Oh, the allure of grilled, skewered food, the perfume of smoke melding with the scent of caramelized basting sauces and marinades. Sweet and sour, salty, and spicy tastes form an irresistible, crisp jacket of flavor over grilled vegetables and meat. Fish and fowl, too.
Su-Mei Yu, author of “Asian Grilling” (William Morrow), writes that it’s the balance of flavors used to marinate or baste that makes these grilled dishes so appealing, with seasonings designed to match perfectly with the main ingredients. Find the primary taste you like best — sweet, sour, salty or spicy hot — and build on that, contrasting it with other flavors.
In Southeast Asia, garlic, lemon grass, salt, turmeric, white pepper and ginger or galangal, a rhizome with ginger-peppery flavor, are signature ingredients. In China, sesame oil, soy sauce, cinnamon, five-spice powder and ginger often play a key role. Korean cuisine, she says, opts for a sweeter blend, using sugar, sesame oil, soy sauce and green onions, while Japanese dishes favor more simple, clean tastes, frequently using soy sauce, miso (fermented soybean paste), mirin and sugar.
Here are four delicious examples of Asian-inspired grilling inspired by Yu’s book as well as California restaurateurs and chefs and a certain barbecue king.
Chicken is threaded onto bamboo skewers with negi or green onions for this easy take on yakitori. (Getty Images)
Chicken and Green Onion Yakitori
Grilling is a revered tradition in Japan, whether you favor the more formal style called robatayaki or casual yakitori. Yaki means grilled, and tori refers to chicken.
Serves 4 to 6
INGREDIENTS
2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breasts or thighs
2 bunches thick green onions, plus 3 green onions coarsely chopped, divided
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup sake
1/2 cup mirin (sweet rice wine)
3 tablespoons sugar
3 (1/4-inch thick) slices fresh ginger
3 cloves garlic, minced
Vegetable oil for oiling grate
DIRECTIONS
Place 10 to 12 bamboo skewers in a pan; cover with cold water and allow to soak while you prepare yakitori.
Rinse chicken in cold running water; drain and blot dry with paper towels. Cut crosswise into pieces 2-inches long and 1/2-inch wide and thick. Set aside.
Trim roots from whole green onions and cut white portion into 2-inch pieces. Cut green portion into 4-inch pieces and fold in half.
Dry skewers. Thread chicken pieces crosswise on skewers, alternating with green onion (both a piece of white and a folded piece of green); use 4 pieces of chicken on each skewer. Arrange skewers on platter and cover loosely with plastic wrap. Refrigerate until ready to grill, up to 6 hours.
Preheat grill to high.
Prepare sauce: Combine soy, sake, mirin, sugar, ginger, garlic and chopped green onion in a small, heavy saucepan and bring to boil over medium heat, stirring until blended and sugar is dissolved. Reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered, until sauce is glossy and syrupy and reduced to 3/4 cup, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and strain into bowl. Sauce can be prepared up to 6 hours in advance, covered and refrigerated.
When ready to cook, oil grill grate. Arrange skewers on hot grate and grill, turning with tongs, until chicken is nicely browned and cooked through, 3 to 5 minutes per side; brush it generously with sauce at least once on each side while cooking, but not during the last 3 minutes.
— Adapted from “The Barbecue Bible” by Steven Raichlen (Workman)
These chicken satays are marinated in a mixture of red miso, coconut milk, lemon grass and other aromatics, then grilled and served with peanut sauce. (Getty Images)
Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce
This satay is Nonya-style, a fusion of Malaysian, Indian and Chinese cooking. In this recipe chicken, is the star, but pork loin can be substituted. Accompany the satay with peanut sauce for dipping.
Makes 10 to 12 skewers
INGREDIENTS
For marinade:
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
1/2 teaspoon salt
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2 serrano chilies, minced
1 stalk lemon grass, tough outer layers and green parts removed, minced
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
3 shallots, minced (about 1/3 cup)
1 tablespoon ground blanched almonds
1 teaspoon red miso
1/2 cup coconut milk
For satay:
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs
1/3 cup pineapple juice
Vegetable cooking spray
Peanut Dipping Sauce to serve (see recipe below)
DIRECTIONS
Put coriander seeds in a small skillet and dry-roast over medium-high heat, sliding skillet back and forth over burner to prevent burning, until spice exudes a pleasant aroma, about 1 minute. Remove from heat and transfer to bowl to cool. Grind in spice grinder (or pound seeds in a zipper style plastic bag with a mallet or bottom of a saucepan) and set aside.
In blender, add all marinade ingredients, then puree until smooth. If prepared ahead, transfer to glass jar, seal well and refrigerate overnight. When ready to use, transfer to a bowl.
Slice chicken diagonally across grain into thin strips. Add chicken to marinade; mix well, coating thoroughly, and let sit 30 minutes.
Soak 10 to 12 bamboo skewers in water for about 30 minutes. Dry before using.
Start grill, mounding charcoal on 1 side of grill, leaving other half empty. While grill is heating, thread 3 to 4 pieces of chicken onto each skewer into a tight bundle, covering 5 inches of skewer. Add pineapple juice to marinade and mix well. Set aside.
