How to have a successful BBQ (5-in-1 recipes)

Oh wow, how quickly time flies... June is the month for me to clear up some of my blog backlogs such as my Easter posts.

We decided to have a Easter Holiday Barbecue at home, whereby Hubby will be the chef of the day and I will be the sous chef assisting him in prep. It was a whole load of fun (the kids enjoyed it very much!) that we agreed to have a BBQ every year on Easter Sunday.

You will find 5 recipes in this post, which will assist you in holding a successful BBQ session. For our BBQ, we had grilled fish (pomfret), chicken wings, squid, grilled corn, Easter salad and sausages.

Black pomfret (ikan bawal hitam) is a good fish for grilling on the BBQ. You should always choose a firm-fleshed fish for the BBQ. We stuffed some daun kesum into its stomach area to get rid of any unwanted "fishy" smells and simply rub the skin with some salt and olive oil before grilling. The accompaniment to this grilled fish is our homemade chilli/lime dip - appetizingly spicy.

We first stuffed the squid with some curry leaves and spicy prawn paste and sealed the top with a skewer. Do not overcook as squid are notorious for having a rubbery texture when overcooked.

Why do I call this an Easter Salad? First of all, it's very colorful (Easter reminds me of spring time) and I have also included some cute rabbit carrots (I always associate Easter with rabbits). All the ingredients are tossed with a simple balsamic dressing.

Another BBQ favorite of ours are chicken wings, this time marinated with some balsamic vinegar and soy sauce. Since there was already quite a lot going on the BBQ, we decided to oven bake it first and then finish it off on the grill later for the chargrilled effect.

Easter Salad
1 Japanese cucumber, diced
10-12 cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 carrot, diced and several cut with a rabbit cutter
1/2 green pepper, diced

For the dressing
1 shallot, finely chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp soft brown sugar
Salt, to taste

1. For the dressing, mix all the ingredients together until incorporated. Pour dressing over the salad ingredients and toss.

Squid with Spicy Prawn Paste and Curry Leaves
4 squid (sotong), cleaned
4 tsp spicy prawn paste
4 stalks curry leaves

1. Stuff 1 tsp spicy prawn paste and 1 stalk curry leaf into the cavity of each squid. Using a skewer (soaked in water beforehand for 5 minutes), seal the top of the squid to avoid the filling from coming out during cooking. Cook for 10 minutes, or until the squid is firm. Do not overcook as squid will become rubbery.

Grilled pomfret with homemade chilli/lime dip
2 black pomfret (bawal hitam), cleaned
1 tsp coarse sea salt
4 stalks daun kesum
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1. Clean the fish thoroughly. Stuff the daun kesum into the stomach area (this is to get rid of any "fishy" smells and tastes). 

2. Mix the sea salt and olive oil and rub over the exterior of the fish. Grill for 10 minutes (5 minutes each side), or until a skewer inserted in the thickest part goes all the way through. 

Homemade chilli/lime dip
4 shallots, diced *
1 bulb garlic, diced *
6 cili padi, diced *
2 red chilli, diced *
4-5 limau kasturi (calamansi)
2 tsp brown sugar
Salt to taste


1. Place ingredients marked with * into a mortar and ground until you get a paste. Squeeze juices of lime into bowl, add brown sugar and mix until sugar has dissolved. Mix ingredients in mortar with the lime juice. Alternatively, place all ingredients in a blender and blend until you get a paste. Season with salt, as necessary.

Oven-cooked balsamic chicken wings

8 chicken wings, cleaned and patted dry

For the marinade

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

3 tbsp olive oil

3 tsp soft brown sugar

1 1/2 tbsp light soy sauce

1. In a small bowl, mix the ingredients for marinade until well incorporated. Marinade the chicken wings for at least 4 hours. 

2. Preheat oven to 190C. Cook the chicken wings in preheated oven for 25 minutes, or until cooked. If you like you can place on barbecue for several minutes to get a nice char on the skin.

*The recipe for grilled whole fish and homemade chilli-lime dip has appeared on Great British Chefs website on 21 August 2013.

Recipe: Insalata Caprese (Tomato, mozzarella and basil salad)

Insalata Caprese (salad in the style of Capri) is a simple, classic salad which is usually served in Italy as an antipasto (starter). It is made of sliced fresh mozzarella cheese, ripe tomatoes and fresh basil and seasoned with salt and extra virgin olive oil. In this case, it is important to use the best quality ingredients for the best tasting salad.

Insalata Caprese (Caprese Salad)
Recipe by Baby Sumo
Preparation time: 5 minutes
Serves 2

Ingredients
2 ripe juicy tomatoes, sliced thinly
A ball of mozzarella, sliced
6-8 basil leaves
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Good quality extra virgin olive oil

1. Simply arrange the tomatoes, mozzarella and basil leaves on a plate as desired, then season with salt and pepper and a good drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

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Fun with Kids: Zoo Negara Malaysia

Zoo Negara is Malaysia's national zoo located in Hulu Kelang in Selangor, 5km from the city of Kuala Lumpur. The first local zoo in Malaysia, it was officially opened in 1963 (wow 50 years!). Zoo Negara covers 110 acres of land and has over 5137 specimen from 476 species of mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and fish. Over the years, the zoo has transformed itself to an open concept zoo with over 90% of its animals being kept in spacious exhibits with landscape befitting its nature.

