Satay is an immensely popular food choice for any Singaporean or Malaysian who’s looking to satisfy their midnight cravings. The marinated meat is skewered and grilled over charcoal, and it tastes best when it’s served with a little bit of that charred bits on the skin for the added smokey flavour.
Wondering how many calories are there in satay? Let’s find out!
How Many Calories Are There in Satay?
| Nutrient | Unit | Beef Satay (Satay Daging) - Value per Stick | Chicken Satay (Satay Ayam) - Value per Stick | Maw Satay (Satay Perut Lembu) - Value per Stick | Mutton Satay (Satay Kambing) - Value per Stick | Pork Satay (Satay Babi) - Value per Stick with Satay Sauce* | Nasi Impit (Ketupat or Compressed Rice) - Value per 95g (Whole) | Onion (Bawang Merah) - 1/2 cup (31g) | Cucumber (Timun) - 1 cup (diced, 96.7 g) | Satay Sauce (Kuah Kacang) - 1/2 cup (85.7g) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | g | 7 | 7.875 | 8.67 | 6.05 | 15.66 | 72.20 | 25.79 | 91.87 | 48.93 |
| Energy | kcal | 36 | 36.5 | 33 | 24 | 71.32 | 87.64 | 19 | 15 | 129 |
| Protein | g | 3.06 | 2.835 | 3.39 | 4.75 | 3.92 | 2.19 | 0.37 | 0.48 | 12.77 |
| Fat | g | 1.17 | 1.935 | 1.73 | 0.56 | 4.15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.11 |
| Carbohydrate | g | 3.315 | 1.905 | 0.92 | 0 | 4.50 | 19.76 | 4.43 | 3.29 | 17.14 |
| Fibre | g | 0.05 | 0.29 | 0.1 | 0 | 0.87 | 0.95 | 0.2 | 0.6 | 4.2 |
** Please scroll horizontally to view all the information. **
* Pork satay’s calorie is listed together with satay sauce, as HPB does not list out the calorie content separately.
Apart from different types of meat (chicken, beef, mutton, and pork), I have also included the calories amount of the usual sides for easier reference.
Things To Note
1. As we can see from the table, mutton satay has the highest amount of protein and the lowest amount of fat among the 3 meat options, making it the ideal option for anyone who’s trying to enjoy their cheat meal without feeling guilty. Make sure to keep an eye on the proportion of lean and fatty meat though, as some vendors might prefer to use more fatty meat (or even skin) for the meat skewers.
2. The calories in 1 stick of satay might seem like a forgivable amount, but you don’t go all the way to a mamak just to enjoy 1 stick of satay, right? One tip for those who found it hard not to overeat when having their meals outside: Never ever go to a mamak with an empty stomach. It’s way too easy to be seduced by the irresistible smell and sight of the sizzling meat, and you’ll often end up ordering more than what you plan to eat before you know it.
Never Neglect the Sauce
Make sure you pay attention to your plate of peanut sauce, and scoop up the layer of oil before you dip your satay into it!
The calories in satay sauce tend to be neglected, but it can be a calorically dense dish if a lot of oil is used to cook it.
This is why you often hear people complaining about not losing weight despite the fact that they’re “eating clean” when the salad dressing has more calories than all the vegetables within the bowl of salad.
So the next time you’re at a mamak stall or rumah terbuka, make sure you don’t drizzle the kuah over the row of satay!
Also, keep in mind that satay and peanut sauce are often prepared with lots of sugar to balance out the zesty blend of spices, so this is not a good option for those who’re on a keto/low-carb diet.
All in all, satay seems like a decent option when dining out, as it’s high in protein and low in fat. Just make sure you go easy on the dipping sauce and you’ll be fine.
Nice list of calories you got there! In Thailand, we also have pork satay but it’s called Moo Ping (หมูปิ้ง), and it tends to be shaped wider and thicker compared to the satays I had in Melaka before.