Can I let you in on a secret? You should probably sit down for this. Are you ready? Here goes. I had never tried peanut butter and jelly sandwiches until about an year ago! There I said it. I know! I know! But hear me out. There’s a good explanation for this. Growing up in New Zealand and Sri Lanka, PB&J sandwiches weren’t as big as they are in the US. I’ve had sandwiches with either PB, or J separately, but not together. As someone who finds a great deal of joy (maybe a tad too much even) in trying new flavour combinations, I’m not entirely sure why it took me so long to get on board with PBJ. But having done so about an year ago, I can safely say that I’ve made a lot of lost ground in the time since.
Fusion of different flavours and cuisines is what keeps me on my toes. It’s what oils the springs in my head and part of the reason why I started this blog in the first place. So I try something new in the kitchen regularly. Sometimes they work. Sometimes they don’t. Mr. K is my guinea pig and I’m glad he’s a willing participant in my schemes.
So after a whole year of catching up on PB&J goodness, my desensitized taste buds requested something different. So I gave it some thought, and then a little more, and then made a call. I’m not sure how you will like the sound of this, but let me try to convince you why you need to have these Savoury PBJ Wraps with Spicy Satay Beef and Strawberry Relish, in your life.
Are you with me?
Maybe? Good. I’ll take that.
Think PBJ, but spicy with beef, and a lot of amazing flavours! So satay = PB and strawberry relish = J, and you’ve got spicy and savoury “PBJ” with incredible, satay marinated minced beef grilled as Kofta skewers and brushed with satay sauce, and a sweet and spicy strawberry relish drizzled on top, all encased in a home made whole wheat naan “wrap.”
Still with me? I think you’re going to like this.
I won’t lie to you. I was afraid it wouldn’t work. My Satay recipe is one of my absolute favourites which I have tweaked a few times over the years, and I love this Strawberry Chilli Relish recipe too. But together? Wasn’t so confident. So I crossed my fingers, hoped for the best and made my husband eat it.
It was incredible! Truly. To make it an actual meal (for the likes of Mr K that is), I served these with shredded cabbage and cucumber and wrapped it in a Whole wheat Naan. However nothing will stop you from eating these with a salad or sandwiched between burger buns or wrapped in a tortilla or just on their own.
The beef skewers/koftas are quite delicate as I didn’t use a binding agent to hold it tightly together. The marinade is a wet one which also makes the meat quite tender. But I like it that way. It makes the beef melt-in-your-mouth soft and dripping with flavour!
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Ingredients:
Marinade and Satay Sauce for Beef Mince
- 1 lb beef mince
- Satay spice mix - recipe below
- 6 tbsp smooth peanut butter about ⅓ cup
- 5 - 6 tbsp oil
- Salt to taste
- 10 wooden skewers soaked overnight
To Serve
- Strawberry Chilli Relish
- Shredded cabbage
- Sliced cucumber
- 5 -10 whole wheat Naan or any wrap of your choice
Instructions:
For the Beef Marinade and Satay Sauce
- Mix the satay spice mix with the peanut butter and oil until well combined and smooth.
- Set aside ½ of this for the satay sauce.
- Mix the other ½ with the beef mince and divide the mix into 10 portions (you can leave it to marinade for a few hours if you like at this stage).
- Wrap each portion around a soaked skewer and use your hands to seal it as much as possible.
- Let the skewers rest for a few minutes (until you get the satay sauce ready).
- In a small saucepan, heat the other half of the satay mix. Stir occasionally.
- When the spice mix darkens slightly and starts to bubble, you should be able to smell all the spices. Remove from heat and leave to cool.
- Heat a nonstick pan or a grill pan and grill the skewers on medium high heat for 2-3 minutes per side.
- When the beef skewer is cooked through, transfer to a plate and brush with the satay sauce. Let the beef satay rest for a few minutes.
- The beef skewers can be served as is or with rice or a salad.
PBJ Spicy Beef Skewers
- Place shredded cabbage and cucumber on the naan (or wrap of your choice).
- Place 1-2 beef skewers on top (then remove the skewer), and drizzle some strawberry chilli relish on top.
- Serve warm.
“This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.”
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Ingredients:
- ½ bunch of cilantro
- 1 tsp coriander powder
- 4 tbsp minced lemongrass 2 -3 stalks
- 1 small onion
- 3 garlic cloves
- 30 g ginger
- 1 tsp chilli powder optional - if you like it spicy
- 3 tbsp chilli flakes or de-seed 5 dry chillis if you don’t want the heat
- 4 tbsp soy sauce
- 3 tbsp brown sugar
Instructions:
- Combine all the ingredients in a small food processor or spice grinder and process into a paste. You can use a little oil to loosen up the paste if needed.
