Beef satti

 Sampling the Tausug's breakfast staple

By Earl D.C. Bracamonte 

Tausug cuisine is pre-colonial. So it's been around a long, long time.

"The satti, akin to your barbecued meat on skewers (albeit bite sized), is a Southern Mindanao staple and a breakfast delicacy. In the ZamBaSulta (Zamboanga, Basilan, Sulu, and Tawi-Tawi) region, the sauce is refillable; unlike here in Quezon City (where the two Palm Grill restaurants are located), the sauce only comes once with the dish.

"The sirloin parts of beef meat are sliced into bite sizes. You can easily tenderize the meat through a pressure cooker prior to slicing. In Mindanao, they start cooking the satti as early as 3 am for breakfast. While anywhere else this dish is served by itself or with a bowl of rice, in Mindanao, it is usually served with rice balls," shared Chef Miggy, during a cooking demo simply dubbed "Colors of Mindanao" at the Palenque section  of Gateway Mall 2 in Araneta City.

- Broth

4 liters water for the base soup. Use it to boil beef or fish. You can store the remaining stock for future use. Place them in clean jars and store them inside the refrigerator.

-Sauce

Ripe tomatoes

Ginger

Turmeric (wear gloves to prevent getting stains)

Garlic

Red and white onions, diced

Chili (siling labuyo or jalapeño)

Lemon

Cooking oil (vegetable)

Dried shrimps

Magic Sarap powder

Salt and black pepper to taste

- Cooking instructions

1) Saute the white onions 'til translucent. Add the magic sarap powder from its pouch.

Stir continuously so it doesn't burn.

2) Add the four liters of beef or fish stock.

3) Add the satti mix (composed of washed sugar, chili powder, and salt made from scratch) and bring to a boil.

4) Add a bit of slurry (made from corn starch and water) to thicken the sauce. Set aside.

For your skewers, you can  either choose chicken, liver, or gizzard.  As for the sauce, just keep it frozen. Because, if it was freshly prepared, it can last in your fridge for five years or more.