BBQ Recipes | RecipeTin Eats

Thai Turmeric Chicken

Nagi — Mon, 20 Nov 2023 02:19:00 +0000

Hailing from southern Thailand, Thai Tumeric Chicken (Gai Yang Khamin) is lip-smackingly delicious street food that’s sweet, sticky and savoury. The marinade is unbelievably simple: garlic, fish sauce, oyster sauce, turmeric powder and sugar. The turmeric really makes it!

Southern Thai Turmeric Chicken (Gai Yang Khamin)

This is a great one to marinade tonight and bake tomorrow, to bring authentic Thai flavours to your dinner table! It’s sweet but has layers of savoury, and is incredibly delicious for something so simple.

With the excellent street food in Thailand, it will come to no surprise that I found this during my travels. It’s a street food that hails from the south called Gai Yang Khamin, and is one of those recipes that tastes like it has way more ingredients in it than it does.

At the time I tried it, I didn’t know what it was called, though the mystery was solved through furious Googling for “yellow Thai grilled chicken” in my determination to replicate it back at home.

Street vendors grill this over smokey coals and use butterflied whole chicken. I bake it in the oven and use chicken thighs instead to make it Monday-night-friendly. This does not, however, compromise flavour – it is still ridiculously delicious!

Ingredients in Thai Turmeric Chicken

This is one of those recipes that tastes like it’s got way more ingredients in it that it does. I get a secret thrill out of finding recipes like this!!

For the juiciest, stickiest chicken with the best glaze, bone-in thighs are best. But I’ve provided directions for breast and other cuts.

Chicken – As noted above, skin-on, bone-in thighs are best because the time it takes for the skin to go sticky and golden is the same time it takes for the inside to cook through to juicy perfection. Leaner, boneless cuts, like breast and boneless thigh, cook through faster, before the surface has a chance to caramelise. However, I’ve provided directions for these – and you could always pan fry instead! Drumsticks are also an excellent, economical option – these work perfectly as a direct substitute.
Turmeric powder – Key flavour and colour for this dish. This is what makes this Thai Turmeric chicken!!
Fish sauce – Secret ingredient! Adds salt with extra layers of flavour so this otherwise simple marinade isn’t bland.
Oyster sauce – Second secret ingredient! Adds sweetness with savoury undertones.
Sugar – For extra sweetness.
Garlic – Quite a decent wack!
Pepper – I like the flavour white pepper brings to this but you can substitute with black pepper.

How to make Thai Turmeric Chicken

Pop this in the marinade tonight then bake it tomorrow! Marinade for at least 3 hours, preferably overnight. Then bake and baste until golden and sticky (45 minutes).

Mix the marinade in a bowl – garlic, fish sauce, oyster sauce, sugar and turmeric.
Marinade the chicken for at least 3 hours, preferably overnight.

Bake on a lined tray for 50 minutes until the surface is sticky and delicious.
Baste using the tray juices at the 30 minute mark….
Then baste again at the 40 minute mark and pop it back in for a final 10 minutes to caramelise the surface.
Garnish with fresh coriander/cilantro leave if you want (it’s just for looks), then serve using the pan juices as a sauce!

What to serve with Thai Turmeric Chicken

Serve this with a pile of steaming jasmine or coconut rice and plain chunks of cucumber and tomato, something you commonly see served as a vegetable side all over Thailand. The fresh crunch of cucumber and juiciness of tomato is a nice contrast to the sweet-savoury-meatiness of the chicken, with the added bonus that you don’t have to bother with a dressing. I’m not going to argue with that!

Though, if you are a better person than me and would like to make more of an effort for your side salad, you could toss any fresh or steamed greens with Asian Sesame Dressing (for a quick option). For a more substantial side salad, try Thai Chicken Salad minus the chicken, or Thai Beef Salad minus the beef (I love the dressing of these salads).

And here are some more options for things to serve on the side:

Suggestions for sides

Coconut Rice (fluffy, not gluey!)

Green Papaya Salad

Thai Fried Rice

Pineapple Fried Rice (Thai)

Thai Prawn, Mango and Avocado Noodle Salad

Supreme Soy Noodles (NEW recipe – finally!)

Garlic rice

Or, eat it street food style – just grab the chicken with your hands and munch it on the go. You know I did! (Though the vision is slightly different – in my kitchen at home in my scruffy apron, rather than the bustling streets of Thailand.😂)

– Nagi x

Watch how to make it

Back to the old-style hands only video for this one! Ran out of time to do the new style with me and Dozer in it.

Thai Turmeric Chicken (Gai Yang Khamin)

Recipe video. This is based on a popular southern Thailand street food that's typically made with a butterflied chicken grilled over smokey coals. It's sweet but has complexity owing to the simple but clever marinade.

Here, I'm making a home version using the marinade for bone-in chicken thighs instead and baked it in my boring oven. I miss the charcoal flavour but it's still lip smackingly delicious! The tumeric powder really makes it.

Course BBQ/Grilling, Dinner

Cuisine Thai

Keyword Thai chicken, thai marinade, turmeric chicken

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 50

Marinade 3

Total Time 3 50

Servings

Calories 505cal

Author Nagi | RecipeTin Eats

Ingredients

5 large chicken thighs, skin-on, bone-in (~1.2kg/2.4lb) (Note 1)

Marinade

4 garlic cloves , finely minced or crushed using garlic press
2 tbsp fish sauce
2 1/2 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tsp white pepper , ground (sub black)
1 tbsp ground turmeric
1/4 cup brown sugar (tightly packed cup)

Instructions

Marinade chicken – Mix Marinade ingredients in a large bowl. Add chicken and toss to coat. Marinade for at least 3 hours, preferably overnight.
Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F (160°C fan-forced).
Prepare – Line a tray with baking paper/parchment paper. Place chicken on the tray, skin side up. Scrape all Marinade out of th bowl and dab onto chicken.
Bake for 40 minutes, basting at the 30 minute and 40 minute mark using the tray juices to make it golden brown and sticky, and rotate the tray as needed for even colour.
Increase the oven temperature to 200°C/390°F (180°C fan-forced). Pop the chicken back in for a final 10 minutes to caramelise the skin.
Rest for 3 minutes before serving with jasmine or coconut rice, and plain chunks of tomato and cucumber the Thai way!

