 Spice
Master
Most
Asian cuisine, excepting Japanese, Thai and Chinese, hasn’t
quite penetrated the American mainstream dining scene. Having lived
in Singapore for 11 years, I missed the hawker stalls and was hankering
for a ‘fix,’ which can be a bit of a problem here in
Vegas. There’s no shortage of Asian restaurants, but when
you’re looking for something specific, in my case, ‘hawker
food,’ then Satay might be right up your alley. (A “hawker
centre” can best be described as an open-air food court serving
Indian, Malay and Singapor-ean fast-food.)
Satay
serves a combination of Malay, Chinese, Singaporean and Thai dishes,
though it does lean heavily on Malay and Singaporean dishes probably
because these two countries are the closest to each other and therefore
share similar cuisines.
 No
doubt there are other excellent Southeast Asian restaurants, but
Satay seems to be the closest in serving ‘authentic, hawker
food’ as you might find in a roadside stall in Malaysia or
Singapore. By authentic, I mean the use of certain spices and ingredients
which you might not find (as blatantly) elsewhere – like belachan
(fermented shrimp paste) and asam (tamarind).
We
had to order the satay, of course. Essentially ‘barbecue on
a stick,’ made Asian by the marinade of turmeric, coriander,
curry pow- der, cumin, garlic and shallots, then grilled over a
charcoal fire and served with peanut sauce. In Malaysia and Singapore,
satay is usually served with ketupat (rice cakes) and they’re
never quite as big as the ones they serve here, but this may very
well be the most ordered dish in the restaurant. Our combo of chicken
and beef skewers was perfectly grilled; a tad on the large side,
though we can’t complain. To my taste, the peanut sauce could
have been richer and chunkier as this version seemed to have been
pureed.
 On
to the roti canai – flatbread served with a curry dipping
sauce – which was perfectly done, and unless you’re
Singaporean or Malay, you’ll just have to take my word for
it. The roti (bread) was great – crispy on the outside, chewy
on the inside; almost like eating a savory pancake.
We
restricted ourselves to ordering Singaporean and Malay dishes and
left the Thai and Chinese ones alone, settling on the nasi goreng
(fried rice), Hainanese chicken rice, belachan string beans and
beef rendang.
Nasi
goreng is a complete meal in itself – fried rice cooked with
a sweet, dark and thick soy sauce (kecap manis), and sometimes accompanied
with fried chicken, satay, fried egg and prawn crackers (krupuk).
Ours was adequately sweet and spicy, and huge. We liked that there
was a kick to the rice with the red chili, though I suppose they
can water it down for you, if you ask.
 Hainanese
chicken rice is Singapore’s culinary claim to fame. Its charm
lies in that this is a complete meal that uses very few ingredients
- chicken, rice and a handful of spices; and cooked in a very simple
manner. The chicken is boiled with ginger, garlic and other spices;
the rice is cooked with the chicken broth, and the meal is usually
served as a set – consisting of soup (more chicken broth),
the chicken, drizzled with a soy and sesame oil sauce, the rice
and two sauces - the chili sauce (a combination of ground red chili
and garlic) and finely minced ginger. Satay’s
version was almost like I remember it, the chicken was tender and
subtly-flavored; the rice was
fluffy and requisitely oily and the chili sauce was perfect –
spicy and savory at the same time – the
perfect dipping sauce for the chicken. The broth could have been
a little more flavorful, but then, as in Singapore and Malaysia,
the soup leans more towards watery rather than savory anyway. 
The
beef rendang, slow-cooked in coconut milk and spices, was also very
good and again, we thought the spice factor was just right –
hot, but tempered by the coconut milk. And as is usual with beef
rendang, the meat was fork-tender. The belachan string beans was
also very good, though a word of warning, bel-achan is sun-dried,
fermented ground shrimp and obviously an acquired taste, so take
heed. I’ve mentioned this before, but if you can get over
the smell, then you’re halfway there.
If
there were more of us, we would have also ordered the nasi lemak
and the Penang asam laksa, but there’s always a next time.
Now if only they open for breakfast. But wait, there’s also
dessert. There are some very American items on the menu like cheesecake
and chocolate mousse, but for my money, I would go for the banana
fritters or the ice kacang – a refreshing mix of shaved ice
topped with red beans, sweet corn, peanuts and grass jelly, and
further topped with rose syrup, palm sugar and evaporated milk.
How’s that for the perfect end to a perfect meal?
-Rachel
M. Sugay
Satay
Malaysian Grille
3755 Spring Mountain Road, Suite 102, corner Valley View. 362-2828.
Open daily 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Price range: Appetizers, $4-$8; Soup,
$7-$10; Salad, $4-10; Noodles, $7.50-$9; Rice dishes, $7-$10; House
Specialities, $10-$22.
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