how to make indonesian chicken satay

INGREDIENTS
2 pounds boneless chicken breast
Thirty-two 12-inch bamboo skewers
MARINADE:

4 teaspoons coriander seeds
4 teaspoons cumin seeds
4 garlic cloves, finely minced
¼ cup brown sugar
¼ cup fish sauce
¾ cup tamarind paste
¼ cup peanut oil
DIPPING SAUCE

½ cup fine peanut oil
½ cup raw peanuts
2 fresh serrano or fresno chilies
1 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger
4 garlic cloves
½ cup rich unsweetened coconut milk
1 teaspoon dark soy sauce
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
DIRECTIONS
Cut approximately 1-ounce slices of meat in flat pieces (approximately 3 ¾ inches long) and thread onto a skewer (you will have about 32 satays).
In a small skillet, toast the spices until fragrant, then grind to a coarse powder in a spice grinder. Mix the spices with the garlic, brown sugar, fish sauce, tamarind paste and peanut oil. Arrange the skewers in a shallow pan or dish and pour the marinade over the meat, turning from time to time, for thirty minutes to an hour.

To make the dipping sauce, heat the peanut oil in a small pot until nearly smoking, turn off the heat and immediately add the peanuts. They should cook to a light golden color in three to five minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon to a food processor or blender, along with a tablespoon of the cooking oil, reserving the rest. Grind to a rough paste, then add the chilies, ginger and garlic, and continue to blend. Add the remaining ingredients, except the cilantro, and blend until smooth. Remove to a small mixing bowl and stir in the cilantro leaves along with half of the reserved oil or more. Transfer to appropriate dipping sauces.

Grill the satays about a minute on each side—do not overcook—and serve with the dipping sauce.

NOTE: To make the tamarind paste, in a small pot cook half an 8-ounce package of tamarind pulp with one cup of water until it softens. Pour the mixture into a strainer and rub te pulp through as best you can, leaving behind the seeds and the strings of the pod. The result will be a brown paste, ¾ of a cup of which you will need for the marinade.

Definition of GRAMMAR

Grammar is the system of a language. People sometimes describe grammar as the "rules" of a language; but in fact no language has rules*. If we use the word "rules", we suggest that somebody created the rules first and then spoke the language, like a new game. But languages did not start like that. Languages started by people making sounds which evolved into words, phrases and sentences. No commonly-spoken language is fixed. All languages change over time. What we call "grammar" is simply a reflection of a language at a particular time.

Do we need to study grammar to learn a language? The short answer is "no". Very many people in the world speak their own, native language without having studied its grammar. Children start to speak before they even know the word "grammar". But if you are serious about learning a foreign language, the long answer is "yes, grammar can help you to learn a language more quickly and more efficiently." It's important to think of grammar as something that can help you, like a friend. When you understand the grammar (or system) of a language, you can understand many things yourself, without having to ask a teacher or look in a book.

So think of grammar as something good, something positive, something that you can use to find your way - like a signpost or a map.

* Except invented languages like Esperanto. And if Esperanto were widely spoken, its rules would soon be very different.