To Begin
Fire up the BBQ!
Cut the Bugs lengthways with a large sharp knife and clean insides.
Simmer berries with ABC Sweet Soy Sauce Kecap Manis, ginger, diced chilli and half of the sugar in a saucepan until marinade reduces and thickens. Keep some berries intact.
Pour marinade over flesh of bugs, filling the shell with any intact berries. Set the bugs in the fridge for at least one hour to cool.
Blend lychees and remaining sugar then sieve into a saucepan. Simmer until the sauce reduces. Let it cool, then add coriander and the sliced chillies.
Place bugs on grill and grill for 10 minutes.
Place scallops on grill, sprinkle over the spring onions and lemongrass and splash the Obento Rice Wine Vinegar over all the scallops. Grill for 4 minutes.
Grill/BBQ
Ayam Panggang Kecap and Karedok
To Prep
Place chicken in a bowl with the tamarind paste and salt. Massage into the chicken and set aside.
In a food processor or mortar & pestle, grind the birds eye chili, shallots, garlic, white peppercorns, candlenuts and ½ tsp salt into a paste.
To Cook
Heat the oil in a large and deep pan, fry the spice paste for a minute or until fragrant.
Add chicken pieces, ABC Kecap Manis, palm sugar and 1 tsp salt. Cover with 650mls of water and stir.
Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and cook without the lid on until the liquid has reduced by ⅔ and has become sticky, turning the chicken occasionally.
Remove chicken and reserve the cooking marinade. Cook on BBQ or under the grill brushing with the marinade until caramelized.
In a mortar & pestle, grind together the ginger, chilli, garlic, belacan and ½ tsp salt into a paste.
Add the crushed peanuts, lime juice, brown sugar and Lee Kum Kee Soy Sauce. Stir to combine.
Using a bean slicer, slice the beans and cut into 3 cm lengths.
Peel the cucumber slice in half and scoop out the seeds. Cut into ⅓ and julienne.
Top & tail the bean sprouts.
Drain the Valcom Bamboo Shoot Slices.
In a large salad bowl, add all the prepared vegetables and pour over the peanut dressing. Toss to combine.
Chicken Satay
To Prep
In a food processor, blend lemongrass, garlic, turmeric, coriander powder, chilli powder, sugar, salt and oil. Add 2 tbsp of water if needed.
Marinate chicken pieces. Cover and place in the refrigerator for 1 hr, if time permits.
Cook rice according to packet directions. Use a fork to separate the grains.
Place satay sauce and coconut milk in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring, for 2 mins or until heated through.
To Cook
Preheat a barbecue grill or chargrill on medium. Brush with oil to lightly grease. Thread a few pieces of chicken onto the bamboo skewers. Grill for 2-3 mins on each side until cooked through and nicely charred. Drizzle with satay sauce.
Serve with rice, cucumber, onion, chillies, lime and garnish with coriander leaves.
Charsiu Pork Belly
To Prep
Combine charsiu sauce and oyster sauce in a non-metallic bowl. Toss the pork belly cubes with the marinade in the bowl, and leave to marinate in the fridge for 30 minutes.
To Cook
Heat the char-grill on medium-high. Brush the pork with a little oil. Cook pork on heated char-grill for 2-3 mins or until cooked to your liking.
Thread the pork pieces and cucumber onto the skewers. Scatter with chopped coriander leaves and chillies. Serve with cooked rice.
Chinese Pork Jerky (Rou Gan)
To Prep
Mix all ingredients in large bowl and mix minced pork mixture with a pair of chopsticks. Stir and blend mince mixture in one direction until the texture becomes gluey. Cover bowl with cling wrap and leave in lower compartment of fridge for a few hrs or overnight.
To Cook
Pre-heat oven to 160°C. Cut 2 pieces of baking paper to fit tray size. Place enough minced pork mixture on baking paper, cover with 2nd piece of baking paper and roll with rolling pin to make a 2cm thickness minced pork flat square / rectangular shaped patty. Bake at 160°C for 15 mins and wait slightly to cooled.
Cut to desired size with kitchen scissors. Cool slightly.
