
Sate Sapi Cucuk Manis: Grilled Beef Tenderloin Satay Marinated with Cuko or Tamarind and Kecap Manis Sauce
Resep Sate Sapi Cucuk Manis ala Wak Din Palembang. Sate cucuk manis is a skewered beef satay originally from Palembang, South Sumatra. The beef tenderloin cut into chunky bite pieces, marinated with spices, kecap manis (Indonesian sweet soy sauce) and tamarind paste, then skewered on bamboo skewer and grilled over charcoal. The name of Sate Sapi Cucuk Manis derived from Sate which is Indonesian word for satay, sapi means beef, cucuk means skewered or pierced and manis is translated as sweet. You may think the Sate Sapi Manis must be sweet, not completely wrong because it’s actually taste sourish or tangy sweet because the additional of tamarind paste or locally called asam jawa.

Sate Sapi Cucuk Manis: Grilled Beef Tenderloin Satay Marinated with Cuko or Tamarind and Kecap Manis Sauce
Sate Cucuk Manis usually served with cuko or thinner version of sourish tangy sweet sauce which also used for marinating the beef. Cuko sauce made Sate Sapi Cucuk Manis different with Sate Madura(Chicken/Lamb Satay), which used to be served with peanut sauce. The same thing for both is they using kecap manis for marinade. Kecap manis is made of fermented black soy with a nice umami flavour and mixed it with some palm sugar and also spices into some dark, sweet, caramelized and lovely sauce as the most common ingredeints in most of Indonesia cuisines. Sate Sapi Cucuk Manis also commonlt served with some pickled chili and cucumber relish, sliced shallots and bawang goreng or deep fried red shallots.

Sate Sapi Cucuk Manis: Grilled Beef Tenderloin Satay Marinated with Cuko or Tamarind and Kecap Manis Sauce
Sate Sapi Cucuk Manis is DAMN DELICIOUS, the beef tenderloin is cooked into perfection, tender and heavenly melted in the mouth. The sourish tangy caramelized tamarind cuko sauce hit you with some umami gastrononic orgasm sensation and it just perfectly combined with the smokey grilled beef satay. I’m not kidding or made it out for you, eversince beef tenderloin is tender and not much needed tenderizer so 1 hour of marinating is just perfect. The kecap manis and spices flavour is penetrated into the meat, meanwhile the acidic tamarind paste break down the collagen in the meat protein fiber resulting a melting tender and flavourfull meat satay.
I love culinary adventures, not only to taste the food but also explore the philosophy underneath the dish from the original and authentic version. Sate Sapi Cucuk Manis invented by Wak Din (wak means uncle in Palembangnese) back then in the 1940-ish. Wak Din is a former blue colored job man who loves to cook for his family; eversince he couldn’t afford to purchased pricey beef tenderloin so he purchased the cheap cut of beef. Here comes the problem; cheap cut beef wouldn’t bee tender if grilled over charcoal, hence he used acidic marinade made of tamarind to tenderized the beef and voila!!! everybody lovin Sate Cucuk Manis Wak Din and then He usedh to use beef tenderloin eversince he sold it out for the first time .
In the 1940-ish Wak Din sold his Sate Sapi Cucuk Manis with a bakul or street vendor style gigantic hampers made of rotan wood that carried on his shoulder. Right after he think he can afford some building for his restaurant, he open his warung Sate Cucuk Manis shop in Jl. KH. A Azhari Palembang then times swing byand Sate Sapi Cucuk Manis become on of the herritage cuisine of Palembang.
When you reach the sighboard of Sate Manis Wak Din, you pretty much will be under estimated it just by looking the ambience. The restaurant itself is self explanatory and simple with six table that can afoord about 30 people, you won’t believe that former Indonesian President, South Sumatra’s Governor, celebrities and famous food critics had ever dining there. Then a humble and polite smiling of a middle aged Lady welcomed me when i enter the restaurant. The Wak Din youngest daughter who take over the place explained the menu and also the story about Wak Din. Excuse me if any mistaken information taken because the satay galore already tickled my taste buds in the very beginning, i even forgot to photograph the interior of the restaurant.
Sate Sapi Cucuk Manis Wak Din usually contain five skewered beef with a large chunky of beef meat satay for a single portion. served with the cuko sauce, chili rfelish, lime wedges and deep fried shallots. I assume a single portion of beef satay contain about 175-200 grams of beef and it cost you only IDR 25.000 (about 3 USD). They will charge extra IDR 5000 for one extra skewer. You know what; i’m a true carnivour with big appetite (judging from many beef recipe feature on Dentist Chef) and 7 skewer is enought for me. What i really ADORE about Sate Sapi Cucuk Manis Wak Din is how they didn’t put a hint of hesitate to share the recipe for me. They told me that if you made some dish passionately with love hence people will taste it within bites and i couldn’t more agree with it. There’s so many seller of Sate Cucuk Manis in Palembang; from the street vendor to a fancy restaurant of five starred hotel but the original always got it’s place in Palembangnese people heart.
