Most Thai sates are made with red curry paste, but Fogle likes the mellower flavor of massaman curry paste. The curry paste is not the same thing as curry powder, which Fogle also uses in the dish. The curry paste is available in Asian grocery stores, but curry powder can be found in any supermarket. Fogle scoops out a dollop of curry paste and fries it in oil on one of the 20 burners lining the back wall of the airy kitchen. The curry paste sizzles as Fogle stirs, perfuming the air with exotic aromas.
Most cooks use peanut butter for the sauce.
But to intensify the flavor, Fogle adds ground peanuts, too. She adds the thickened coconut milk little by little, stirring and cooking between additions. Simmering at just the proper temperature and adding the coconut milk a little at a time are the keys to a good sauce. Sate is one of the few dishes in Thailand that isn't fiery-hot, which may be why it is so popular here. In Thailand, so much oil is used that it puddles on top of the sate sauce.