Grilled IPA Peanut Chicken Satays

     The History of the IPA, or India Pale Ale style of beer is a fascinating one.  This beer has traits that were determined by function, and were designed solely to fix, what was a very big problem for Britain.  As a result, this beer helped shape the course of history. 
     To remain a force in the East Indies, Britain needed to supply their troops, as well as an ever increasing transplanted citizenry with beer. Those in positions of power knew that the cultural and healthful aspects of beer were crucial to cohesion and maintaining their colonies.  In fact, the troops were given a ration of 1 gallon/day of beer.  The problem: at that time, the styles and means of brewing preferred by the British did not exist in India, and trips to these colonies usually consisted of 3-5 months at sea which caused the traditional dark, sweet beer to become flat, stale, and unpalatable. 

     Through ingenuity, a solution was discovered.  Greater application of hops and higher alcohol were found to inhibit spoiling, and acted as a preservative allowing the beer to last for longer periods of time.  Bow Brewery in East London created a pale ale with a significantly increased amount of boiling hops, the skilled use of "dry hopping," plus higher ABVs.  This ensured that the beer would survive the journey across the seas, and become a major success factor for the emerging British dominance in the East Indies.

     In light of this history, I thought I would make an Indian style dish incorporating the beer that was originally brewed for India.

     For this recipe, I decided to try a beer I've never had.  Based on a little advice, I went with Bridgeport's IPA.  This is Oregon's oldest brewery, and their IPA more closely resembles an Old World IPA (at least compared to the current American versions) in terms of bitterness, malt balance, and hop selection.  This is the style I prefer.  It has a good citrus nose, great notes of pine and grapefruit, beautiful lacing on the glass... wait, sorry, got distracted... let's get cookin'!

Ingredients:

2-3 lbs chicken breasts cut into 1 inch cubes (can substitute pork or shrimp)

1 cup IPA for cooking, a couple IPAs for drinking

2 tbl crystalized ginger

1 lemon grass stalk chopped in 1/2 inch pieces

5 garlic cloves minced

3 Thai chili peppers minced

1 cup light coconut milk

1/2 cup unsweetened creamy organic peanut butter

2 tbls fresh cilantro minced, 1 tbl fresh cilantro whole leaves

2 tbl low sodium soy sauce

2 limes

1 bunch of scallions lightly coated in olive oil, salt and pepper

1 tbl honey

Sriracha

Kosher salt

Cracked pepper

Peanuts for garnish
Jasmine rice prepared according to directions

Prep Time: 20 mins, plus marinade time

Cook Time:  25 mins

1.  In a blender mix your IPA, peanut butter, honey, coconut milk, minced cilantro, ginger, lemongrass, garlic, chilis, soy, salt, pepper, and juice of 1 lime.  Place your chicken cubes in a gallon size freezer bag, and pour in your mixture.  Let this marinate in the fridge for at least a few hours, up to overnight.

2.  Light a chimney starter full of charcoal.  While you're waiting for the coals to be ready, take a couple pulls off your beer, and then thread the chicken pieces onto skewers (soaked bamboo work, but trust me- metal skewers are the way to go).  This is also a good time to prepare your rice.

3.  Pour reserve marinade into a cast iron skillet (or sauce pan).  Over high heat bring to a boil, then back down to a strong simmer, stirring slowly.  Reduce down by half, or until it is thick enough to easily stick to a spoon.  Add Sriracha to taste.

4.  Your coals should be just about ready.  Have a drink, and then spread them out evenly.  Place the grill grate on, clean it, and oil it with a paper towel.  Next, place your skewers on the grill.  Using your reduced marinade, brush a thick coat on the chicken.  Cook these for 7-10 minutes, flipping them half way.

5.  In the meantime, put a piece of foil on the grill, and cook your scallions on this in a single layer.  These should take about the same amount of time as the chicken.  You want to turn them half way, and they should have some char. 

6.  Once cooked, place your rice in bowls (Udon noodles are great, too), then add chicken pieces.  Cut the scallions into 1 inch segments and sprinkle them in the bowls.  Drizzle with remaining peanut sauce, sprinkle peanuts, add a squirt of lime, garnish with cilantro leaves, add more Sriracha if you're like me and dig the heat.  Make sure you have some cold IPA nearby, and dig in!

This was another one of those dishes, which are ridiculously easy to put together and cook, but will taste like you went to a ton of work.  Without rice, these make a dynamite appetizer.

Be sure to hit me up if you have any questions or suggestions!

Cheers!

The Drunken Chef