Notes

1. Chicken cuts – For the oven, bone-in thighs are best because they remain juicy with the oven time needed to caramelise the skin nicely. Drumsticks run a close second (use around the same weight).

Next best is boneless thighs, then bringing up the rear is tenderloin and breast (recommend adding 1 tbsp oil into the marinade). Use around 750g/1.5lb for any of these cuts.

2. Cooking methods – This recipe can be cooked on the BBQ, stove or baked. Take care on the stove and BBQ as the sugar burns, so use medium heat.

Stove – Heat a skillet over medium heat. Place skin side down and cover with a lid. Cook for 5 minutes or until the skin is dark golden. Then turn and cover with a lid again. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes until cooked through, basting the skin with the residual marinade in the bowl.
BBQ – use medium heat and cook for around 15 minutes in total, basting the skin with the marinade in the bowl).
Other cuts:
– Drumsticks: Bake 50 minutes.
– Skinless boneless thighs: Bake 20 – 25 minutes, or stove/BBQ for 5 minutes each side on medium.
– Breast: Bake for 20 minutes, or stove/BBQ for around 5 minutes on each side on medium.

3. Recipe source: Slightly adapted from this Tumeric Chicken recipe from Real Thai Recipes.

Nutrition per serving assuming 5 servings. This does not take into account the fat that is rendered out when cooking.

Nutrition

Originally published November 2015. Updated with sparkling new photos with a recipe video added and most importantly, Life of Dozer section added!SaveSaveSaveSave

Life of Dozer

When Dozer sings.

(Aka annoying, persistent bark that he quickly realised is a highly effective way to get me to play with him, on command. #sucker)

The post Thai Turmeric Chicken appeared first on RecipeTin Eats.

Lamb Souvlaki

Nagi — Mon, 13 Nov 2023 05:00:00 +0000

Lamb Souvlaki skewers are Greek kebabs with bold garlic-lemon-oregano flavour. Sensational flavours for lamb! The smell when they hit the grill are to-die-for. Make wraps with pita bread or plates with lemon rice or Greek lemon potatoes.

Lamb Souvlaki

Souvlaki is essentially Greek fast food but to think of these being compared to McDonald’s is somewhat laughable because hello! Succulent pieces of tender lamb infused with bright lemon flavours, a stack of garlic, and earthy oregano, that smells so outrageously good as they cook you can’t help but grab one straight off the grill and eat it hot, straight off the stick…..

Nope. That is not the reaction anybody has at Maccers!

So, make this for your next gathering or marinade it today to serve for dinner tomorrow. Let’s bring a little bit of Greece to your table!

Ingredients in Lamb Souvlaki

Souvlaki is all about the marinade which tenderises the lamb and infuses it with gorgeous bold, lemony, intensely garlicky flavours.

Best lamb for lamb souvlaki

I think most people associate lamb leg with roasting, but it’s sensational for quick cooking like steak when it’s butterflied or cut into cubes like we do with souvlaki. Beautifully tender and juicy, especially after marinating, with great lamb flavour.

Boneless lamb leg – For ease of cutting, I use boneless lamb leg which is literally just your favourite roast leg of lamb with the bone cut out. It’s readily available at grocery stores and butchers here in Australia.

Other cuts that can be used:

Lamb backstrap doesn’t have as good a lamb flavour and is a little too lean for a good souvlaki, in my opinion. Better to cook it whole and slice (like in this recipe) but it can be used, if you want.
Lamb chops – Thick cut juicy chops, like chump chops and forequarter chops, will work (see this recipe for what they look like) but there’s quite a lot of bone and fat that needs trimming.
Lamb cutlets – I personally wouldn’t use pricey lamb cutlets – too expensive! Also, they are too thin (unless you cut the meat off a lamb rack but I don’t know anyone who’s got the budget to use a premium roast like that for something like souvlaki!).
Chicken – See here for the Chicken Souvlaki recipe.

Not suitable – Slow cooking cuts like lamb shoulder and shanks aren’t suitable because they will be tough when cooked in this manner.

LAMB SOUVLAKI Marinade

Next, here’s what you need for the marinade. Lemon juice and vinegar helps tenderise meat but the key is to use the right amount of each plus enough olive oil else the acid can “cook” the lamb (makes it turn white like ceviche) or make the meat turn leathery instead of tender.

Lemon – We use both the zest and juice. The zest adds great lemon flavour whereas the juice adds tang and plays a part in tenderising the meat.
White wine vinegar – Gives the meat tenderising another helping hand. It’s less harsh than lemon juice. Another excellent meat marinade tenderiser. White wine vinegar is best here because it’s more mild than other clear vinegars and is made from wine so the flavour is on-point for souvlaki. But you can substitute with similar vinegars like apple cider vinegar, red wine vinegar or sherry vinegar.
Extra virgin olive oil – This is to reduce the tanginess from the lemon and vinegar as preventing the meat from “cooking” due to the acid in these ingredients.
Garlic and dried oregano – Two Greek favourites! We use a good, bold amount of both.
Bay leaves – For even more flavour. I like using fresh because you can crush them in your hand to release flavour. Dried bay leaves can be used too but don’t crush them because they’ll disintegrate.
Salt – To season the meat inside.

How to make Lamb Souvlaki

Minimum marinating time of 12 hours is essential to ensure the marinade works its magic to tenderise and infuse flavour! 24 hours is ideal.

Trim excess fat and cut the lamb into meaty 2.5cm / 1” cubes. I find the easiest way to do this is to cut into thick 2.5cm / 1” slices, trim the fat off, then cut into cubes.
Said cubes.

