Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Selimut tebal membuat saya hangat meski angin malam kuat. - The thick blanket keeps me warm even though the night wind is strong.

In Indonesian, adjectives normally follow the noun they modify. So selimut tebal literally reads “blanket thick,” which corresponds to “thick blanket.” Putting tebal before selimut (as in English word order) would sound unnatural in standard Indonesian.

What role does the verb membuat play in this sentence, and why is it followed by saya and then hangat?

Membuat is a transitive verb meaning “to make” or “to cause.” Its pattern here is: Subject (Selimut tebal) + membuat + object (saya) + result/state (hangat).
Thus membuat saya hangat means “makes me warm.” The sequence is fixed: verb + object + complement.

Could I use aku or the enclitic -ku instead of saya?

Yes. Saya is a polite first-person pronoun. In informal speech you could say aku:
Selimut tebal membuat aku hangat…
Or use the enclitic -ku attached to the verb:
Selimut tebal membuatku hangat…
All three are grammatically correct; choice depends on register and personal style.

What does meski mean, and how is it different from meskipun or walaupun?

Meski is a conjunction meaning “even though” or “although.”

meski is often used in spoken and written Indonesian.
meskipun is the full form (more formal/literary).
walaupun is another synonym, also common.
They are interchangeable in meaning:
meski angin malam kuat = meskipun angin malam kuat = walaupun angin malam kuat.

In meski angin malam kuat, why isn’t there a yang before kuat (as in angin malam yang kuat)?

In formal Indonesian, you can insert yang for a relative clause:
meski angin malam yang kuat.
However, Indonesian often omits yang in colloquial or concise expressions, especially when the structure is clear. Dropping yang is acceptable and makes the sentence more fluid.

Why is kuat used to describe wind here, and could I say kencang instead?

Both kuat and kencang can describe wind strength:

angin malam kuat literally “night wind strong.”
angin malam kencang is very common and natural (“strong night wind”).
Nuance: kuat emphasizes “strength” in general, while kencang specifically conveys “blowing forcefully.” Either works, though kencang may sound a bit more idiomatic for wind.

Is a comma needed before meski?

A comma before meski is optional in Indonesian. You can write:
Selimut tebal membuat saya hangat meski angin malam kuat.
or
Selimut tebal membuat saya hangat, meski angin malam kuat.
The comma can help signal the contrast but isn’t mandatory.

Could I add yang after selimut and say Selimut yang tebal? What changes?

Yes. Selimut yang tebal (“the blanket that is thick”) adds a relative marker yang, making the description explicitly clause-like. It’s slightly more formal or emphatic but doesn’t change the core meaning:
Selimut yang tebal membuat saya hangat… vs
Selimut tebal membuat saya hangat…

Why does hangat come at the end rather than directly after saya?

Because membuat requires the object first (here saya), and then the resulting state or effect (hangat). Placing hangat immediately after membuat (as in membuat hangat saya) would break this verb-object-complement pattern and sound awkward.