Satay: Pork and chicken satay at Alexandra Village

Satay...pieces of meat, marinated, skewered on a stick, and barbecued...the theme repeats itself in many cultures...most have their own versions of the same meal. But the Malaysia/Singapore are holds a special satay...slightly sweetly marinaded and with a gorgeous spicy peanut sauce. Divine!

Considering that it is a favourite amongst many, I am surprised that there are not many more good satay stalls here in Singapore. Perhaps its the troublesome nature of having to cook over a charcoal fire, and the smoke which accompanies. The Chinese variant, using pork in place of the original Malay version is even more difficult to find. I used to patronize a stall in the now defunct Commonwealth Food Centre...and most of the others are spread around the island, and for some reason, only open for dinner.

When I chanced on Old Punggol one day in Alexandra Village and discovered they are open from noon every day, we made it a point to return to sample it for lunch. And when we did return, we suspect this was our long lost stall from Commonwealth. Perhaps.

The satay was beautifully marinated and nicely barbecued in the charcoal...with crispy burnt bits adding layers to the flavour. I ordered a mix of pork and chicken. The stall also offers mutton in addition.

Taste wise, quite good. There are bits of pork fat interspersed amongst lean meat...and the cooking was well controlled such that the fats did not melt and spill out, but at the verge of being so...thus at each bite, these little almost melting bits of lard would burst in full flavour in the mouth, adding to the symphony of smoked meat, sweet marinate, spicy sauce, and creamy, crunchy peanut.

The sauce deserves its own picture...it was beautifully smooth, but with chunky bits of ground peanuts and a dollop of pineapple puree to give it some acid and sweetness. Very nice.

I am not quite certain if this is the old Commonwealth stall...but it sure does bring back memories of the stall. Highly recommended.

Old Punggol Satay

Alexandra Village Food Centre

120 Bukit Merah Lane 1 #01-52

Tel: +65 9677 0074 / +65 9824 3730