Marinate – Mix the marinade in a bowl then mix in the lamb. Refrigerate for at least 12 hours, up to 24 hours. You will notice the lamb becomes a little white on the surface which is due to the acid in the lemon and vinegar beginning to “cook” the lamb at the 24 hour mark. This is tenderising in action!
TIPS: To marinate for longer, add 2 extra tablespoons of olive oil to dilute the acid so the lamb doesn’t get “cooked”. The marinated meat can also be frozen and cooked at a later date – directions in the recipe card.
Thread onto skewers. I usually make 12 skewers with 3 to 4 pieces on each.
TIPS: If intending to cook on the BBQ using wooden or bamboo skewers, soak the skewers in water for 30 minutes to prevent them from burning and cook on the flat iron side of your BBQ. If using the grill line side, it’s best to use metal skewers as wooden skewers can catch on fire easily.

Cook for 3 minutes, turn then cook the other side for 3 minutes (ie just cook 2 sides, not 4 sides). This can be done either in a pan on the stove or on a medium high BBQ (I demo both in the video).
The lamb pieces should have a great sear on them, and be blushing pink inside for medium rare. To be exact, use a meat thermometer and aim for an internal temperature of 60°C/140°F for medium rare (blushing pink, optimum juiciness).
Pile onto a platter with serving fixings of choice – to make wraps, eat hot straight off the sticks or to make plates! See next section below for ideas.

How to serve Lamb Souvlaki

Wraps – My favourite way to eat Souvlaki is Greek fast-food style, bundled up in a warm flatbread, stuffed with either Greek Salad that’s chopped up small (as shown in the video) or with finely sliced lettuce and tomato (as pictured in this post).
Either way, a big smear of tzatziki is essential – though I’m partial to hummus too and if both those options are just too hard, I’ll resort to a quick lemon-yogurt-olive oil sauce that takes 30 seconds flat to make. (Of course I’ll pop it in the recipe for you!)
Make plates – Another way to serve Souvlaki is to make plates with a pile of hot, steamy Greek Lemon Rice topped with freshly grilled Lamb Souvlaki and a big pile of juicy Greek Salad on the side. Or, other Greek sides – such as Greek Risoni Salad or Greek Lemon Potatoes.
Eat it hot, straight off the stick – Then of course, there’s the most obvious way: just eat them, hot, straight off the stick. For the impatient. You’ll see me demonstrate this in the video too. I know, shocking. 😅 – Nagi x

Watch how to make it

Lamb Souvlaki

Recipe video above. The bold garlic-oregano Greek marinade works wonders to tenderise and infuse incredible flavour into the lamb! The flavour when this is cooking is out of this world.

Eat them straight off the skewer while still hot or bundle up into warm pita bread with fixings.

Course Mains

Cuisine Greek

Keyword lamb souvlaki, souvlaki

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 10

Marinating 1

Servings skewers

Calories 95cal

Author Nagi

Ingredients

1.2 kg/ 2.4 lb boneless lamb leg , fat trimmed, cut into 2.5cm/1” cubes (~900g / 1.8lb after trimming) (Note 1)
1 tsp cooking / kosher salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
8 – 12 skewers , wooden or bamboo

Lamb souvlaki marinade:

5 garlic cloves , finely minced
5 tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp lemon zest
2 tsp dried oregano
3 fresh bay leaves , crushed in hand (or 2 dried kept whole)
1/3 cup white wine vinegar
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp cooking / kosher salt

To serve – stuffed or make plates:

4 – 6 pita bread , warmed or toasted (or easy homemade flatbreads)
1 batch tzatziki (from my Gyros recipe) or Lemon Yogurt Sauce (Note 3)
Greek salad (chop small for stuffing) or shredded lettuce and tomato slices
Greek lemon rice (to make plates instead of wraps)

Cups – Metric

Instructions

Marinate lamb:

Mix marinade ingredients in a bowl. Add lamb and toss to coat.
Marinate in fridge for 12 – 24 hours.

Skewer & cook:

Skewer – Remove meat from marinade and thread 3 to 4 pieces on each to make 12 skewers, or 5 to make 8 larger skewers (pictured in post).
Sprinkle the meat with the salt and pepper. (This really makes a difference to the finished dish, better than just in the marinade).
Cook – Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large non-stick pan over high heat. Cook half the skewers for 3 minutes, turn then cook the other side for 3 minutes until nicely seared (target internal temp 60°C/140°F for medium rare, optimum juiciness).
Transfer to a plate and loosely cover with foil to keep warm while you cook the remaining skewers.

BBQ cooking (Note 2):

Soak skewers – Soak wood/bamboo skewers in water for 30 minutes if planning to cook on the BBQ (prevents burning). My skewers are 18cm/7” which fit in a pan (stove cooking).
Preheat BBQ to medium high. Flat iron hot plate is safer for wooden skewers (so they don't catch fire) else use metal skewers on the grill side.
Skewer, oil & season – Skewer per above. Drizzle with the oil (so it doesn't stick to the BBQ) then sprinkle both sides with the salt and pepper.
BBQ cook for 3 minutes on each side.

Serve:

Pile Souvlaki onto a serving platter for DIY wraps with tzatziki (from this recipe), toasted pita bread and Greek salad (chopped small), or shredded lettuce and tomato slices. Else, make plates with lemon rice and a Greek Salad!

Notes

1. Lamb cut – I like leg the best for tender, juicy meat (especially after marinating!) and great lamb flavour. It tends to come with a thick layer of fat which is best trimmed.

Thick cut lamb chops will also work. Lamb back strap is leaner and just isn’t as juicy. Lamb shoulder, shanks and other slow cooking cuts are not suitable for this recipe. I can’t afford to use lamb cutlets or lamb rack for a recipe like this!

