Here’s a little known secret: I learned to cook – and I mean really cook – in Thailand. I love Asian cooking, and during my first trip to South East Asia I took full advantage of the friendly culture, which welcomes strangers like me into the homes of some of the region’s best cooks. I learned a lot and the infaturation has lingered.
So I was excited when I received a copy of The Asian Barbecue Book: From Teriyaki to Tandoori by Alex Skaria. I’d heard about the Asian food fabulous recipes in this cookbook and to say I was eager to review this book would be an understatement.
Food Photography in the Asian Barbecue Book
First off, I’d like to comment on the photography. I know I always start here, but honestly, a book’s visuals are usually the first thing that grab you when you pick it up. This is a meat-heavy book, and I can tell you first-hand how tough it can be to photograph meat; photographer Alberto Cassio pulled it off beautifully. Every single photo looks appetizing and makes you want to pluck the dish straight out of the book’s glossy pages.
Asian Food Recipes and Instruction
The overall content of the book is well-done. I would have liked to find a more conversational tone in the writing, but the information contained in these pages is well laid out and easy to understand. There’s a complete charcoal primer for those that know not of this grilling thing, so you bbq novices should be able to find your way around the recipes pretty easily with minimal fussing.
Ideally the author would have included more information on how to navigate gas grills, since many people have them these days, but what’s there is solid and should be helpful to anyone who still hasn’t read the manual to their propane setup (RTFM!).
I’d also like to note that many of these grilling recipes can be prepared in a regular oven in case A) you’re barbecue illiterate or B) it’s freaking cold and rainy outside, and grilling outdoors is just about the last thing you want to be doing. So if you don’t have a grill or yours is closed up for the winter months, you’ll still find this a valuable Asian food recipe book.
I made three grilling recipes from the book, two vegetarian and one meat dish, to show that just because a book has the word “barbecue” in the title doesn’t mean it’s off limits for those of a veg* persuasion:
- Curried Potato Wedges on page 148
- Teriyaki Tofu Skewers on page 149
- Coconut Roast Chicken with Soy Honey Glaze on page 86
I made the potatoes and tofu at a dinner party I went to at a friend’s house, and the potatoes were a huge hit. In fact, I heard the phrase “best I’ve ever had” a few times, and I’d have to agree. They were easy to prepare and cooked quickly – I’ve since made them in the oven as well, and they actually tasted better baked than they did grilled.
The tofu wasn’t as huge a hit with the friends, though I and one other person loved it a lot. Tofu is one of those hit or miss things – if people don’t like tofu, they won’t change their opinion based on this recipe, but if you do love the stuff (like I do), you’ll really dig this dish.
Now, on to the coconut chicken. Hrmmm. All I have to say is wow, talk about a dramatic presentation. This dish was kind of a pain to prepare, since you have to track down either coconut water or a whole, young coconut, but honestly, it’s well worth it. I’m familiar with working with young Thai coconuts so it wasn’t a big deal for me, but if you’re not used to hacking at things with a meat cleaver, you might want to just use a soda can filled with coconut water or enlist the help of a axe-proficient friend (instructions are included for both options).
I made this dish in the oven since this is a tall order (literally) and wouldn’t fit vertically in the grill we have. After baking this in the oven at 350F and using a digital thermometer in the breast to tell me when it was done, this chicken came out beautifully. I had slightly overcooked the soy honey glaze before basting the bird with it, so the result was a smoky, caramel-y coating that stuck like glue and created a gorgeously crackly shell around the chicken. The end result was a lusciously tender bird with a sweet/smoky tang. While this recipe was a bit of a project, the finished product was well worth the effort.
The instructions for this grilling recipe were a little ill-explained and while I knew what to do with the coconut (having made beercan chicken before), I could see where someone with less experience in the process might get tripped up with the actual mechanics of preparing such a dish. There’s also the fact that this wouldn’t likely fit in a grill if you’re using a larger chicken, and it’s not mentioned within the recipe.
Also, there’s a typo in this recipe, where at some point it calls for coconut milk, which never appears in the ingredients list. I used coconut water (which IS called for in the ingredient list) and it came out perfectly.
Overall Opinion on “The Asian Barbecue Book”
In the end I’d have to give The Asian Barbecue Book a high rating: four out of five stars (or forks or frying pans or whatever kitschy icon-based rating system you’d find appropriate). In case you think that missing one star is a bad thing, let’s just say that I’ve yet to give a book five stars.
I’ll sum it up: buy this book. Even if you’re a grilling -tard, you should be able to pull off many of these recipes without having to call your dad or next-door neighbor for help. Just keep a digital meat thermometer handy if you’re unsure of the timing.
The good:
- Fabulous grilling recipes from a book that’s diverse and intriguing. Reaches a broad spectrum of Asian grilling styles.
- A grilling primer chapter helps guides newbies into this often intimidating way of cooking.
- Gorgeous photographs will make you hungry – something I don’t take for granted any more.
The bad:
- Some instructions aren’t so clear and require some figuring out – see the coconut chicken recipe as an example.
- The overall tone is a little stilted – the writing could stand to be more conversational, or fun to read.
- Need a deeper gas grill tutorial to match the extensive charcoal information.
Curried Potato Wedges Recipe
From “The Asian Barbecue Book,” an Asian food cookbook
A super simple Asian recipe for almost everyone
This recipe is for Adriana, one of my afore-mentioned dinner party friends. She left me a voicemail asking for this recipe, and I never called her back. Sorry dear!!
Serves 4
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 to 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon curry powder (I used twice as much)
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 4 large potatoes, each cut into 6 wedges
- In a large bowl, combine all ingredients except for the potatoes. Mix well.
- Add the potato wedges and rub the spice mixture onto the wedges with your hands. Let the potatoes marinate for 30 minutes.
- For oven: preheat oven to 350°F. Once potatoes are done marinating, pour them out into a lightly greased baking sheet and make sure they sit in a single layer. Cook for 45 minutes, then turn oven up to 400°F and cook until potatoes are nice and firm on the outside, about 15-20 minutes. Wedges should be easily pierce-able with a fork.
- For grill: Preheat grill. Just before you begin grilling, oil the hot grate. In a medium-hot zone on your grill, place the wedges directly on the grate and cook for about 35-40 minutes. Move the wedges to a low-heat zone if they begin to cook to quickly.
- It’s important not to let the wedges brown too much, or else the curry rub will become bitter.
- Serve right out of the oven or fresh off the grill.
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