RECIPE

Base Sate: The Balinese Spice Paste That Makes Authentic Sate

Base sate is the aromatic Balinese spice paste at the heart of the island's famous skewers, especially sate lilit. Learn how to make this fragrant base and use it for unforgettable sate.

MyGlob Editorial April 19, 2026 1 min read
Base Sate: The Balinese Spice Paste That Makes Authentic Sate

Bali's grilled skewers are world famous, and their soul is not the meat but the spice paste they are built on: base sate. This fragrant blend of shallots, garlic, chillies, galangal and a fistful of other aromatics is what separates a truly Balinese sate from the simpler peanut-sauce versions found elsewhere in Indonesia. It is the same family of seasoning that flavours sate lilit, the minced meat or fish skewers wrapped around stalks of lemongrass and grilled over coconut husk.

Ingredients

  • 8 shallots, peeled
  • 5 cloves garlic, peeled
  • 4 to 6 large red chillies, plus bird's eye chillies to taste
  • 4 candlenuts (kemiri), lightly toasted
  • 3 cm fresh turmeric, peeled (or 1 tsp ground)
  • 3 cm galangal (laos), peeled
  • 2 cm fresh ginger, peeled
  • 2 lemongrass stalks, white part sliced
  • 3 kaffir lime leaves
  • 1 tsp coriander seeds, toasted
  • 1/2 tsp black peppercorns
  • 1 tsp shrimp paste (terasi), toasted
  • 1 tbsp palm sugar (gula Bali), grated
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 3 tbsp coconut oil
  • Toast the dry spices: warm the coriander seeds and peppercorns in a dry pan until fragrant, then grind to a powder. Toast the candlenuts and shrimp paste briefly too.
  • Pound or blend the shallots, garlic, chillies, candlenuts, turmeric, galangal, ginger and lemongrass into a coarse, fragrant paste. A mortar and pestle gives the most authentic texture; a blender with a splash of oil is faster.
  • Heat the coconut oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the paste along with the whole kaffir lime leaves and fry, stirring constantly, so it does not catch.
  • Stir in the ground coriander and pepper, the crumbled shrimp paste, palm sugar and salt. Keep frying until the paste darkens, the oil separates and the raw smell is gone, around 10 to 15 minutes.
  • Let the base cool. Discard the lime leaves or leave them in. The paste is now ready to mix into sate or store.

Method

  1. 1In Bali, base is the foundation of everything. The grandmother of all these pastes is base genep, the complete spice mix, and base sate is its cousin tuned specifically for grilling. Making it from scratch is a sensory ritual: the rhythmic pounding in a stone mortar, the rising aroma of toasted spices, the deepening colour as the paste fries. Once you have a batch, you are minutes away from sate that tastes like a beachside warung in Jimbaran.
  2. 2Base sate is a wet spice paste of fresh aromatics and dried spices, fried in coconut oil until cooked through and fragrant. Unlike a simple marinade, it is a fully built flavour base that gets mixed directly into minced meat or fish for sate lilit, or rubbed over chunks of meat for skewered sate. The cooking step is important: frying the raw paste tames the harsh edge of the shallots and garlic and melds the spices into something rounded and savoury.
  3. 3Its character is warm and complex, with the citrus lift of lemongrass and kaffir lime, the earthy warmth of turmeric and galangal, gentle sweetness from palm sugar and a savoury depth from toasted shrimp paste. It is aromatic rather than scorchingly hot, though you can add chillies to taste.
  4. 4Fry until the oil separates. This is the visual cue that the paste is properly cooked; you will see oil pooling at the edges and the colour deepening to a rich red-brown. Under-cooked base tastes raw and harsh, so do not rush this stage.
  5. 5Toast your spices and shrimp paste. The few extra minutes of toasting the coriander, pepper and terasi pay off in a much deeper, rounder flavour. Skipping it leaves the paste tasting flat.
  6. 6Make a big batch and store it. Base sate keeps for about a week in the fridge under a film of oil, and freezes beautifully in small portions for months. Having it on hand means authentic sate is always within reach.
  7. 7For sate lilit, mix the cooled base generously into minced fish, chicken or pork along with a little grated coconut, then mould the seasoned mince around flattened lemongrass stalks or bamboo skewers and grill over a smoky charcoal or coconut-husk fire. For chunk-style sate, marinate cubes of meat in the base for at least an hour, thread onto skewers and grill until charred at the edges. Either way, the base does all the heavy lifting, giving you skewers that taste of Bali at its best.
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Quick Answer

Base Sate is the Balinese spice paste made specifically for satay, combining shallots, garlic, chili, turmeric, ginger, galangal, lemongrass and candlenut. It is blended into marinated meats or minced into sate lilit, then grilled over coals, giving Balinese skewers their bold, aromatic taste.

Key Facts
Cuisine
Balinese / Indonesian
Type
Spice paste (bumbu / base)
Best For
Sate / satay skewers
Key Spices
Lemongrass, ginger, galangal, chili
Signature Dish
Sate lilit
Region
Bali, Indonesia
Key Takeaways
  • A Balinese spice paste created specifically for sate (satay)
  • Built on shallots, garlic, chili, ginger, galangal and lemongrass
  • Mixed into minced meat or fish for dishes like sate lilit
  • Adds bold, fragrant flavour to grilled skewers
  • Fried or blended fresh, then combined with meat before grilling
Frequently Asked Questions
Base Sate is the Balinese spice paste used to season and marinate sate (satay) skewers.