Spray skewers generously with vegetable oil. Place skewers with meat portion on grill over medium-high heat, arranging them close to one another. (The uncovered portion of the skewer should not be over coals.) Grill, brushing lightly and frequently with marinade only during the first 5 minutes of grilling, turning frequently to prevent burning. Grill until outside is crispy brown and inside white and tender, a total of 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer to platter. Serve with Peanut Dipping Sauce.
— Adapted from “Asian Grilling” by Su-Mei Yu (William Morrow)
Haley’s Peanut Dipping Sauce
Makes about 2/3 cup
INGREDIENTS
1 teaspoon cornstarch
2 tablespoons water, plus 1/3 cup water, divided use
1/2 teaspoon canola oil
2 medium cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup hoisin sauce
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 teaspoons creamy peanut butter
Asian chili sauce, to taste
DIRECTIONS
In small bowl, combine cornstarch and 2 tablespoons water; set aside.
In medium skillet, heat oil on medium-high heat. Add garlic and cook 30 seconds. Add hoisin, vinegar, 1/3 cup water and peanut butter; mix well and bring to boil. Stir in Asian chili sauce to taste.
— Haley Nguyen, chef-instructor, Long Beach City College
Grilled spicy eggplants are first marinated in a mixture of soy, Chinese oyster sauce, garlic and balsamic vinegar. (Getty Images)
Kang’s Grilled Asian Eggplants
Asian eggplants are irresistible when grilled to perfection. Unlike the common globe eggplant variety, Asian eggplants are long and slender; they are lightly seeded and hold their shape when grilled. Grilled Asian eggplant starts by marinating scored Japanese (Asian) eggplant halves in a mixture of soy, Chinese oyster sauce, garlic and balsamic vinegar. Then it’s grilled until tender but not mushy. Other vegetables, such as zucchini, can be prepared in the same way.
Serves 8
INGREDIENTS
4 Asian (Japanese) eggplants
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1/2 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 to 2 tablespoons mixed, minced fresh herbs, such as thyme, oregano, parsley or basil (choose 2)
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup Asian sesame oil
DIRECTIONS
Cut eggplant almost in half lengthwise, leaving a small portion along 1 side attached; open book style. Using small, sharp knife, score interior (make shallow parallel cuts about 1 inch apart; do NOT cut through skin). Set aside.
In shallow glass or ceramic pan large enough to hold eggplant in single layer, mix remaining ingredients. Place eggplant, cut side down, in marinade. Marinate 1 hour.
Heat grill. Grill eggplant, turning frequently, until cooked through, about 5 minutes depending on side of eggplant and heat of fire. To serve, sever the “hinge” holding two halves together.
— Courtesy Michael Kang, retired chef-restaurateur
Marinated flank steak is grilled and served atop a salad that includes tart green apples in place of green mango, which is more commonly used in Southeast Asian cooking. (Courtesy Cathy Thomas)
Beef Skewers with Green Apple Salad
Mai Pham, a chef, and cookbook author, came to the United States from Vietnam. In this scrumptious dish, she substitutes tart green apples for green mango, a more common ingredient in Southeast Asian cuisine.
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS
Bamboo skewers
1 pound flank steak
3 stalks lemongrass, root end trimmed, tough outer leaves discarded
1 tablespoon minced shallot
4 teaspoons Asian fish sauce
2 teaspoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons sugar
Dressing:
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
3 tablespoons water
3 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons fish sauce
1 large garlic clove, chopped
1/2 teaspoon minced serrano chili, see cook’s notes
Salad:
4 unpeeled Granny Smith apples
1/2 cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup loosely packed fresh cilantro leaves
1/4 cup chopped salted roasted peanuts
DIRECTIONS
Soak bamboo skewers in water.
Pat beef dry and cut across the grain into 1/4-inch thick slices.
Cut a 3-inch portion off the root end of lemongrass; cut each of these portions into slices (upper stalks can be discarded or used to flavor curry or broth). Mince it or place in mini food processor and pulse to finely mince.
In a nonreactive bowl, stir minced lemongrass with shallots, 4 teaspoons fish sauce, soy sauce and 2 teaspoons sugar; add beef and toss. Marinate at room temperature for 20 minutes.
Prepare grill; heat to medium-high and clean and oil the grate.
Place all dressing ingredients in blender; puree until smooth and set aside.
Thread any small pieces of beef on bamboo skewers to prevent it from falling through grate. Grill beef in batches, turning once, until lightly charred, about 2 minutes per batch. Transfer to plate.
Cut unpeeled apples into matchsticks; gently toss with two-thirds of the dressing, plus basil, cilantro, and peanuts. Mound onto 4 plates and top with beef. Drizzle some of the remaining dressing over the beef.
— “Pleasures of the Vietnamese Table” by Mai Pham as adapted in “The Gourmet Cookbook” by Ruth Reichl
Award-winning food writer Cathy Thomas has written three cookbooks, including “50 Best Plants on the Planet” and “Melissa’s Great Book of Produce.” Follow her at @CathyThomas Cooks.com.
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