2.BBQ – If grilling on a BBQ, it’s safest to use the flat iron side for wooden skewers. Else, use metal skewers so you can cook on the grill side (ie slats type).

3. Lemon yogurt sauce – Mix yogurt with a squeeze of lemon juice, slosh of olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper.

Leftovers will keep for 3 – 4 days in the fridge. For a make-ahead freezer option, put the lamb in the marinade then freeze. Thaw 24 hours – the meat will marinade as it thaws. Then thread and cook per recipe.

Nutrition is per skewer (excludes fixings). An estimation only – it’s always hard to say how much salt and oil in the marinade actually ends up in the finished dish.

Nutrition

More lamb recipes

Roast Lamb Leg with Gravy

Moroccan lamb backstrap

Greek Butterflied Lamb Leg

Ultimate Roast Lamb: 12-hour lamb shoulder

Rosemary Crumbed Rack of Lamb

Rosemary Garlic Lamb Cutlets

Lamb Recipes

And for Greek food lovers!

Gosh, even I’m surprised how many Greek recipes I’ve done over the years!!

Greek Slow Roasted Leg of Lamb

One Pot Greek Chicken and Lemon Rice – best chicken and rice ever!

Greek Zucchini Tots (Mini Fritters)

Greek Meatballs (Keftedes)

Greek Lemon Potatoes

Moussaka (Greek Beef and Eggplant Lasagna)

Spanakopita (Greek Spinach Pie)

Greek

Life of Dozer

A familiar sight when you walk into the kitchen:

Then on the other side of the island, this is what you see:

Hard to resist!

The post Lamb Souvlaki appeared first on RecipeTin Eats.

Vietnamese lemongrass pork steaks

Nagi — Wed, 12 Apr 2023 06:05:39 +0000

This is such a wonderful recipe to use economical pork shoulder in an exciting new way! A Vietnamese lemongrass marinade infuses with beautiful flavour while a smidge of baking soda is the secret to tenderising so the pork steaks are tender like premium chops. Vietnamese street-food!

Vietnamese lemongrass pork

I’ve been wanting to recreate the chargrilled lemongrass marinated pork you find “everywhere” on the streets of Vietnam for years – but it always came out dry. Finally figured out the secret to keeping it juicy, so I had to share the recipe immediately! 😂

Across Vietnam, variations of this lemongrass pork are served in various forms. On rice, soups, in rice paper rolls, even in Banh Mi. While all are delicious, my favourite are the popular Vietnamese noodle bowl salads, bun thit nuong. Thin rice noodles, topped with this pork, pickled vegetables, lettuce, a smattering of peanuts, lime and served with nuoc cham, that sauce served with “everything” in Vietnam.

I’ve shared the pork noodle bowl as a separate recipe as I wanted to publish the marinated pork separately because I think it’s worthy of your attention!

Here’s a photo of the pork rice noodle bowls. I actually took this photo in Vietnam – it’s a dish I bought from a street vendor in Saigon and took back to my hotel to take a photo:

Oh look! And said vendor in Saigon. They cooked the pork on skewers over charcoal. I’m doing a home version – steaks on a stove. So you can make this any night of the week – rain, hail or shine!

Why you need this Vietnamese pork in your life!

Excellent value – It’s made using economical pork shoulder that is tenderised so it’s juicy like premium pork chops!
Flavour plus value – The meat is sliced and pounded thinly for maximum flavour penetration and so less meat goes further.
Something different but yet so easy, with ingredients you can get from the local shops.
Versatile – Serve at your next BBQ with coconut rice and Asian slaw. Or wait until Friday to make Vietnamese noodle bowls!
Deliciousness factor is extremely high for relatively small effort

And because I know someone will ask – yes you can make this with chicken, here it is!

The marinade goes foamy because of the baking soda which is the secret tenderising ingredient!

What you need

Here’s what you need to make this.

Pork shoulder – Generally, this economical, tough cut of pork is slow cooked until it becomes fall-apart tender. Today, we’re using it in a really different way. Sliced thinly, then marinated with baking soda which tenderises it so when it’s cooked hard-and-fast like steak, it is tender like a pricey pork chop. (Links again for glowing reader reviews who have discovered the wonder of this technique with chicken and beef!).
Baking soda – also known as bi-carb / bi-carbonate. As noted in the point above, this is what tenderises the tough pork shoulder meat.
Lemongrass – For unmistakable, irreplaceable beautiful Vietnamese flavour!
Limes – For tang. A Vietnamese food favourite.
Sugar – For sweet and caramelisation.
Soy sauce and fish sauce – The saltiness. I like to use both to get the right flavour balance. Only fish sauce = too fishy. Only soy sauce = lacks complexity of flavour.
Garlic – Lots!
Oil – To increase the volume of the marinade so there is the right flavour infusion for the volume of meat we’re using. (Initially I just had more of all the other ingredients but the pork was too salty).

Pork shoulder

How to make Vietnamese lemongrass marinated pork

The key to this recipe is to slice and pound the pork as thinly as you can. This serves a few purposes:

head start tenderising the flesh
opens up the fibres to allow the marinade to penetrate thoroughly
increases surface area and flattens the pork to improve surface area char – for optimum real chargrilled street-food flavour!
allows us to make this with economical pork shoulder rather than pricey pork tenderloin or chops.

Slice the pork shoulder into eight thinnish pieces – gives us a head start on the pounding. I find it easiest to do this by cutting the pork on 45 degree angle but if you have the right shaped piece, you could just cut straight down.
PRO TIP: To get even(ish) pieces without pulling out the scales, cut the pork shoulder in half, then each half in half again, then each in half again. Voila – 8 pieces!
Pound to 5mm / 0.2″ thickness thick using a meat mallet (the jagged side) or rolling pin. Cover with go-between or freezer bags to prevent damaging the meat. (Go-between is a purpose made plastic sheet, sold alongside cling wrap. Also useful for stacking foods in the freezer without sticking together).
Post pounding thin pork!
Marinade – Mix the marinade ingredients in a bowl.
Coat pork Add the pork and use tongs to coat well.
Marinate 24 hours – Transfer to a ziplock bag and marinate for 24 hours.
Why mix separately first? To ensure really good, even distribution of the small amount of bi-carb across quite a lot of surface area. I wouldn’t ask you to dirty a bowl unnecessarily
Why a ziplock bag? Because it keeps the meat completely coated in a relatively small amount of marinade. If you prefer a container, use a small one so the meat is as snugly fitted as possible and toss the pork once or twice during the marinading time.

