Two satay eateries in town reel in the biggest crowd

The Star, Wednesday August 27, 2014 

THE fourth instalment of The Star People’s Food Awards for September is satay. 

If you would like to recommend a few good places for satay, post them on Metro Online Broadcast (MOB) and stand a chance to win attractive prizes such as hotel stays and dining vouchers.

The stall you nominate will be up for the best Malaysian street food title in the Klang Valley.

Participating is easy. Just take pictures of the meal and a general shot of the eatery with your smartphone.

Write us a short note and post it on mob.com.my

Nominations are open for the first 10 days of the month (Sept 1 to 10), followed by voting from Sept 15 until the end of the month.

Every month until May next year, the public can vote for their favourite category-based street food such as satay, asam laksa, nasi lemak and char koay teow.

This week, MOB features two popular satay eateries. 

HAJI SAMURI (MEDAN SATAY KAJANG)

Jalan Sulaiman, Bandar Kajang, Kajang, Selangor

Kajang has been famous for its satay since the 1960s, with Sate Kajang Haji Samuri said to be one of the best.

The eateries skewed meats are succulent and well marinated.

 

The stall that was set up in Medan Sate Kajang in 1992 has since become a large franchise with several outlets around the Klang Valley, Putrajaya and one in Negri Sembilan.

Freshly cooked over a charcoal grill, the sticks of satay are usually eaten with peanut sauce (kuah kacang).

The aromatic grilled skewered meat consists of chicken and beef tenderloin. The meat is succulent with well-marinated flavours.

There is a slightly crispy, charred texture on the meat, which is a nice contrast to the nutty sauce.

While the peanut sauce looks slightly diluted, it is still flavourful and not too sweet. You can make it more spicy by adding chilli paste oil.

A variety of meat is served on skewers including beef tripe, chicken liver and gizzard, local mutton, fish and rabbit.

The Javanese recipe, believed to date back to 1917, is made at the Haji Samuri factories in Kajang, offering a standardised taste across the eateries. 

Haji Samuri in Medan Sate Kajang is open from 10.30am to 12.30am on Mondays to Thursdays, 4pm to 1am on Fridays, and 10.30am to 1am on Saturdays and Sundays. — By YVONNE T. NATHAN

WILLY SATAY

Ramal Food Junction, Jalan Sungai Ramal, Kajang is the place to be for the best satay in the Klang Valley, say fans. 

Willy Satay has been reeling in customers since it first opened in Kajang in 2008. 

The stall gets so packed that sometimes customers are told their order will only come after an hour.

Rosman Shahid, the owner of Willy Satay, began his business in Hassan Cafe, Sungai Ramal, in 2005 and later opened another stall in Ramal Food Junction in 2008.

In a day, Willy Satay can sell between 9,000 and 15,000 sticks of satay.

 

“Aside from the marinade, our satay sauce is what draws people. The peanut sauce is mixed with a secret ingredient, which is my father’s creation,” said Rosman’s son, Fariz Ki.

Their bestseller is the lamb satay but unfortunately, when I arrived, they had none left.

At 7.30pm, their stall in Hassan Cafe already had a line of people waiting for their take-away. 

I then went to their new two-unit restaurant in Nilai, about 25 minutes’ drive from their current location. 

Here, I sampled their chicken and beef satay. 

Out of the 10 sticks of chicken satay, the meat was mostly tender and lean.

The beef satay, however, was a little tough. 

Willy Satay at Hassan Cafe only does take-away from 11am to 8pm while the Ramal Food Junction stall operates from 3.30pm to 11.30pm. 

The chicken satay is 80 per stick, beef satay (80sen), lamb satay (RM1.20) and tripe satay (RM1). All come with nasi impit or ketupat lontong. — By KATHLEEN MICHAEL