Curaçao forms part of the Netherlands Antilles, so it's not surprising that its cuisine would be influenced by that of Holland's major former colony, Indonesia. This recipe has a clear Indonesian origin (and name), and in its original form included such Indonesian condiments as sambal and Ketjap Manis.

For my version of this recipe I incorporated the recipe of ketjap manis found on the link above, leaving aside the ground galangal (as the recipe asked for so little, and it'd be hard to find), directly into the recipe. I followed it otherwise pretty closely, except that I left out the sambal or Tabasco sauce. My kids don't eat spicy food and I was hoping they'd eat this dish. At least Camila (my 4yo) seemed to like it.

Indeed the results were quite good, and the skewers did not need the accompanying peanut sauce to make them yummy. Indeed, I thought the peanut sauce took away from the goodness of the meat. Mike preferred it peanuty, however.

We're in winter, so I broiled the kebabs, but you can grill them as well. I used metal skewers - if you use bamboo ones, make sure to soak them in water for 20 minutes before skewering the meat.

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Beef Sate

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp. brown sugar
• 5 Tbsp. water
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. soy sauce
• 1 1/2 tsp. molasses
• 3/4 tsp. + a dash of cumin
• 1.5 lb beef
• salt & pepper to taste
• 3/4 tsp. garlic powder

Instructions

Combine the brown sugar and 2 Tbsp. of water in a very small pot. Heat on medium, and stir until the sugar dissolves. Bring to a quick boil, reduce the heat, and add the soy sauce, molasses and a dash of cumin. Stir and simmer gently for a couple of minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Cut the beef into 1.5" sized cubes. Season lightly with salt & pepper. Place in a medium-bowl. Strain sugar mixture onto the meat. Add 3/4 tsp. cumin and garlic powder. Mix all ingredients, cover the bowl, and marinade for a few hours or overnight.

Preheat broiler. Skewer the beef and broil until done to your likeness, 6-10 minutes, turning once.

Serve with peanut sauce.

Adapted from a recipe at Warawara's Curaçao recipes, with additional seasonings from RecipeSource.