High heat cooking – Cook for 1 1/2 minutes in a hot cast iron skillet OR on your BBQ over high heat. Then cook the other side for 1 minute. Super quick to cook because it’s so thin!
Aim for a nice char – The pork will char quickly because of the sugar in the marinade and that’s what we want, that authentic chargrilled flavour.
STILL TENDER! Technically, with 2 1/2 minutes of high heat blasting, the thin pork should be overcooked and dry inside, not to mention the tough pork shoulder hasn’t been slow cooked as it should so it should be horridly tough. Nope! The inside is still juicy, and it’s more tender than you ever imagined pork shoulder could be, thanks to the baking soda (read more on this above in the ingredients section).

NOTE: Meat tenderised using the baking soda method will be pink inside even when it’s cooked to well done! It’s just what happens. It happens with beef too.

As mentioned above, I’ll share the Vietnamese Pork Noodle Bowls recipe on Friday (UPDATE: here it is!). But think beyond the noodle bowl! Serve it with a side of coconut rice, Vietnamese red fried rice or plain jasmine rice with a side salad. Try one of these:

Vietnamese Chicken salad – minus the chicken
Asian Slaw
Chang’s Crispy Noodle Cabbage Salad
Asian Side Salad
Steamed vegetables or any leafy greens drizzled with Asian Sesame Dressing

And just before I sign off, one more look at the pork noodle bowl:

It’s so good! ADORE the contrasting textures of the fresh vegetables and herbs with the flavourful marinated lemongrass pork all doused in nuoc cham, the Vietnamese chilli-garlic sauce served with “everything”.

What do you think?? Have I convinced you to give this Vietnamese pork a go? I hope so!!! If anything, it’s worth experiencing the magic of the marinade and how tender it makes pork shoulder steaks. Try it!! – Nagi x

Watch how to make it

Vietnamese Lemongrass Pork steaks (tenderised!)

Recipe video above. Pork infused with a Vietnamese lemongrass marinade, then cooked over high heat for an authentic char-grill like you get at Vietnamese street stalls! Economical pork shoulder is a tough cut of meat that's tenderised using a touch of baking soda. Even if you overcook these pork steaks, they are still tender inside!

Use to make the popular Vietnamese rice noodle salad, Bún thịt nướng, or serve with coconut or jasmine rice and Asian slaw for a lovely dinner.

Course Main

Cuisine Vietnamese

Keyword vietnamese pork chops, vietnamese pork marinade

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 6

Servings

Calories 360cal

Author Nagi

Ingredients

500g/1 lb pork shoulder , skinless and boneless, or pork scotch (roast or steaks) (Note 1)
3 tbsp canola oil

Marinade:

2 lemongrass stalks , white part only, bruised, cut into 1 cm / 0.4″ slices on angle (Note 2)
4 garlic cloves , finely minced
4 tbsp lime juice
3 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp soy sauce (all purpose or light, NOT dark soy, Note 3)
4 tbsp brown sugar (tightly packed tablespoons)
3 tbsp oil (canola, vegetable, peanut)
3/4 tsp baking soda/bi-carb , for tenderising (Note 4)

Instructions

Cut pork – Cut into 8 equal, thinnish slices of pork. I find it easiest using the knife on a 45° angle, but if you have the right shape piece you can just cut straight down.
Pound each steak to 5mm / 0.2" thickness using the scary side of a meat mallet (jagged, not flat), using go-between (Note 5) or a freezer bag to avoid damaging the meat. (You can use baking paper for rolling pin or the flat side of the mallet.)
Marinade – Mix the marinade ingredients in a bowl, it will fizz when the baking soda is added! Add pork then toss well to coat using tongs. Transfer to a ziplock bag and marinate for 24 hours.
Remove pork from the marinade and brush off the lemongrass pieces. Discard marinade – it's done its job!
Cook – Heat a cast iron skillet over high heat until you see wisps of smoke. Add 1 1/2 tbsp oil, then cook half the pork for 1 1/2 minutes on one side and 1 minute on the other side until nicely charred. Remove onto a plate. Scrape pan clean of loose black bits then cook the remaining pork.
Serve! Make Pork Noodle Bowls (bun thit nuong) or serve with rice and a side salad – see note 6 and in post for suggestions!
NOTE – The thin pork steaks are beyond well done in 2 1/2 minutes but it doesn't matter because the baking soda keeps them tender. It will be blushing pink inside due to the baking soda (same happens with beef). You could cook them for another 5 minutes and they will still be tender inside. Miracle!

Notes

1. Pork cut – This recipe is designed for pork shoulder which is a fatty, tough cut of pork that’s usually slow cooked to make it tender. Here, by pounding and using baking soda, it’s tenderised so it’s like premium pork chops once cooked. It’s literally impossible to overcook the inside so it’s tough – you’ll see!

Recipe also works great with pork scotch roast or steaks. A little more expensive cut of meat but widely available in Australia. Doesn’t work as well for lean, more expensive cuts of meat like loin and tenderloin.

2. Lemongrass prep – cut the reedy end off, we’re only using the white and pale green part. Bash with meat mallet so it bursts open slightly to release flavour but mostly holds together. Slice on an angle into large 1cm/0.4″ thick slices so they are easy to brush off the pork before cooking (else they burn).

Fresh really is best here but if you can’t get it, use 1 tablespoon of lemongrass paste instead.

