There are so many Malay dishes that I love: nasi lemak, lontong, beef rendang, ayam lemak api, sambal goreng, ayam masak merah, sambal stingray, sotong masak kicap, bagedel and banyak banyak others.
But the one I love the most, is satay.
Firstly, it’s meat on a stick, barbequed over red-hot charcoal. Secondly, it’s marinated with a magical blend of rempah. And thirdly, it comes with a thick, peanuty spicy dipping sauce that goes perfectly with not just the satay, but also the accompanying ketupat, onion and cucumber slices.
Yes, it’s not the healthiest thing to eat, with its artery-clogging fatty meat, high sodium content and carcinogenic charred bits. It’s something that I indulge in only occasionally, but when I do indulge, it’s always a happy occasion.
Most Malay and Indonesian restaurants carry satay on their menus and they’re generally of decent quality. But the best ones are found in hawker stalls, with their charcoal grill typically manned by a grumpy pakcik.
It’s hard work, slaving over hot coals and breathing in smoke and I, for one, greatly appreciate their effort and sacrifice.
One satay stall that I’ve been wanting to try for quite some time now is Yunos N Family, which happens to be quite close to where we stay. Located at the Ang Mo Kio Central Blk 724 market and food centre, it’s the very first hawker stall you’ll see when walking past.
There’s typically a queue there, with the only variable being how long it stretches. We’ve walked past it several times before, but didn’t have the time or patience to join the snaking line. But this time, we were running some errands nearby and noticed that they were relatively empty.
This was around 4pm on a weekday, and while it was a bit early for dinner, I decided to strike while the iron is hot and finally try some of their satay.
You can tell from the duct tape on their menu that they’ve raised prices for almost all their items, but given the persistently high post-pandemic inflation, I’d be surprised if they hadn’t. They had four types of satay, all of them going for S$0.90 per stick.
Mutton, beef and chicken are common offerings but we were really surprised to see babat (beef tripe) on the menu. The Wife was particularly excited, because one of her favourite Malay dishes is babat masak lemak api, specifically the one sold at the Jurong West Ave 1 pop-up Ramadan Bazaar.
I’m not exactly sure which of the four cow stomachs they used for their babat satay, but it’s likely to be the second one (a.k.a. reticulum), which is supposed to be the most tender. Tripe is not easy to clean and prepare properly, so I decided to only order five sticks. Just in case.
For the “safer” choices of chicken and mutton, I ordered 10 sticks each and included a portion of ketupat. The satay is cooked-to-order and would take some time to grill, so I was given a buzzer to let me know when I could collect it.
While waiting, I ordered a bee hoon soto for us to share. It was not too bad, but the rempah used in the soup wasn’t as flavourful as I expected. Yunos N Family is supposedly famous for their mee rebus, so perhaps I had made the wrong noodle choice. Something that I will have to rectify during our next visit.
Given that there weren’t many orders before us, our satay didn’t take too long to be done. The buzzer buzzed, and I walked back to the stall to pick up our tray of grilled meats.
One thing I noticed was that the ketupat wasn’t actually ketupat. Instead it was technically nasi impit, which is same, same but different. It takes a lot of skill and effort to weave the coconut leaves used in traditional ketupat casings, something that I’ve tried making many decades ago.
So it’s not surprising that most satay stalls nowadays default to the “lazy man’s ketupat” and simply use compressed rice cakes. You could say that it’s technically the same thing, but I find that the authentic version is more fragrant, and hence tastier.
But like the sliced onion and cucumbers, the ketupat only plays a supporting role to the satay itself. And I have to say, the satay was really quite sedap. They were chunky, well-marinated and grilled to the right level of juiciness, with just the right amount of charred bits.
Some people might scrape off the blackened edges before eating, but they are a big contributor to the overall flavour. As long as you eat it in moderation, you might as well enjoy the full satay experience and not worry too much about any potential side effects.
The satay sauce plays a big part in the overall experience. While you could simply eat the sticks of grilled meat as-is, dipping it into the thick peanuty sauce adds a whole new dimension to the flavour. And if you like it spicy, add some black sambal kicap into the sauce. It packs a punch, so use it sparingly.
Despite being top notch, the chicken satay at Yunos N Family still can’t quite match up to the one by Rahim Muslim Food, a short bus ride away at the nearby Chong Boon Market. The pakcik at Rahim is a true shokunin and makes an almost perfect chicken satay. That is, if you’re actually able to get your hands on some.
Yunos does edge out Rahim in a few aspects though.
The wait for the satay at Rahim can be anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour, and there’s no buzzer system to let you know when it’s ready. You either have to sit nearby and eyeball pakcik’s progress, or keep walking back to ask. Yunos, on the other hand, is better staffed and a lot more organised.
Also, there’s a higher chance that you’ll actually get to eat satay at Yunos, given that there’s a limited supply at Rahim and it runs out really quickly. And most importantly, you can order babat satay at Yunos, which isn’t even on the menu at Rahim.
Both The Wife and I agree that the babat satay is exceptional.
It’s surprisingly clean tasting and soft to the bite, with a texture similar to squid that’s cooked just right. There’s a bit of gaminess, which is unavoidable since it’s offal after all, but it’s a gaminess with a good character.
Like the gruff police officers in Korean dramas who are a bit scruffy and rough, but end up catching the bad guys and saving the day.
For my next satay expedition, I’m tempted to hit both stalls in one trip. Take the bus to Rahim Muslim Food for some chicken satay, and then loop back to Yunos N Family for more babat satay. It’s a bit of a hassle, but for double the enjoyment, it might actually be worth it.
