I'm on the fence about the peanut sauce. I followed this recipe exactly, so it had a bit of texture. It might have been better with smooth peanut butter and perhaps more chili heat. If I make this again, I might try that; however, my policy is to always follow Pailin's instructions exactly to the letter first time through a recipe. She doesn't play around and always shows you how to amaze everybody.

I wouldn't as it tastes different; you can just leave it out if you can't find it.

I find it interesting that beef was the original meat used in that most of our Thai friends and family don't really like beef. Most restaurants here (at least in the New Jersey / New York area) use chicken but rarely pork, and I've never seen a beef satay on the menu. Could that be a regional thing, or maybe just a matter of cost, as chicken is cheaper? Curious...