Leading up to and start the gastritis diet, I lamented all my favorite foods I’d be missing. I pictured meal after meal of bland, boring looking dishes that wouldn’t satisfy my need for unique and bold flavor. And in the beginning, my meals really were quite tame. As time passed and I saw the results, I got more adventurous and creative about what I would make. Over that time, I also became much more knowledgeable about gastritis diets and what specifically worked for me and didn’t. It became easy not to focus on what I was missing, but on how much I could make and enjoy. I hope this is or will be true for you, and I think this chicken satay recipe will be a step in the right direction!
That said, it may be that the richness and umami flavor of this dish will make it a less-than-ideal candidate for someone who is experiencing severe symptoms or hasn’t been on the diet long enough to see much of a result. In this case, I recommend coming back to this recipe. There are usually permitted ingredients in any gastritis diet that are still going to be irritating to individuals. A popular example is bananas or rice. So if something is off limits to you based on prior experience, such as peanut butter or coconut aminos, you can always try to substitute for ingredients that agree with you more. It is quite a bit more costly, but walnut butter, for example, can be easier to manage for those with gastritis.
But let’s be clear – everything in the ingredients is okay per the strict Gastritis Healing Book by LG Capellan (probably my favorite resource for gastritis information, and the strictest diet iteration I know of). The most fundamental thing in gastritis diets is the food not be acidic (with a pH of 5.0 or higher). This dish meets all such criteria and also contains no other known irritants for gastritis.
In terms of cooking method, if grilled foods are at all triggering to you, then the cooking method should be modified from a grilled dish to a baked or sauteed one. You won’t need the fun skewers, but the taste will still be great!
Now let’s do this!
Serves: 3-4
You will need:
- Knife & cutting board
- Measuring cups & spoons
- Citrus zester (unless using dried zest)
- Bamboo or thin metal skewers (for grilling)
- Suggested: spray avocado oil for grill
Ingredients:
For chicken marinade:
- 1 lb. chicken breast or thigh cut into 1″ strips
- 1/4 cup lite coconut milk
- 2T no-additive peanut butter
- 1T honey or maple syrup
- 1T fish sauce
- 1T coconut aminos (or liquid aminos)
- 1.5T gastritis Thai curry paste (sub with light miso paste if unable to make)
- pinch salt
Directions: Mix these ingredients well and marinate the chicken in it for a couple hours (up to overnight). Once marinated, run the chicken strips through metal or bamboo skewers (if grilling).
Peanut dipping sauce:
- 1 & 1/3 cup lite coconut milk (rest of can)
- 1/4 cup peanut butter (100% pure, no added sugar or oils)
- 1T fish sauce
- 1T coconut aminos
- 1T gastritis Thai curry paste (sub with light miso paste if unable to make)
- 2 tsp honey or maple syrup
- 2 tsp lime zest, fresh or dried (1 lime, avoid the whites)
- 10 fronds of cilantro, minced
- Salt to taste
Directions for dipping sauce and grilling:
1.) Combine all dipping sauce items (except lime zest and cilantro) in large pan. Stir over high heat until evenly mixed. Once a low boil has formed, reduce heat to low and simmer for about 15 minutes, uncovered, stirring periodically. Allow sauce to become thick. Add lime zest and cilantro as you turn off the heat, then stir in well.
2.) While simmering the sauce, light grill on high and close cover. Allow 5-10 minutes to preheat. Spray the grill and kebabs with natural spray avocado oil (or other all-natural oil/spray from olive oil or virgin coconut oil). Reduce heat to medium. Keep the grill closed but occasionally turn the skewers to cook all sides evenly. Cook the chicken until internal temp is 165F.
Serve with rice and dipping sauce. Garnish: minced cilantro and/or Thai basil.
Notes:
If you prefer to avoid food with charring (which can trigger onset of gastritis symptoms for some individuals), you can opt to bake or saute the chicken instead (without skewers). If others will eat this who do not suffer from gastritis, you can opt to squeeze some lime juice and add black pepper to their chicken after pulling it off the grill. (But this chicken is already full of flavor and is delicious as is!)
