Trim fat from the striploin and then slice thinly into 3x1cm strips.

For the marinade, make the dark soy blend first. Put all the sauces in a saucepan and bring to a simmer while stirring well; do not allow to boil. Once it is simmering, add the seasonings and stir well. When everything is well mixed and dissolved, turn off the heat and allow to cool. Funnel into a sauce bottle and store in the fridge for up to 4 weeks.

Then for the rest of the marinade, blend the onion and lemongrass in a food processor, then combine with the rest of the marinade ingredients in a large bowl. Add the beef strips and mix well, then refrigerate for 4 hours.

For the satay sauce, heat the oil in a heavy-based saucepan and deep-fry the peanuts until brown and fragrant. Remove with a slotted spoon and allow to cool, then blend in a food processor until smooth. Remove and set aside.

Blitz the onion and garlic into a paste in the food processor, then heat the 300ml of vegetable oil in a wok and sauté the paste with the chilli giling until fragrant, about 10–15 minutes.

Mix in the blended peanuts and the peanut butter and sauté on a low heat for another 10 minutes, then add the turmeric, salt, MSG, tomato sauce and tamarind paste and sauté for a further 5 minutes.

Add the sugar and stir vigorously as it will caramelise quickly, then turn off the heat when well mixed. Add the water and blitz the mixture with a hand-held blender until it looks like satay sauce. Pour into a saucepan and simmer gently until thick, then set aside.

Thread about 8 strips of beef onto each bamboo skewer, packing the meat tightly; each skewer should weigh around 50g.

Cook the skewers over charcoal or on a barbeque on high heat for 4 minutes (1 minute on each side).

Arrange the satay skewers on a platter and serve with satay sauce and fried shallots.