3. Soy sauce – Don’t use dark soy sauce, the flavour is far too intense and will overwhelm. Any all-purpose soy is fine, or light soy sauce.

4. Baking soda, also known as bi-carb, is used to tenderise the pork shoulder meat which is is a tough cut usually used for slow cooking. Same method used for chicken and beef for stir fries – and readers love it!

5. Go-between is a purpose made roll of plastic that’s sold alongside cling wrap, used for pounding meat. Thicker than freezer bags and cling wrap, and not sticky. It protects the meat from becoming damaged.

6. Serving suggestions – Noodle bowls pictured in post (bun thit nuong), recipe here! Or make dinner plates with a side of coconut rice, Vietnamese red fried rice or plain jasmine rice with a side salad:

Vietnamese Chicken salad – minus the chicken
Asian Slaw
Chang’s Crispy Noodle Cabbage Salad
Asian Side Salad
Steamed vegetables or any leafy greens drizzled with Asian Sesame Dressing

Nutrition per serving, 2 pieces per person.

Nutrition

I adore Vietnamese food!

See?

Bun Cha (Vietnamese Meatballs!)

Vietnamese Noodles with Lemongrass Chicken

Vietnamese Rice Paper Rolls

Vietnamese Chicken Salad

Vietnamese Caramel Pork

Vietnamese Pho recipe

Vietnamese Chicken Pho soup (Pho Ga)

Vietnamese

Life of Dozer

When Dozer was in the paper over the Easter break. Specifically, the Good Weekend Magazine!

If you wish to continue to believe I’m an innocent angel, please do not read the article.

The post Vietnamese lemongrass pork steaks appeared first on RecipeTin Eats.

Chili dogs

Nagi — Fri, 10 Feb 2023 04:33:30 +0000

Welcome to the chili dog of my dreams! A thick, molten beef chili sauce, slow cooked for hours, designed to function more like a sauce so it smothers rather than running everywhere. As for the grilled hot dog? Skip the cheap footy franks. Smoked sausages are the way to go. Think – kranksy, bratwurst, half-smokes!

A cracking recipe for summer BBQ’s, game-day, and just when you need something seriously moreish.

There’s a sausage under there, somewhere under all that cheese and chili sauce!!

THE chili sauce for hot dogs….

This is a chili dog that is inspired by the famous Half-Smoke Chili Dogs at Ben’s Chili Bowl in Washington DC. It’s an institution famous for their chili which is served in various formats – in a bowl, burgers, and chili dogs.

The chili sauce used for the hot dogs is different to the chili served in bowls. It’s noticeably thicker and smoother, and doesn’t have beans in it. Essentially, it’s like a thick sauce that stays on the hot dog better than regular chili so you can eat it with your hands.

A smoother chili sauce with fine “grains” of ground beef / beef mince, rather than chunks like bolognese or chili con carne, works best for chili dogs. It’s the Ben’s Chili Bowl way!

I’ve always wanted to replicate the Ben’s chili sauce. I’ve had a few attempts over the years – surely I just need to slow cook for longer, longer! Nope, it just didn’t have that same “molten” texture.

The answer came to me when I was making lentil soup: a partial blitz. Releases flavour, thickens the sauce, and makes it smoother too. This changed my chili-dog-game forever. Will it change yours too??

Look how thick the chili sauce is! Perfect for staying IN your hot dog.

Chili = American vs chilli = Australian/UK: Ordinarily, I write in Australian-English rather than Americanised English, because I live in Australia. However, given that chili dogs is very much a beloved dish of the States, I’ve decided to respect the origins and use “chili” with one “l” throughout this post!

Ingredients in chili dog

Alrighty, first up, what you need to make the chili sauce for hot dogs!

Ingredients in chili sauce

The ingredients are no different to my classic chili con carne except the ratios of the spices are a little different (more!). And there are no beans in this chili sauce so it’s smoother and sits in/on the hot dog better.

Beef mince / ground beef – While this recipe will work with lean beef, it will not have as much beefy flavour. Because most of the good beefy flavour we love is in the fat!
Beef bouillon cube (stock cube) – Better than salt! Adds more flavour.
Onion & garlic – Essential flavour bases.
Tomato paste and crushed tomato – For thickening and flavour of the sauce. By the time all the spices are added in and it’s been slow cooked, you don’t really taste the tomato at all.
Capsicum/bell pepper – A traditional inclusion in chili.

Homemade chili powder for sauce

There’s no store-bought chili powder mix in my chili sauce. I prefer to make my own from scratch because the flavour of chili powder varies from brand to brand. Making your own ensures consistency of flavour for everyone!

Plus, chili powder spice mix, while common in the US, is not easily found in Australia.

There is a mystery 3rd spice in the bottom dish that shouldn’t be there! 😂 Not sure what happened here, I will replace the photo when I get a chance.

No unusual players here. All pantry essentials (here’s my essential spices list, in case you missed it!), the same spices I use in my chilli con carne. However, I use slightly more spices to give the sauce a stronger flavour because less sauce has to go further when it’s used in a hot dog bun compared to serving a big bowl of chili. Am I making sense?? Not sure I’m explaining that well!

Spiciness – There’s a decent amount of cayenne pepper in this to give the chili sauce a spicy kick, as is traditional. Feel free to dial it back. You can just add it right at the end, bit by bit, tasting as you go.

Chili dog

For the best hot dog of your life, skip the everyday cheap hot dogs and go for a good German or other European smoked sausage (Austrian, Polish). You’re welcome!

Bockwurst smoked German sausages from a local German small-goods shop, Brot & Wurst (Narrabeen, Sydney). Great smokey flavour, well seasoned sausage, a dream to eat with chili sauce.