Beside the legendary beef satay, sate cucuk manis Wak Din also served several Palembangnese traditional dishes; Brengkes Ikan Patin Tempoyak (Banana Leaf Wrapped Spiced Fish with Fermented Durian Paste). A local catfish from Musi River, spiced with chili, shallots ginger, turmeric and tangy fermented durian or tempoyak. Pindang Tulang (Spicy sour Beef Ribs Soup with Chili and Tamarind Paste) and also Malbi Daging Sapi ( Indonesian Braised beef in Sweet Curry with Kecap Manis /Sweet Soy Sauce)
How to reached the Sate Cucuk Manis Wak Din is not that hard if you can located the landmark of Palembang city; the Ampera Bridge, well all i can say is you’ve been found Wak Din’s beef satay shop. Ask anybody about Sate Wak Din and they would be gladly pointed it out to you.
Sate Sapi Manis Wak Din restaurant is in front of small clinic called Klinik 7 Ulu which can be seen from the ampera bridge if you standing onn the left section of the ampera bridge and facing the Agung Mosque. Prepare yourself for a ride of slower speeds, longer trip times, and increased vehicular queueing ahead of you.
Here comes the tricky part; before you get to nearby the Ampera bridge, make sure you going there in a stable state of mental, better be happy because you gotta deal with some crowded and busy street of Palembang city. If you get lucky there’s no traffic jam and traffic congestion. This is daily basic life in Palembang, just look out the photograph of Palembang street with heavy traffic congestion, hence you definitely need some ride which affordable, comfortable, safety and yet had a great performance on the road. Palembangnese busy street need Toyota Agya for enhancing and support a hectic and mobile citizen like me.
My collegues friends bugging me about Toyota Agya which had been ride it for one year. My tree hugging-go vegan chick fling-pro envirometal maniac lady friend always told that she’s been saving so much money for the fuel efficency of Toyota Agya (21 km per litre, aided by its 740 kg kerb weight). Toyota Agya is one of the Low-Cost and Green Car (LCGC) programme that’s dominating the local automotive industry in Indonesian market segment for the first-time family car owners. Toyota Agya sold started at 11.000 USD (in Jakarta) and i guess a first jobber can afford it because the tax breaks offered under the LCGC regulation.
Low cost city car is considered as responsible way of life nowdays, no one argues it for sure. My comfort zone of ride is had quite an impressive and aggresive exterior presentation, spacey interior with nice air conditioner, anual and automatic transmission, Dual SSR Airbag for savety concern and the most important things is spacey trunk. Why i needed a large trunk? simply because i had a few groceries shopping and sometimes i need to bring my dentistry stuffs for clinical and laboratory purpose. It’s all complete feature of Toyota Agya!
I’m a 25 years old single young dentist with a very mobile and hectic lives; between the clinics; the hospital, the supermarket, the gym, the malls, the cafes, the futsal place, the few imaginary girlfriend(s) place(s) (which i wish had someday latter) and for sure for by big craving tummy that made me always travelling and exploring through out the city to Eat more and cook more. I’m very wishing that i had Toyota Agya, AGYA names even derived from Sanskrit word which means FAST, which is just perfect for my youth lifestyle.

Sate Sapi Cucuk Manis: Grilled Beef Tenderloin Satay Marinated with Cuko or Tamarind and Kecap Manis Sauce

Grilled Beef Tenderloin Satay Marinated with Cuko or Tamarind and Kecap Manis Sauce (Sate Sapi Cucuk Manis)
Now were back to the Sate cucuk Manis, this recipe is courtesy of Wak Din and i just adjust if with the ingredients that available and suits with my taste buds:
Resep Sate Sapi Cucuk Manis ala Wak Din
SATE CUCUK MANIS WAK DIN
Jl. KHA Azhari, Depan Ps Klinik 7 Ulu Phone :085382263677
Palembang – Sumatera Selatan.
