Vegetable Satay Skewers (Pork Tenderloin Option)

Slabs of vegetables are marinated satay style, brushed with the coconut milk based, spice infused marinade while grilling, then topped with a unique coconut cucumber yogurt dressing and satay sauce (option for including pork).

thread skewers: 15 mins

This recipe is based on the premise that thin slabs of anything marinated and skewered, create more surface area for marinade and grill charring, and dry out less, which is why I’ve always loved satay. While satay refers to a Southeast Asian style of skewered meat, I’ve only experienced those skewers in the form of thin slabs of meat at Thai restaurants, marinated in wonderfully flavorful coconut curry spices. Combine this idea in my fusion style brain with the desire for a way to infuse vegetables with the delicious Thai style marinade and you have this preparation. Aside from taking the time to skewer the slabs of vegetables (and/or pork if you desire), the recipe is a breeze, comes together quickly, and is presented equally with the veggie satay idea as well as the option to use pork tenderloin.

Above: An option with pork and veggies is shown with an inventive coconut cucumber dressing drizzled over the top. The satay sauce can be served on the side for dipping, or you can present vice versa. The sauce and dressing are both delicious!

Above: finished skewers of pork tenderloin with red cabbage and spring onions take a little time to skewer but cook quickly and yield highly flavorful results.

Why this recipe works

• Veggies are cut into slabs instead of cubes to give more surface area to the satay marinade and sauce. Both cabbage and onion come alive with flavor when grilled, so I’ve chosen them, but the possibilities are endless. Any veggie you can cut into a slab can be used.
• Lean pork tenderloin can easily be turned into thin slabs to marinate. Skewering the slabs and grilling them quickly, allows the pork to become more flavorful than whole roasted pork tenderloin and less at risk for drying out.
• The coconut milk based curry marinade brushes nicely over the veggies and also makes a wonderful drizzle sauce for the finished dish.
• Typically satay is served with a peanut dipping sauce and a cucumber/vinegar salad. This recipe incorporates two inventive sauces, a coconut cucumber dressing and a coconut curry satay sauce. More flavors, more to love!

Above: In the spring I find young/spring onions frequently in New England. If your area does not sell these types of onions, use regular onions (red or Vidalia are tasty choices) or scallions/green onions. Either choice will be delicious grilled.

Ingredient notes

• Veggies– the red cabbage and onions both hold up well on the grill and offer great texture and substance. You can sub other slabs of veggies if you prefer. I find this combination unique and filling. For the all veggie skewers, I recommend adding portobello mushroom slabs that hold up well to skewering.
• Pork tenderloin– the shape of the tenderloin makes it easy to cut into slabs that take on lots of flavor from the marinade. I’ve read that pork is actually the most commonly used satay meat in Southeast Asia.
• Coconut cucumber dressing– coconut milk is added to yogurt to create a unique tzatziki style dressing, tangy with lime and fragrant with fresh herbs. Pickled or fresh jalapeno adds a welcome kick (in place of Thai chilis typically used in the marinade part of satay) to the dressing but you can leave it out if you do not want the element of chili heat.
• Satay Sauce– half of the marinade is held aside to heat up and thicken with a slurry so you can drizzle it over the finished product. So good (photos coming soon).

Step-by-step instructions

If using wooden skewers, I always soak them in water for 15 minutes or so, so they are less likely to burn on the grill.

Skip ahead if you are making only veggie skewers.

If using pork, get it prepped, by cutting it (see recipe card), mixing the marinade ingredients and placing the slabs of pork in 1/4 of the marinade. Another 1/4 of the marinade is left for the veggie skewers and the final 1/2 of the marinade is heated on medium heat closer to serving time, and whisked with a cornstarch slurry which thickens it a little to create a tasty drizzle sauce.

Above: protein prep begins by cutting the tenderloin into thirds across the length, then cutting each third into 4 slabs before marinating.

Next you should prep the ingredients for the coconut cucumber yogurt dressing, and mix them altogether in a bowl, then set the bowl in the fridge to chill and marinate.

With the items done that need time to sit and marinate, next you can prepare the vegetables by cleaning them and slicing them into slabs about 1/4-1/2″ thick. This should allow you to then thread them onto skewers. Place the finished skewers on some parchment on a sheet pan, brush with a tad of olive oil and brush both sides with the marinade.

Above: these veggie skewers are threaded more sparsely than the ones shown below, as they accompany the pork skewers and as such, make a great presentation threaded with rather large slabs of veg.

Above: If adding portobello mushrooms to your all-vegetable skewers, and if time and space allow, you can set the threaded skewers in the last of the marinade, with that drizzle of oil, and let them soak until grill time. The mushrooms especially, can take on a good amount of the marinade.

With all the other prep complete, you can thread the pork slabs onto skewers, taking care to thread them through the long way, and keeping the meat stretched out on the skewers versus bunching it up.

The last thing to do before heading to the grill is to create the thickened satay sauce by heating the reserved half of the sauce in a small pan over medium heat. Once it is bubbling around the edges, keep it to a simmer, and add the slurry mix of cornstarch and water, then whisk continuously, in a chill way, no worries here 🙂 for a few minutes until it thickens enough for your liking. It should dribble off the spoon rather than pouring off like water.

It’s grill time. Head out to the grill. I recommend brushing the grill surface so it is clean, and brushing the surface with a bit of oil, since the veg and pork do not have much fat in them.

I like to grill the veggies first, for a few minutes on high with lid closed, flipping to get both sides, then move them to the side and grill the pork skewers, only for about 5 minutes per side, and also, on med-high with lid closed. For all the skewers brush both sides as you grill them, with the extra marinade you should still have.

Your finished skewers should look lovely. They should have a golden hue from the turmeric and curry spices and some delicious char and grill marks. Time to dig in with the coconut cucumber dressing and satay sauce!

Above/Below: Above is a full platter of vegetable only satay skewers with the thickened satay sauce nearby. Veggie only skewers make an amazing meal, especially if you include the sturdy cabbage and the higher protein mushrooms! Below is a finished plate of pork and vegetable skewers.

Tips for making this recipe

• Make the coconut dressing ahead by a few hours or a full day.
• Make the marinade a day ahead and prep and marinate the pork a day ahead.
• Create the thickened satay sauce a day ahead or the morning of.
• Prep and skewer the veggies ahead.
• If you do the above ahead of time, then you’ve only got threading the pork and grilling the food to do at meal time.
• Keep the veggies and pork on separate skewers since they cook in different amounts of time.
• Grill cleaning and treatment- since the skewers and marinade do not contain much fat, I recommend cleaning and wiping grill with oil before cooking, and also drizzling a tad of oil on the veg skewers when threading them to avoid sticking.
• Grill time to avoid sticking- I also recommend letting the skewers of both the veggies and pork grill for a solid 5 minutes before attempting to move and flip them with tongs, to avoid sticking and breakage. Take care to loosen the meat the full lengh of skewer before attempting to pick it up to flip.

Related Recipes

This is the first skewer and grilling recipe I’ve posted but check out my other protein and vegetable recipes!