All recipes are for four to six persons.
BBQs are synonymous with summer months and I have for this edition South East Asian dishes for you to try on the grill. I like BBQs because I deliberately deal only with marinating while the children handle the skewering of meat and my husband does the grilling and the cleaning after!
Asian Style Grilled Salmon and Prawns
Ingredients
500g of salmon – cut into four or six portions
500g of raw prawns – thawed if frozen
1 knob of ginger – peeled
6 cloves of garlic – peeled
1 lemon grass
2 kaffir lime leaves
1 bunch of coriander leaves
2 or 3 red chillies
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tbsp grated palm sugar
1 lemon – juice
1 to 2 tsp salt
2 to 3 tbsp oil
Method
Grind the ginger, garlic, lemon grass, kaffir lime leaves, coriander leaves and red chillies into a fine paste.
Put the spice paste into a big bowl.
Add the cumin powder, turmeric powder, salt, palm sugar and oil and stir. Taste. Adjust seasoning to suit.
Put the cubed salmon and prawns into the marinade. Rub the marinade all over the seafood.
Leave to marinate for at least 2 hours.
Grill on BBQ for about 5-10 minutes, brushing some oil every now and then, until golden and cooked.
Tip: For vegetarians, use the same marinade on portabella mushrooms and grill on BBQ! Its yum!!
Satay with Peanut Sauce
1 kg boneless chicken cut into small cubes
Bamboo Skewers (soaked in water to prevent burning)
Marinade
1 stalk lemongrass – bruised/crushed
4 cloves garlic – grated
1cm piece ginger/galangal
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp cumin powder
4 tsp sugar
2 tsp salt
dash of dark soy sauce
dash of sesame oil
Method
Blend the marinade and rub all over cubed meat.
Leave to marinate overnight or at least 3 to 4 hours before grilling.
Skewer about 3 pieces of cubed meat and grill by brushing oil over meat and turning until golden brown and cooked.
Serve with Peanut Sauce:
Tip: For vegetarians use the same marinade on various cut vegetables like mushrooms, onions, capsicums and haloumi cheese and skewer them just like the meat cubes. Grill on BBQ for a few minutes and serve with peanut sauce.
Peanut Sauce
300 g roasted peanuts – ground
4 tbsp tamarind pulp
4 tbsp sugar
100g palm sugar – grated
Salt
1 onion – chopped
2-3 cloves garlic – chopped
1 cm ginger/galangal – chopped
4 tbsp chilli paste
1 tbsp coriander powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp turmeric powder
4 tbsp vegetable oil
Water – 1 or 2 cups
Method
Heat oil in a small saucepan. Add chopped onion, garlic and ginger and sauté till cooked.
Add chilli paste and continue frying.
Add coriander powder, cumin powder, turmeric powder and salt.
Add ground peanuts and stir.
Add water and tamarind juice and then sugar and palm sugar.
Simmer until thick. Set aside to cool.
Side Dishes for Satay
Cucumber and Pineapple Salad
1 pineapple – de-skinned and cubed
1 cucumber – deseeded and cubed
1 red onion – sliced (optional)
1 red chilli – sliced (optional)
½ cup of white vinegar
½ cup of sugar
1 tsp salt
Method
Place chopped pineapple and cucumber into a large bowl.
Add red onion and chilli and mix.
In a small bowl, mix the vinegar, salt and sugar until dissolved.
Pour this dressing into the bowl of salad and toss. Serve.
Rice cakes (Mock Ketupat)
3 cups of jasmine rice
1 cup of coconut milk
2 cups of water
Pandan leaves or essence
1 tsp salt
Wash the rice until water is clear
Place in rice cooker.
Add enough coconut milk and water to level 3 on rice cooker, salt and pandan flavouring and mix well.
Turn on rice cooker and cook rice.
When cooked, spread rice whilst warm into a rectangular Pyrex dish.
Press down firmly. Leave to cool.
Cut into cubes and serve with satay.
Ketupat is a traditional rice dish served with Satay. The rice is filled into little packets woven out of coconut leaves and cooked.
Disclaimers: Geetha Nair and Indian Newslink absolve themselves of any responsibility relating to the ingredients, cooking methods and other matters relating to ‘Geet’s Kitchen’ column. Some ingredients may not be available and may cause allergy in some people. Caution must therefore be exercised and Geetha Nair and Indian Newslink will not be responsible to any health issues in this connection. Please consult your General Practitioner, Nutritionist or such others you may be consulting in connection with your dietary requirements.
Notes and Legends: 1. Quantities of sugar and salt are recommendations; please add or reduce to suit individual requirements 2. Tsp: Teaspoon Tbsp: Tablespoon