Smoked sausages – better than hot dogs! Chili dogs are typically made with economical thin hot dogs. Think – uniform pink colour that are 30 – 40% fillers. Tasty enough, when smothered in a homemade chili sauce. But you can really dial-up your hot dog game by using good European smoked sausages – like kranksy’s, bockwurst, bratwurst, “continental franks”. Just ask Ben’s Chili Bowl. Their famous chili dogs use sausages called “half-smokes” which are a type of smoked sausage.

Why European smoked sausages are better – More meat, less fillers, they’re seasoned with flavour, and fatter so you get more sausage! They are smoked so they are technically cooked but most are usually grilled or pan fried before serving. Makes them even tastier.

Find them easily these days:

Kranksy’s – a deli staple at large supermarkets (Coles, Woolies – see here online, Harris Farms). Get the smoked ones, if you can, but even un-smoked are 20x better than the “footy franks”
Sausages in packets labelled “Continental Franks” or “Weiners”.
German deli – If you are lucky enough to have a German deli in your area, it’s worth a visit because you’ll have an even better selection – and it’s hard to go wrong! Also, other European delis. The Polish and Austrians do wickedly good smoked sausages too.
Where I go – Brot & Wurst in Narrabeen, Sydney, which is near my home. My favourite for chili dogs are Bockwurst (pictured above). But all the smoked sausages of theirs I’ve tried (probably most) are great!

Hot dog buns – Look for soft, pillowy buns for the hot dogs to nestle in.
Yellow mustard – Optional, I guess! For me, a chili dog isn’t a chili dog without a squirt of mustard. I use American mustard – 100% artificial yellow colour, 100% hot dog authentic.
White onion – Optional! This is a direct copycat of the way the chili dogs are served at Ben’s Chili Bowl. A little sprinkle of finely chopped white onion brings a hint of freshness in amongst all that moorish, spicy, saucy goodness. I like to use white onion because it’s not as sharp as brown onion. Red onion will also work from a flavour perspective.
Cheese – A sprinkle of shredded cheese on a chili dog is fairly common practice but melting is not. But, like good ole’ crispy shell beef tacos, melted cheese wins over un-melted cheese any day. So if you have the option to melt, why would you not?? (Bonus: Cheese melting oven time warms up the bun so you don’t have to do it beforehand plus gives all the flavours a chance to meld together into one cohesive chili-dog-of-your-dreams!)

How to make chili dogs

As I mentioned earlier, the one thing that’s a little unique about the chili sauce I make for chili dogs is that it’s thicker, smoother and more “molten” than the usual recipes you see which have larger, chunkier beef bits in a runnier sauce. This is because mine is designed to be like the famous Ben’s Chili Bowl chili sauce which is like a thick sauce that stays in the hot dog rather than slopping out everywhere when I take a (big!) bite!

The trick to achieve this? A little blitz. Releases flavour and thickens the sauce.

1. The chili sauce

Cook chili sauce – The chili sauce starts off like your everyday chili con carne. Sauté onion, garlic and capsicum. Cook the beef until it’s browned, then stir the tomato paste for a minute to cook out the sour raw flavour.
Add everything else – Add all the spices, canned tomato, beef stock cubes (bouillon cubes), salt and water and give it a good stir then bring it to a simmer.
Slow cook 3 hours – Simmer on a really low heat with the lid partially on. A cracked lid allows the sauce to reduce and thicken. Make sure the heat is really low and give it a stir every now and then to ensure the base doesn’t catch. Remember – we’re making a sauce that is thicker than typical chili con carne.
It can also be cooked in the oven (160°C / 325°F for 3 hours) or slow cooker (low for 6 to 8 hours) – directions included in the recipe.
After 3 hours of slow cooking, the beef should be very tender. Yep, you’ll need to have a spoonful to check!
Blitz to thicken and smooth – Remove 1 1/2 cups of the chili into a container so the head of a stick blender will be submerged under the chili. Then blitz until smooth – it should only take around 15 seconds on high. This will release flavour and also thicken the sauce.
Stir in – Return the pureed chili sauce into the pot and stir well. As you stir, you should find that the slow-cooked beef bits start to fall-apart into really fine pieces of beef to make a smooth-ish, almost molten-like sauce.
If your beef doesn’t do this, it will just need a bit of help from a potato masher. Just mash the beef straight in the pot until it becomes a fairly fine texture, like pictured.
Thick sauce – This is what your sauce should look like! Dollop-able but it mounds. Now you get to heap it on your hot dog!

2. Assembling chili dogs

Grill, stuff, smother, bake!

Pan fry or grill your hot dogs / smoked sausages until browned and warmed through. Don’t worry if the skin splits! Visually it doesn’t matter because it will be completely hidden by sauce.
Mustard & onion – Add a squiggle of mustard then sprinkle with onion.
Chili sauce – Smother with a good amount of chili sauce. Appreciate how it’s thick and stays on/in the hot dog instead of running everywhere!
Bake for 10 minutes – Top with cheese then bake for 10 minutes just to melt the cheese. Pull out of oven and start getting excited about sinking your teeth into these chili dogs!!!

Serve with plain crinkle cut potato crisps for an authentic experience!

When to make chili dogs

A backyard grill out, a gathering with friends. Game day, dinner tonight, and, well, just anytime because you can’t get darn-good chili dogs in your area. That would be ME!!

In all seriousness though. A good smoked sausage, pan fried or grilled then tucked into a soft bun is delicious as is.

Smother it with a thick layer of big-flavoured beef chili sauce, and you’re well on your way to food heaven.

Add a blanket of molten, gooey cheese and that, my friends, THAT is what food dreams are made of.

I really hope you try these chili dogs one day. For us Aussies, chili dogs are hard to come by and when we do find them, all too often they are terribly disappointing. I promise this won’t disappoint! – Nagi x

PS As long as you give the cheap footy franks a miss!

Watch how to make it

Chili dogs

Recipe video above. A pan-fried or BBQ sausage smothered in chili sauce in a hot dog bun. Cracker of a recipe for summer BBQ's, gatherings with friends and game-day!