Pre-heat BBQ to high. Grill the pork jerky for 3-4 mins both sides until golden brown.
Cool pork jerky to room temperature and serve. Best enjoyed with a cold beer or Chinese tea.
Grilled Korean Pork Chops
To Prep
Mix all ingredients together and marinade pork chops for up to 12 hrs.
To Cook
Using charcoal fire or grill, cook each side of the pork chop for 3 mins then allow to rest for 1 min before serving.
Sesame Teriyaki Salmon Salad
To Prep
In a small foil BBQ tray or baking tray lined with foil, lightly coat the bottom with sesame oil. Place the 2 salmon fillets on the oiled tray. Cut a grid pattern onto the top of the salmon with a knife and pour the teriyaki marinade into the cuts and around the salmon. Place the tray into the fridge and leave for 15 mins while heating up the BBQ to medium.
Meanwhile, prepare the salad dressing. Squeeze the juice out of 2 limes into a small jug. Grate palm sugar into the lime juice. Keep stirring the dressing until the palm sugar dissolve. Use a bit less palm sugar if a sourer taste is preferred. Add fish sauce and give it a good stir. Give the dressing a taste, it should taste noticeably savoury as well as tangy and sweet. Add more fish sauce a little at a time until perfectly savoury according to your taste. Add diced fresh chillies and give the dressing a final stir. Leave the chillies out if spicy flavour is not preferred.
To Cook
Take the salmon out of the fridge and place the tray on the BBQ and close the lid. It should take about 12-15 mins to cook, depending on how soft you like your salmon and how hot your BBQ is. Check on it after 10 mins to see how it’s going.
While the salmon cooks, prepare the salad. For a delicious (and photogenic) salad, use a spiralizer to thinly slice the daikon, cucumber, carrot and red onion into ribbons. Alternatively, you can grate the vegetables or finely slice them in a food processor. Put all the vegetables into a large salad bowl and cut any long ribbons into smaller pieces with a clean pair of kitchen scissors. Rinse the fresh herbs, pat them dry and then tear them into the salad. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss thoroughly. Garnish the salad with sesame seeds and divide into 2 bowls.
Once the salmon is nearly cooked, take the tray off the BBQ and leave it for 5 mins on the bench. The salmon will keep cooking for a few minutes. Once slightly cooled, flake the warm salmon over the top of the salad in each bowl. Pour the remaining marinade from the BBQ tray over the salmon for extra Teriyaki deliciousness. Garnish each bowl with more sesame seeds and a few sprigs of fresh coriander if desired.
Grab your chopsticks and dig in, yum!
Thai Grilled Pork with Thai Isaan Style Dipping Sauce
To Prep
Combine the pork and the marinade ingredients in a bowl or press-seal bag and marinate for at least 1 hour but preferably overnight.
To make the dipping sauce combine the lime juice, fish sauce and palm sugar in a bowl and stir thoroughly until the palm sugar is mixed in. Add the chilli flakes, coriander and roasted rice and mix altogether.
To make roasted rice add uncooked rice to a fry pan and heat high until rice is golden brown. Then crush with a mortar and pestle.
To Cook
Grill the pork slices on a barbecue or hot grill pan for about 3 minutes each side or until cooked through. Rest for a further 3 minutes.
Serve with the dipping sauce, slices of cucumber and steamed rice.
Thai Grilled Prawns with Zucchini
To Cook
Wash and devein prawns, leaving the tail on.
Marinate prawns with oyster sauce, sesame oil, soy sauce, fish sauce, lime juice and pepper. In the meantime, slice zucchini lengthwise and pat dry.
Spray/brush zucchini with oil and grill until cook.
Grill marinated prawns.
Plate up zucchini with prawns and decorate with alfalfa and mayonnaise on the side. Tip: To eat, wrap prawn, alfalfa in a strip of zucchini, and add a dollop of mayonnaise. Eat it in one bite to get all the flavours in one go.
Whole Snapper with Vietnamese Sauteed Tomatoes and Bokchoy
To Cook
Rinse the cavity and fish with water and dry very well with paper towels. Make 3-4 incisions into the thickest part of the fish fillet. Generously season with salt just before cooking.
