Last Updated on June 23, 2025
Skewers and Sips – a Perfect Pairing of Flavour and Refreshment
Written in conjunction with Chang Beer
In Thailand, food and drink aren’t just sustenance, but a way of life, a form of connection, and a reflection of regional identity. Among the country’s most beloved culinary staples is pork satay: skewered, marinated meat grilled over open flames and served with a creamy peanut sauce and a tangy cucumber relish. While the dish has roots in Indonesian cuisine, Thailand has made pork satay its own, often enjoyed as a quick bite from bustling street stalls or as part of a casual evening meal. Pork satay is just one of many dishes that pair perfectly with Thai Chang Beer, the light, crisp lager that has become synonymous with Thai refreshment. Since its launch in the mid-1990s, Chang has grown into a national icon, appearing on tables from Bangkok’s urban bars to coastal beach shacks. An approachable flavour profile makes it the ideal partner for dishes like satay, where balance and contrast are key. And while I make and enjoy chicken satay with Chang beer, I much prefer using pork, which is more usual in Thailand.
Growing up in Southeast Asia, my earliest memories of satay are inextricably linked with long, sun-soaked afternoons at the local swimming pool. On the far side of the water, a wiry, weathered satay vendor, his skin darkened and gleaming from years in the sun, would sit cross-legged behind a small metal grill, fanning the charcoal as fragrant smoke drifted through the humid air. Beside him stood his daughter, a slender girl about my age, often with a large python casually draped around her neck. When business slowed, she would circle the pool, offering the snake to anyone brave enough to hold it while she took a break.
The scent of sizzling, marinated meat was powerful enough to lure even the most squeamish child toward the charcoal. For us, satay was a weekly treat to enjoy, washed down with an ice cream soda. These days, I opt for a chilled bottle of Chang as my tipple of choice. The pork satay I now make at home, usually in the air fryer, is the closest I’ve come to recreating those childhood afternoons: smoky, sweet, and unmistakably nostalgic. Of course, you could cook these pork skewers on the BBQ, in the oven or on a griddle – but for convenience, the air fryer is a winner!
The first thing to remember about making satay is that a good peanut sauce is essential. And that is something you need to make from scratch, with raw peanuts. Don’t compromise with peanut butter – the texture will be wrong. Instead, head to your nearest Asian supermarket and look for those raw peanuts with red skins. You can make up a jar of peanut sauce and keep it in the fridge for a week or two, and it will make all the difference.
The second essential is to marinate your meat in coconut milk laced with spices for at least an hour (at room temperature if you are short of time) or for up to 24 hours in the fridge.
You may need a few new ingredients for this recipe, but I promise you, it’ll be worth it. Don’t fret too much if you can’t find everything – I’ve noted where a substitute will work well. For example, I often struggle to find lemongrass and end up leaving it out. And I DO use a commercial Thai Red Curry Sauce, though it’s one I buy from Longdam, so it’s a lot cheaper and more powerful than the sort you’ll find in your regular supermarket.
I skewer my satay onto bamboo, soaking the sticks in water for a few hours, then trimming them to fit neatly in the air fryer. If you prefer not to do that, you can cook the meat directly on the air fryer grill, ensuring a single layer of meat.
I also make a quick cucumber pickle to accompany my air fryer pork satay, and I serve the whole dish with jasmine rice.
Here’s my recipe for air fryer pork satay with peanut sauce
A delicious Thai inspired recipe for Pork Satay cooked in an air fryer
- 300 grams pork tenderloin or boneless loin chops If you like fat, please feel free to use the pork cut of your choice
- 2 tsp coriander seeds or ground coriander
- 1/2 tsp cumin seeds or ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp white peppercorns or ground pepper
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 inch fresh ginger or galangal
- 1 tablespoon tamarind paste
- 1/2 tsp ground tumeric or a small piece of fresh turmeric
- 100 ml coconut milk
- 1 stalk lemongrass (optional) (white part only), finely minced or grated
- 1 tsp brown sugar
- 75 grams raw peanuts
- 300 ml coconut milk
- 2 tbsp red curry paste
- 2 tbsp tamarind paste
- 1 1/2 tbsp palm sugar (or soff brown sugar)
- 2 tsp fish sauce
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Grind the whole spices until fine. I use the grinding attachment to my Bamix for this. You can also use a pestle and mortar if you prefer.
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Add the peeled ginger, lemon grass, sugar, salt and remaining spices and continue to blend until the mixture is well blended
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Scrape the mixture out into a medium-sized mixing bowl, then add the tamarind paste and coconut milk and mix well using a fork.
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Remove half the marinade and store in the fridge to use within 7 days
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Cut the pork into ribbons about 1/2cm by 3cm.
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Put the pork pieces into the remaining marinade and stir to cover well
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Either cover the bowl and leave at room temperature to marinade for up to an hour, or put it in the fridge where you can marinade for anything longer than an hour up to 24 hours.
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When you are ready to cook, take the pork strips out of the marinade and thread them onto skewers
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Preheat your air fryer or griddle, brushed with oil as necessary
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Cook on the highest possible temperature (230c for me) for about 6 minutes, then turn and continue cooking until the skewers are cooked through.
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Serve warm with peanut sauce on the side
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Put the peanuts onto a cast iron skillet or baking tray and roast at 190 c for about 10 minutes
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When the skins puff up and start to come loose, remove the tray and allow them to cool enough to be able to handle
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rub the peanuts in the palms of your hands to remove the skins
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Grind them to a rough texture in a blender or using a pestle and mortar
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Put about a third of the coconut milk into a small heavy pan and bring to the boil
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Stir through the curry paste and continue to cook over a medium heat until you have a thick mixture
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Now add the remaining coconut milk and mix well
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Stir through the peanuts. palm sugar and tamarind paste
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Cook gently for five minutes or so until the whole mixture thickens. You can add a little water or white vinegar if it thickens too much in that time
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Finally, stir through the fish sauce and transfer half the mix to a serving bowl to cool. The remaining peanut sauce can be stored in a glass jar in the fridge for a week or so.
This recipe makes enough marinade and peanut sauce for four servings. I generally keep the spare marinade and peanut sauce in the fridge to use later in the week.
I make this quantity because, although I generally cook for 1 or 2, it uses a whole tin of coconut milk (400ml) across the marinade and peanut sauce. However, feel free to adjust to your own circumstances!
Once you’ve made it, take your pork satay outside and enjoy it with an ice-cold Chang beer. What could be better?
Find Out More
Stuck in the UK but want to find out more about authentic Thai Flavours and Chang Beer in particular? We recommend visiting Coal Drops Yard, King’s Cross, for the Visit Thailand Showcase 2025, which takes place from Friday, 27th June to Sunday, 29th June 2025. There’s a Chang Beer stand, of course, so you’ve got the perfect reason to visit!
The Thailand Showcase is an annual cultural event that celebrates the richness and diversity of Thai culture, creativity, and innovation. Organised by the Royal Thai Embassy in London, the showcase brings together Thailand’s finest food, film, fashion, and performing arts.
If you can’t make that, do check the Chang Beer website for more information.
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