Archive for the ‘barbecue’ Category

“Toss another shrimp on the barbie, will ya love?”

It’s the Australian catch-cry advertised since a time before I even came to be.

It was a rather confusing catch-cry, though, to my younger Malaysian-Chinese self as “shrimp” always meant the tiny dried prawn-like bits (often no bigger than a thumbnail) used by my mother to make soup and to be fried with leek. Prawns, on the other hand, were the bright orange creatures with black eyes that stared at you while your stubby five year old fingers wrestled with their tomato-sauce-laden shells.

…continue reading garlicky butter prawns

Summer time and the livin’ is easy…

Unless you’re a vegetarian at a barbecue (or so I’ve heard from my meatless mates).

“Sure there’s veggie patties and soy sausages” they say to me, resignedly, “but it’d be so nice – just for once – to be the one with an enviable portion of food instead of the poor sod with a disintegrating tofu burger because someone mistook silken for firm.”

(And yes, I know nobody really talks like that, but I’ve a habit of paraphrasing badly).

…continue reading miso mushrooms with polenta

It is, perhaps, not quite traditional to be eating ribs for a Christmas lunch but that is what we will be doing here at onebitemore central this year.

It wasn’t our original plan though, oh no. That plan involved (and still involves) turkey and prawns and oysters and some sort of delicious pudding.

The ribs are an add on. By special request of everyone who managed to snitch a morsel this Saturday past. And even one who didn’t. One who stared at them plaintively whilst inhaling deeply. One who asked if “please Cherlie” we could have the ribs for Christmas. “Please?”

…continue reading beer braised ribs with chimichurri

One night, not so long ago, the Bean received a phone call from a very confused Rocket. His sister had left the freezer door open and he had 1.5kg of chicken mince that needed to be used, for something, and soon. And so the Bean threw a barbecue.

So Rocket rocked up with his big bag of mince, onions and other assorted goodies. And offered to show us the ins (and outs) of making a proper Iranian kebob (sans a variety of spices that he hadn’t brought and we didn’t have).

So a makeshift Iranian kebob was made, and all were glad because the Bean had spent half of the barbecue money on sausages, and the other half on grapes. (Commence Bean rant) Here, the Bean interjects and says that we shouldn’t make fun of the fact that she bought 2kg of grapes for a barbecue because, in the end, everyone liked them and they all got eaten – which is more than can be said for the sausages. So there. (End Bean rant).

rocket’s kebob hot off the bbq

rocket’s almost-authentic kebob

Ingredients:

1.5kg chicken mince (we used chicken breast)
2 large onions
2 tsp Moroccan spice mix
1 tsp hot paprika
salt & pepper

Method:

1. Pre-heat your oven to 180C.

2. While the oven is getting hot, grate (yes! grate!) the onions into a large-ish bowl.

3. Add the chicken mince, spices, salt & pepper. Massage. (Here, Rocket offered to let me take photos so he could act as “guest chef”. The Bean and I told him that his mixture looked like glue. I took photos anyway.)

the gluey chicken mix

4. Lightly oil a baking tray. Dump some of the mixture on the tray and spread it out, patting it down with your hands until it covers the tray and is about 5mm thick. Repeat with the remaining mixture.

squishing it down

5. Place the trays in the oven for about 15 minutes. The mixture should be cooked through, like a giant chicken pattie. It will shrink a little and be surrounded by clear chickeney juices.

out of the oven & sliced

6. Remove from the oven and slice into strips. Let the meat cool to room temperature.

7. Grill the chicken strips on a barbecue. The meat is already cooked, so all we’re doing here is adding that smoky barbecue smell and lovely brown charred lines to the chicken.

8. Chow down! (Grapes optional. Sorry Bean.)

note: for a more authentic kebob, Rocket suggests replacing the Moroccan spice mix and paprika with some saffron, sumac and cumin to taste. His uncle suggests letting the meat marinade with chunks of kiwi fruit. Rocket thinks this is odd, but would give it a go anyway seeing as his uncle is pretty good at making kebob.

We were lounging around, Bean and I, on a lazy Saturday afternoon when she looked up at me over the top of marie claire and said “I want to cook octopus.” “Ok”, said I. And then proceeded to forget all about it until, one afternoon, the parents greeted me with a “Is 400grams enough?” on my return home from work. Apparently Bean had told one and all about her octopus plans, and that I had been enlisted as number one kitchen hand/advisor.

So we made a full meal of it, Bean and I. Kicked things off with some freshly sliced bread, olives, sun-dried tomatoes and hommus. Added some lemons to the tray, a bowl of couscous, some salad and brought it home with chargrilled octopus – swimming in fresh parsley, lemon and chilli. Perfect.

chargrilled octopus
serves 4

Ingredients for the marinade:

400g baby octopus
2 chillis (finely sliced)
4 cloves of garlic (finely diced)
2 tbs olive oil
juice and rind of 1/2 lemon
salt & pepper

Ingredients for the dressing:

1/2 bunch parsley (roughly chopped)
1/2 spanish onion (finely diced)
3 tbs olive oil
1 chilli (finely sliced)

Method:

1. Grab a big mixing bowl. Dump the ingredients for the marinade in it. Massage briefly with your fingers so all of the lovely fresh flavours permeate through the octopus.

2. Glad wrap the bowl and stick it in the fridge for at least and hour, but preferably overnight.

octopus – ready for the fridge

3. Grab a different mixing bowl. Dump the ingredients for the dressing in it. Swirl them around with a spoon.

4. If you have a barbecue, hot it up for extra flavour else, do what we did and use a cast iron griddle pan on the stovetop. Toss about 1/4 of the octopus around the hot pan in until it’s tentacles are a yummy, caramelised brown colour and the head is opaque.

octopus – sizzling in the pan

5. As soon as the octopus is done, transfer into the bowl of dressing and swirl around to coat. Repeat with remaining octopus (in two batches so it doesn’t stew in the pan). If you’re using a barbecue, you can do all the octopus at once.

6. Pull the contents of the dressing bowl (now also full of octopus) into a serving plate and go-go-go!

cous cous salad
serves 4

couscous salad

Ingredients:

1/2 cup couscous
2/3 cup boiling water
1 tsp lemon rind
a handful of grape tomatoes (halved)
1/2 bunch parsley (finely chopped)
salt & pepper

Method:

1. Have you seen the new season grape tomatoes? If not, jump to it! They’re oh-so tiny – the size of a grape (surprising no?) and have just the right balance of tart gooey centre to crisp sweet flesh.

grape tomatoes – and Bean, engaged in some chopping action

2. Tip the couscous and boiling water into a bowl, season with salt and pepper. Cover with an upturned plate. Leave it there while you do your chopping.

3. Chop the ingredients that need chopping, and when you’re done, flip the plate off the top of the couscous. Magic!

4. Fluff the couscous with a fork, and toss the rest of the ingredients through. Try not to eat too many grape tomatoes in the process. And you’re done!

grap tomato & bocconcini salad
serves 4

Ingredients:
4 pieces fresh bocconcini (about 150g)
grape tomatoes
mixed salad leaves
lemon juice (about 1/4 lemon)
olive oil & balsamic vinegar
salt & pepper

Method:

1. Lay some salad leaves onto a big platter.

2. Halve some tomatoes and scatter, artistically, on top of the leaves.

3. Tear up the bocconcini with your hands into mouth-sized pieces. Scatter artistically.

4. Squeeze lemon juice over the top. Drizzle with balsamic and olive oil. Not too much – the key to this salad is lightlightlight!

5. Salt and pepper it and you’re done!