My chili sauce is a copy-cat of the famous Ben's Chili Bowl half-smoke chili dogs in Washington DC. Love how their boldly spiced chili sauce is thick and almost "smooth", so it stays in the hot dog better. I replicated this by blitzing the chili a bit. Releases flavour, thickens the sauce. Win!

Also, skip the cheap hot dog "footy franks". Do what Ben's does – use a good smoked sausage.

Course BBQ, Main

Cuisine American, Tex-Mex

Keyword chili dogs, chili sauce for hot dogs

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 3 30

Servings – 8 hot dogs

Calories 761cal

Author Nagi

Ingredients

Homemade chili powder (Note 1):

3 tsp smoked paprika (sub plain paprika)
3 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp cayenne pepper , adjust to taste
1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 1/2 tsp onion powder
1 1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp mustard powder
1/2 tsp black pepper

Chili sauce:

1 tbsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves , finely minced
1/2 onion , finely chopped
1/2 red capsicum / bell pepper , finely chopped
500 g/1 lb ground beef / beef mince
1 tbsp tomato paste
400g / 14 oz canned crushed tomato
2 beef cubes (I like Oxo, easy to crumble, Note 2)
1 1/2 cups water
3/4 tsp cooking/kosher salt , plus more to taste

Chili dogs:

6 good smoked sausages (kransky, bratwurst, half-smoke) or hot dogs of choice (Note 3)
6 hot dog buns
1/2 white onion , finely chopped
Yellow mustard (I use Heinz American mustard)
2 cups Colby or Monterey Jack , shredded (or other cheese of choice)
Plain crinkle cut potato chips , optional side for serving (traditional!)

Cups – Metric

Instructions

Chili sauce:

Sauté aromatics – Heat oil over medium high in a heavy based pot. Cook the onion, garlic and capsicum for 3 minutes.
Brown beef – Add beef and cook, breaking it up as you go, until you no longer see raw meat. Add tomato paste and stir for 1 minute.
Sauce – Add the spices, tomato, water, crumbled beef cube and salt. Stir well.
Slow cook 3 hours – Bring the chili to a simmer then turn down to low, on a small burner. Put the lid partially on (to allow for sauce reduction). Simmer for 3 hours on low (goal: small bubble every now and then), stirring just to ensure the base doesn’t catch. OR put it in a 160°C/325°F oven for 3 hours (lid partially cracked).
Slow cooker (Note 4) – Reduce water to 3/4 cup. After chili comes to a simmer on the stove, transfer everything to a slow cooker then cook on low for 6 to 8 hours on low.
Thicken sauce – Remove 1 1/2 cups of the chili into a container so the head of a stick blender will be submerged under the chili. Then blitz until smooth (~ 15 seconds). Add the pureed sauce back in the pot and stir well.
Sauce goal – As you stir, the remaining beef bits should become quite fine (rather than bolognese type chunks) because the beef is so tender. If the beef bits are not as small as desired, use a potato masher in the pot – it won't take long. The chili sauce should be a thick sauce that mounds up a bit when you scoop it, not runny. (Note 5) Keep sauce warm.
Optional rest overnight – Allow the sauce to cool then refrigerate overnight. As with most slow-cooked stewy things, the flavour improves! Reheat on the stove before proceeding.

Chili dogs:

Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F (160°C fan).
Grill/pan-fry – Preheat a pan with 1/2 tbsp oil (or the BBQ) on medium / medium high. Brown the stages all over until they are heated through (they are already cooked inside, it's just about heating/colour).
Assemble – Place hot dog buns on a tray. Stuff with a sausage, top with a squiggle of mustard and a sprinkle of onion. Spoon over a generous amount of warm chili sauce, top with cheese.
Bake for 7 to 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted. Serve immediately. Traditionally with a mound of plain crinkle cut potato chips and an ice cold beer!

Notes

Servings note: Recipe realistically makes enough chili sauce for 8 hot dogs. But I just don’t know how big your buns will be so prefer to err on the side of caution. Nobody wants to run out of chili sauce!

1. Spice notes:

This blend of spices includes a homemade chili powder which I prefer to do because the flavour of store-bought chili powder mixes (in the US) vary from brand to brand.
Garlic powder and onion powder can be substituted with more of the other.
Cayenne pepper provides the spiciness (chili sauce is SUPPOSED to be a bit spicy!). This amount won’t blow your head off but if you’re concerned, hold some (or all) of it back and add right at the end, little by little.
Mustard powder – sub 1 tsp dijon mustard

2. Beef bouillon cubes / stock cubes have more flavour than plain salt.

3. Smoked sausages are my preference over economical hot dogs / “footy franks” – high proportion of fillers! Idea swiped from Ben’s Chili Bowl, they use half-smokes (famous Washington smoked sausages).

I use: smoked kransky’s, bratwurst, bockwurst, “smoked wiener” or “continental franks”. Available at German and other European shops, and large supermarkets (Australia). Even the common un-smoked kransky sold at most supermarket deli’s is way better than the cheap hot dogs! Love my local German small-goods shop, Brot & Wurst (Narrabeen, Sydney), their Bockwurst is my favourite for chili dogs.

4. Slow cooker note – While this recipe will work fine in a slow cooker, you just don’t get the same caramelisation around the edges on the surface of the chili like you do with stove and oven cooking, which adds to flavour. I’d say it’s 95% as good in a slow cooker! Oven and stove are just as good.

5. Sauce – If your sauce isn’t as thick as mine, just leave it on the stove on low, stirring regularly, until it reduces and thickens.

Nutrition

Life of Dozer

I find it quite amusing that he can spend hours in the pool or at the beach and his furry golden head remains fluffy and dry while the rest of him is saturated.

Then I realised I do the same thing. Sometimes a girl just doesn’t want to ruin her hair, y’a know? 😂

The post Chili dogs appeared first on RecipeTin Eats.