reserved sauce.

Next time I make this I'll probably make additional marinade so we have more sauce to pour over the meat and vegetables. I think I'll also try it with a different beef cut since I find the beef chuck a little tough.