Satay - Modern Thai Version

Soak bamboo skewers for at least half an hour to keep the ends from burning when being grilled. Slice the pork into thin strips (about 1/4 of an inch thick) that will fit onto the skewers. Ground cumin and black pepper. Add cumin, black pepper, turmeric, sugar, sweet condensed milk and coconut milk to the sliced pork. If you choose to add sweet and condensed milk, add it to the mixture. Mix well to coat the pork with the marinade. Marinade for half and hour or overnight (during the same time you soak the skewers). For shorter marinade time, I massage all the seasonings into the sliced pork for a couple minutes.

Thread the pork onto the bamboo skewers. When you get the skewers at a restaurant, the meat is normally stretched out flat. While this looks nice and makes economical sense for restaurants, I find that stuffing the skewers gives me a moister, tastier result that is tenderer than when it is stretched tight.

In Thailand, the satay is grilled on a rectangular, narrow charcoal grill that fits just one row of satay. The charcoal has been burning for a while. It is hot, but not flaming. There should be ashes covering the charcoal so that the satay can be cooked evenly without burning.

Grill and serve with peanut sauce and cucumber in vinegar.