Heat your barbecue grill or fry pan to medium-high heat. Make sure the grill/pan is cleaned and well oiled.
Lay the fish directly on the grill or fry pan and cook for 7-8 mins. Do not attempt to turn fish until the skin has browned and crisped or it will stick.
Using a spatula, carefully turn fish and cook for another 7-8 mins. The fish is done when it flakes at the thickest part.
Place onto a plate and cover with foil to keep warm.
Sauteed tomato sauce
Heat oil in a pan on a medium-high heat.
Add the onions and cook until translucent before adding the tomatoes, coriander stems and cooking wine.
Sautee until tomatoes start to soften around the edges.
Add fish sauce and sugar. Continue cooking for another 2 mins. If the sauce is too dry add the water. You want a chunky thick sauce.
Spoon sauce over the snapper to serve. Garnish with coriander leaves.
Bok Choy
Heat oil in a pan on high heat, add garlic and cook for 20 secs or until fragrant.
Add bok choy and Shaoxing wine. Stir fry constantly until bok choy leaves wilt. Add oyster sauce and continue to cook for a further 1 min.
Place bok choy around snapper to serve.
Notes
Shaoxing wine can be replaced with water or stock. Bok choy can be replaced with any Asian greens. Serve this dish with steamed jasmine rice.
Hoisin Chicken with Chinese Pickles & Sesame Mantou
Chinese Pickles
Heat vinegar, sugar, water and salt until dissolved.
Place the vegetables in a sterilised jar, add the vinegar mixture and allow the flavours to develop, for 2 days or longer.
Hoisin Chicken
Combine the marinade ingredients, cut the chicken thighs in half, marinate for 4 hours.
Cook on a hot BBQ grill, turning to avoid burning, until the chicken is cooked through and the outside caramelised.
Black Sesame Mantou (Steamed Buns)
Process 25g black sesame seeds with 15g caster sugar until powdered, set aside.
Dissolve the yeast & sugar in the warm milk, set aside to develop for 10 mins.
Add the flour, oil and 25g black sesame seeds and mix together until dough forms.
Turn out onto a floured surface and knead for 10 mins, form into a ball and place in an oiled bowl, covered with cling wrap, to rise for 45 mins or until doubled in size.
Punch down, roll out into a thin rectangle, lightly dampen the surface, sprinkle evenly, with the powdered black sesame/caster sugar mixture.
Roll up from long side, like a Swiss roll. Cut into 1.5cm slices. place on squares of baking paper, rest in a warm place for 15-30 mins, to rise.
Place in a steamer, bring water to boil and steam for 10-15 mins or until cooked through.
Serve with caramelised chilli sauce, spring onion curls and steamed rice.
Lobster Tails with Ginger Sauce & Vietnamese Noodle Salad
To Prep
Trim lobster tails, slice in half lengthwise, brush with a little peanut oil, cook on a hot BBQ grill, cut side down until half cooked, turn over and continue to cook until just done.
Ginger Sauce
Heat the oil in a saucepan, add ginger and fry gently until fragrant, mix the potato flour with a little stock to make a paste.
Add all the remaining ingredients, except the potato flour paste, simmer for a few minutes until flavours develop, add the potato flour paste and simmer until thickened, season with a squeeze of lime juice (to taste).
Sweet Potato & Spring Onion Fritters
Mix the tempura batter according to the package instructions, stir the sweet potato and spring onion through until combined.
Heat the oil in a heavy based frying pan, fry spoonfuls of the batter until cooked through and golden, on both sides.
Vietnamese Rice Noodle Salad
Prepare the noodles according to the packet instructions, set aside to cool.
Slice the cucumber into thin ribbons, discarding the seeds, spiralise or julienne the carrot, slice the onion, chilli and spring onions. Toss through the noodles.
Combine the dressing ingredients, adjust the flavours to taste, toss through the salad just before serving.
To serve
Arrange Asian leaves and salad on a serving plate, sprinkle with coriander leaves, chilli and spring onion slices.
Arrange the BBQ Lobster Tails on top, drizzle with ginger sauce and garnish with fried ginger floss (finely shredded ginger, fried till crisp).