…if what they want is GOOD food.

You know that smell you catch a whiff of during those warm summertime evenings when everybody and their uncle is out in the backyard barbecuing?  I’m not talking about that run-of-the-mill grilled hamburger smell that wafts over your neighbors fence every weekend, I’m talking about that intoxicating, exotic aroma of soy and garlic marinated beef mixing with the sweet smell of wood smoke.  Haven’t smelled it?  Well, odds are you don’t have a large Korean population in your neighborhood, so let me frame this scenario a little differently.  You know the Korean spot in your local mall’s food court?  You know that ridiculously enticing aroma you smell each time you walk by?  That’s probably kalbi, or marinated and grilled beef short ribs.

While beef short ribs have grown in popularity over the past few years, I’m surprised to learn that many people have never had them prepared in this style.  They are a notoriously tough cut of meat that benefits from long periods of slow, low-heat cooking, but when cut in the flanken style (perpendicular to the bone), marinated in a sweet and salty aromatic mixture for a couple of days and cooked quickly on a hot grill, you have a whole different experience at hand.  This is the type of eating that is perfectly suited for the backyard.  In fact, this is the type of dish that allows one to get in touch with their primordial ancestry.  This isn’t filet mignon were talking about, in fact, it’s quite the opposite.  Kalbi requires a good set of chompers and a willingness to get your hands (and face) dirty pulling the sweet, succulent meat from the three tiny bones that run the length of the rib.  In my mind, a little messiness is well worth the experience of eating these sweet and savory morsels.  Not only do they pack an incredibly beefy flavor, but the perfect amount of charring on the grill will bring out the soy, garlic, sesame oil and sugars in the marinade, perfuming the air with a mix of aromas that are certain to get your salivary glands flowing.

Next time you’re looking to grill something a little bit out of the ordinary or spot some beautiful flanken-style beef ribs at the grocery store, do yourself a favor and try out this recipe.  Your neighbors are guaranteed to be jealous.

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This recipe represents yet another entry into the Game Day Food Hall of Fame.  I guess I have football on the brain, or I just can’t get enough of the typical game day offerings – savory, salty homemade junk food. I made these a few years ago for a Super Bowl party and they were gone within minutes.  I too loved the wings, but felt like something was missing.  I had followed the instructions of the original recipe and baked the wings in a hot oven.  They had great flavor due to an overnight soak in cilantro, soy, ginger, garlic and red chili, but I quickly realized that the texture of a baked wing (i.e. flabby chicken skin) was not my favorite.  I needed the crispy-crunch of well-rendered chicken skin — something I was never going to get unless I fried them.  So, using a few tricks I picked up from another wing recipe, I tossed the chicken in a bit of rice flour before frying them to a delicious golden brown.  After a quick toss in the oh-so sticky, sweet chili-glaze I was left with what I consider to be one of the best finger foods around.

If you’re planning on doing any Super Bowl entertaining of your own or you just love a good wing, think about giving this recipe a try.  The asian flavor profile is a welcome alternative to the usual hot sauce/butter laden buffalo wing.  If you’re looking for a special main course, serve these guys atop a bowl of sticky rice to sop up all of that sweet-chili glaze.

Continue reading chicken wings recipe . . .

For me, peanut sauce served as a definitive gateway flavor into what would be come a lifelong addiction to Thai cuisine. Having grown up on a steady diet of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, it wasn’t until I first tasted the peanut sauce that accompanied my Mom’s chicken satay from the Thai spot in our mall food court that I came to realize that peanut butter could be used in savory dishes as well. To my young developing palate, peanut sauce was at once exotic and familiar.  Salty, sweet and rich with warm Thai spices, the run-of-the-mill skewered chicken soon became a vehicle for what I really wanted: the sauce.

I’ve made many versions of peanut sauce over the years and have come to recognize this rendition as my go-to, all-purpose recipe.  Used as a dip, tossed with rice noodles or as a condiment for jasmine rice, I’m sure you’ll find this sauce has many amazing applications.  While some recipes include everything from soy sauce and grated ginger to garlic and chili sauce, this particular version gets it’s nuance and depth from aromatic Thai curry paste.  Along with a few other simple yet flavorful ingredients, it’s the paste that takes this sauce to the next level and lend it that authentic taste.  It goes without saying that a fresh, homemade curry paste will render an exceptionally fragrant final sauce, but if you’re strapped for time, store-bought red curry paste from a jar makes a perfectly suitable alternative.

Continue reading peanut sauce . . .