- If storing away, place the paste in an airtight container in the fridge (for up to a week).
- This can be used for many things!
“This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.”
The cabbage and the cucumber add a lovely crunchy coolness which works amazingly well with the warm spicy flavours of the satay and the sweet and spicy strawberry relish. All of that together with the flavour-drenched beef skewers/koftas in a wrap, translate to an incredibly satisfying bite/meal.
And wouldn’t this be perfect on a cold winter day/night? The temperature outside as I write this is in single digits (with a wind chill several degrees below zero!). Wouldn’t you like some of this spicy and savoury “PBJ” goodness sitting on a plate in front of you on a day/night like this? I’ll be grinning ear to ear if I could have some of this right now. Which reminds me, I need to make this again. Soon.
So what do you think? Have you tried something similar before? Curious enough to try it? Don’t like the sound of it? Do let me know in the comments. 🙂
On a side note, I’m currently working on my Recipe Index page, trying to make it more user friendly for all my readers. “Trying” being the operative word though. HTML is driving me up the wall! Hopefully though, the page will be up and running soon. 🙂
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Brandi @ penguinsinpink.com says
Yum! Looks so good. Thanks for linking up to the Bloggers Brags Pinterest Party. I have pinned to the Bloggers Brags Broad.
Jhuls says
What an interesting meal, Dini. You are a genius. 😀 I wish I am having some right now. 🙁
Ramona says
Wow, now that’s some really fun flavors happening in this wrap. I would love to try I big bite of this! 🙂
Julie @ HostessAtHeart says
When I saw the title, I was a bit hesitant. However, I love beef or chicken satay with peanut sauce. The fact that you spiced up the strawberry would make this an extraordinary dish. I am all for it! Your presentation is beautiful too!
Dini says
hahaha!! Thank you for taking the chance Julie! 🙂 I love trying new flavour combinations and this was an experiment that turned out really successful… I hope you do try it!
skd says
Love all the flavours that went in and the gorgeous pictures 🙂
Sadia says
Oh my God! This looks sooo good. I really wish i could taste this sandwich now NOW! Im sure this will be flavir packed.
Dini says
Thank you so much Sadia! You are right, it is packed with flavour! The Satay has so much flavour on it’s own but the strawberry takes it over the top! 🙂 If you do try it, please let me know what you think??
Justine says
yum yum can i come over?
Dini says
Of course you can Justine!! 😀
Judi Graber says
I used to eat jelly sandwiches and peanut butter sandwiches but never both together. I make a pie for the kids but not for me! Great idea though and so creative. Thanks for bringing your tasty dish to Fiesta Friday 🙂
Dini says
Thank you Judi! I was the same way – I loved it separately but never wanted it together. I do now though! 😀
Tina | Mademoiselle Gourmande says
I have never had a PBJ sandwich ever. So I cannot really be in on this conversation. But I can say that I love your wraps, they look just soooo delicious! This is such a creative way of looking at PBJ sandwiches. I love it and will try to make these when I’m back home for sure. 🙂
Dini says
Thank you Tina! 🙂 My husband loves eating PBJ which is why I had to try it. If it weren’t for him I probably wouldn’t have still tasted it.
It’s definitely a combination I was nervous trying out, but was so happy with how it turned out! 🙂
CakeSpy says
Be still my beating heart! This looks like a meal I could fall in love with.
Dini says
I hope you do Jessie! I loved the sweet fruity flavours with the spicy satay… 🙂 but let me know what you think too!! 😀
Michelle @ Giraffes Can Bake says
Being British I didn’t try PB&J until a couple years ago either, but I wasn’t a big fan – I was told I used the wrong type of jam haha!
But this? This I can definite’y get on board with! It looks amazing oh my gosh!
Dini says
Thank you Michelle! I was very nervous about what the reaction might be 🙂 but it’s hard to convey how much this combination actually works!
Here in the US I think they use grape jelly… but I haven’t had that yet! I love it wish strawberry or Raspberry jam – but I like to sprinkle my Peanut butter layer with a little salt 🙂
Natalie says
Wow! This sounds like an incredibly interesting recipe. I love the combination of flavours.
Amanda says
What an interesting flavor combination! It’s definitely thinking outside the box… I like that 😀 And I love the way you “made your husband eat it”… I do the same thing lol. He’s my taste tester, whether he wants to be or not 😛
Dini says
Thank you Amanda! 😀 I do love making him eat it first, and thankfully he is a bottomless pit!! It’s funny to watch his face through the whole thing too! 🙂