Stock

• 2.5 litres water

• 2 chickens, cut into pieces

• 400g pork bones, cut into pieces

• 1 teaspoon peppercorns, crushed

Spice paste ingredients

• 2 stalks lemongrass, sliced

• 8 shallots, peeled and sliced

• 80g galangal, sliced thinly

• 15 dried red chillies, soaked and cut into 4 cm lengths

• 20g candlenuts

• 3/4 tablespoon coriander seeds, roasted

• 1/2 tablespoon fennel seeds, roasted

• 25g garlic, peeled and sliced

• 1/2 cup cooking oil

• 50g palm sugar or to taste

• 1/2 tablespoon salt or to taste

• 150-200g peanuts, fried and coarsely ground

Ingredients for the skewers

• 300g beef, chicken and/or pork fillet, sliced or cubed

• 500g medium-sized prawns, shelled

• 400g squid, cleaned and cut into 4cm squares

• 350g cuttlefish, cleaned and cut into 4cm squares

• 250g meatballs

• 250g fish balls

• 250g crabstick

• 200g shelled cockles

• 10 tofu puffs, slit and stuff with a slice of cucumber each

• 1 packet deep-fried bean curd assorted yong tau foo such as stuffed chillies and brinjals, etc.

• 20 hardboiled quail eggs, shelled

• 1 packet fresh mushrooms

• 1 packet young corn, cut into 3cm lengths

• 2 cucumbers, quartered and sliced

• 1 loaf crusty bread, cubed

• Chinese crullers (yau char kwai), sliced

• bamboo skewers

To prepare stock: Bring water to boil; add the chicken, pork and peppercorns. Simmer over low hear for 30 to 40 minutes. Strain stock and set aside. You should get about 1.5 litres of stock; if less, top up with water.

To prepare the satay gravy: In an electric blender, blend the spice paste ingredients finely. Heat the oil in a wok and saute the spice paste until fragrant, stirring continuously to prevent burning. Add the stock, palm sugar, salt and ground peanuts - you can add more or less ground peanuts, according to taste. Simmer over low heat for 10 minutes and adjust seasonings to taste. Pour the gravy into a pot.

To prepare food skewers: Thread all the remaining ingredients onto the bamboo skewers as in preparing sticks of satay, so there will be sticks of beef, bread eggs, mushrooms, etc. Make sure to leave a section of the skewer unthreaded to serve as handle. Set aside, covered with cling film, in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

To cook: Bring the satay gravy to a boil and keep it simmering over a portable stove placed in the centre of the table. Arrange platefuls of skewered food around the hot pot. Cook by dipping into the simmering satay gravy; stir the gravy occasionally to prevent clumping at the bottom.