Ingredients of the Skewered Beef Tenderloin Satay
- 800 gr beef tenderloin
- 25 bamboo skewer, submerge in water for about 2 hours, drained
- Salt and pepper to taste
Saus Cuko ( Tamarind Sauce for Marinate the Beef Tenderloin):
- 6 red shallots
- 3 cloves garlic
- 6 tablespoons tamarind paste (removed the seed)
- 6 tablespoons kecap manis (Indonesian sweet soy sauce)
- 3 cm ginger
- 1/2 tbsp chilli/cayenne pepper flakes
- 1/2 tsp black peppercorn
- 1 tsp salt
- 200 ml water
How To Make Beef Tenderloin Satay Marinated with Tamarind & Kecap manis (Cuko):
- Cubed the beef tenderloin about 1.5 inch (about 3.5 cm)
- Prepare the tamarind sauce for marinade by process the red shallots, garlic, ginger, chili and water in a food processor until smooth
- Combine all the tamarind marinade ingredients, bring to boil and simmer until reduced half it’s original volume
- Devide the cuko sauce into two (one for marinade and one for serving)
- Mix the tamarind marinade with the beef tenderloin, let it marinated about one hour
- Put the tamarind marinated beef into the bamboo skewer(about 4 piece in one skewer)
- Griled the beef tenderloin satay over a charcoal grill until your preference doneness
- Glaze with the remaining sauce from the marinade if needed
- Served the Tamarind glazed beef tenderloin satay with the cuko sauce (you can adjust the consitency of the cuko/sweet tamarind sauce), deep fried red shallots, chili relish and sliced raw red shallots.
Mmm – fabulous – Dedy – love those flavours.
palembang salah satu kota di sumatra yang bikin diet gagal :((
Looks delicious! 🙂
Have I mentioned that you cook like a profi? These beef skewers look terrific!
I don’t like tangy or sour flavour that much…so I will eat your beef sate without the sauce. Very good presentation 🙌
foto-fotonya menggoda banget, tapi gak suka makanan yang terlalu manis dehh 😀 mau jalan2 di jembatan Ampera-nya aja
Gak terlalu manis kok mbak, asem2 manis pedes rasanya….
Omaga pindang tulang bikin aku ngilerrrr … ajaklah aku kesana dengan agya nya kak
Oh I love your take on the beef satay, looks so delicious!
Your sate looks delicious. I can just imagine all those wonderful flavors .
Very nice my friend. You’re making me hungry here 🙂
Lovely presentation yet again. 🙂
I love your photos, Dedy, and the presentations are wonderful! 🙂
I love the dish and I love your presentation!
What a journey, but it looks well worth it 🙂
Saya suka sate kambing 🙂
Palembang gat Sumatera? Tak pernah pergi sana, tapi pernah lawat Medan dan Danau Toba gat bahagian utara.
Your beef satay looks out of this world really delicious and tender and I can’t wait to try the sauce. Great little exploration, I always love food travel and understanding the history behind the food. I can get all the ingredients here in HK easily so delighted to put my tamirand to good use.
It looks wonderful! I’d die to give it a try! Thanks for sharing! love the journey!
It’s recipes like this that really make me miss being in Asia! I love the idea of the smokey charcoal and the tangy sourness of tamarind and sweetness of the kecap manis 😀
So much deliciousness to discover everywhere. This has me missing Asian street food and all kinds of goodness. I’d love some of that beef satay!
Ohlala to the satay. Just wish its made with chicken.
Wonderful and delicious discovery Dedy! The beef satay looks impossibly tasty 🙂
Such fabulous pics and places. Love the hunting and traffic jam comment lol. And the satay looks mouthwatering.
These look so delicious Dedy it makes me want to buy tenderloin on the way home. Another wonderful offering from your amazing kitchen 🙂
Such a fun post! Terrific recipe, wonderful pictures. Thanks.
Wow this is an amazing beer match!
You are simply one of the best artists I’ve seen ~ and with my favorite medium: food 🙂
Your sate looks wonderful!!!
I am always afraid to cook with meat. This looks too good!
you better starting now Cathleen, there’s always fun things going on when you persue your favourite beef doness….
Wow, this is such an awesome post, Dedy! Great presentation of the satay & would love to have a ride in the sedan too 😀
Exquisite! I love this kind of dish. Satay is always a winner…
Cheers,
Rosa
The satays look temptingly delicious👍☺
This looks wonderful, Dedy – and so easy to prepare. Also, I have all the ingredients, so want to try this soon.
I am excited to be making this for dinner tonight! Will report back, Dedy!
I love Beef Satay and these simply look amazing! I’m drooling over here.
Sate selain wak itu itu kamu bikin sendiri?
iya mas, sate Wak Din memang lemak , asem2 manis berbumbu cak ngirup cuko
Beum pernah makan disitu mas. Asekkk asem2 kecut haha
Just in time for lunch, heading to the kitchen to ask the chefs to make me this. So yum!