Locally Sourced Satay

Satay, or as Indonesians said, sate, is a dish where chicken, mutton, beef, fish, veggies, etc, are skewered and grilled. In Indonesia, the dish is paired with peanut sauce, soy sauce, or gravy, depending on the local culture. It's an excellent example of how traditional Indonesian cuisine aligns with ethical and sustainable practices.

Take mutton satay, for example, as seen in the picture. When I ate the dish in Surakarta, Jawa Tengah, a few years back, it was paired with soy sauce. It is different from beef satay from Sumatera Barat, where it is paired with gravy. It is also distinct from chicken satay, which usually comes from Madura Island in Jawa Timur. It is paired with ground peanut sauce.

No matter what satay is paired with, the local ingredients and spices are put forward. Each satay stall will have its own "hero" ingredients. In terms of soy sauce, different areas will use different locally manufactured soy sauces tailored to their taste buds. That's one of the reasons that mutton satay in Tegal and Surakarta is different, although both are from Jawa Tengah.

For chicken satay, some stalls use grounded peanuts, while others may use grounded cashews, depending on the area's availability. In some parts of Sulawesi island, where cashews are abundant, many nut-based sauces are made from cashews. But they'll use peanuts in Java, where peanuts are much more available.

To ensure that your satay is halal while considering ethical and sustainable practices, make sure that the ingredients of satay consist of:

1. Halal chicken, mutton, beef, or other halal proteins. Some may use vegetables as well. Try to find the local protein sources.

2. Locally made sauces. It can be peanuts, cashews, soy sauces, gravy, etc.

3. Organic lontong (rice cake). If organic option is not available, don't worry; rice is basically halal anyway.

4. Local spices. Except when you're trying to recreate foreign dishes, stay as close as possible to local products.

In preparing the grilled dish, there are some tips:

1. Grill the satay over charcoal for a smoky flavor.

2. Use homemade sauce to ensure all ingredients are ethically sourced.

Adhering to Thayyib

So, all those mentioned above are what we should uphold when eating halal and ethical food. However, when keeping thayyib in mind, we must adhere to our body situation. Thayyib is translated as good. In the context of halal and thayyib food, it means wholesome and fit for human consumption. Many people will tell you that the ingredients need to be top-notch, like organic stuff, free-range chicken and cow, non-GMO, and all that jazz. But I usually go for what's convenient and close by. I don't stress too much about where it comes from unless I've found a place I know is ethical and legit.

Bear in mind, for each human being, the body needs different things in different amounts. Some may eat a lot of chicken while limiting mutton consumption. Some may need more mutton but can only eat a little nuts/soy-based sauces. So, know your body well and eat halal following your body’s needs. For me, that is what makes my food can be classified as halal and thayyib. The source is halal, and thayyib is not only about the ingredients, but also thayyib for my own body.

Enjoy the satay!