This is a great place to bring your kids for a fun, educational day. The zoo is open daily from 9am to 5pm. Entry is RM30 for adult with MyKad (RM50 without) and RM6 for kids 3-12 years old with MyKid (RM20 without). It is advisable to come earlier as it can get very hot in the afternoon. Pack a hat and lots of water/juices for yourself and your kids.

In the zoo, you can hop on the tram ride if you like (buggy) which will bring you around the zoo for a fee. You can check out the showtimes via this link before you go. But the normal show times would be at 11.00am and 3.00pm everyday except Friday which has only one show at 3.30 pm.

Baby C enjoyed her time at the zoo very much, the animals she sees in cartoons and books have come alive such as the long necked giraffe, the big elephant, and the mighty lion.

Giraffe

Does my bum look big in this?

Savannah Walk, the largest open concept exhibit in the zoo, is a home shared by a variety of African animals like Sable antelopes, Scimatar horned oryx, giraffes, ostriches, zebras, and white rhinoceroses.

The three Malaysian elephants - Siti (female), Sibol (female) and Teriang (male) which originally come from Pahang are currently in their late twenties/ early thirties.

The Tunku Abdul Rahman lake which sits in the middle of Zoo Negara is home to over 300 free-roaming birds - painted storks, ibises, egrets, swans and pelicans. Feeding time is at 11.00 am and 3.00 pm.

Monkeys!

Tiger

African lions - look daddy, it's the Lion King!

Flamingos

Tapir

Horses

Bull fight!

Two species of hippopotamus can be found here; Nile Hippopotamus and Pygmy hippopotamus.

Time to watch a show at the amphitheatre - see the seals and macaw

Price: RM30 for adult with MyKad (RM50 without) and RM6 for kids 3-12 years old with MyKid (RM20 without)

Address:  Zoo Negara, Hulu Kelang, 68000 Ampang, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia

Tel: +603-4108 3422/7/8

GPS Coordinates: 3.20869,101.758651

Recipe: Oven-baked fries/chips with truffle oil

Chips.. fries.. whatever you call them, it's a must-have whenever we have our burger nights. Since we don't have them very often, in the past we usually just buy them frozen cos of convenience but a whole pack takes forever to finish and we always end up throwing half a pack later, so I thought I'd make them from scratch this time. It's a smarter and healthier way to eat fries.

I decided to make truffle fries in the oven. The steps are fairly straight forward- just blanch them in salted water for 3 minutes, then coat with a mixture of olive oil and truffle oil and a hint of salt (that will help them crisp up). You can also add some herbs- I used freshly chopped parsley. Then simply bake them in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes until golden brown. And for a stronger truffly taste, drizzle on a bit more truffle oil before serving.

Soft and fluffy on the inside, and crisp outside, these are how fries should be.

Oven-baked truffle fries/chips
Recipe by Baby Sumo
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 20-25 minutes
Serves 4


4 Russet potatoes, peeled
2 tbsp truffle oil, plus more for drizzling
2 tbsp olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 tsp dried parsley


1. Cut the potatoes into 1cm width, then cut into 1cm long pieces. Bring a pot of salted water to the boil, then blanch the potatoes in the water for 3 minutes. Drain well.

2. In a mixing bowl, mix the truffle oil, olive oil and parsley. Place the potatoes into the bowl and then toss well using a wooden spoon until the potato is well-coated.

3. Preheat oven to 250°C/230°C fan.

4. Arrange the potato on a roasting tin / baking sheet and season well with salt and pepper. Bake in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, turning occasionally, until golden and crisp. Drizzle with a little more truffle oil if desired. Serve immediately.

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Recipe: Braised beef (oyster blade) stew with mushrooms

Given the choice, I would cook beef stew on the hob rather than in the oven as it saves time and there are less things to clean up after. For this beef stew, I used my favorite braising cut, the Black Angus oyster blade cut which is a very affordable as well as being rich in flavour - it is not suited for steaks but slow cooking will make it melt-in-the-mouth, especially the gelatinous connective tissue that runs through it. 

Braised oyster blade beef stew with mushrooms

I also chose to add Shiitake mushrooms which has a lovely meaty texture and it also soaks up the lovely braising liquid. The preparation for this dish is very easy - all you need to do is brown the meat first, then add in the rest of the ingredients and braise over a low heat until the meat is fork-tender.

We chose to serve the braised beef stew with some boiled rice (you'll find yourself going for more rice to soak up the lovely sauce), but you can also serve it with crusty bread or mashed potatoes.  An absolutely comforting, hearty stew.

Braised oyster blade beef stew with mushrooms
Recipe by Baby Sumo
Preparation time: 10-15 minutes
Cooking time: 2 hours
Serves 4

Ingredients
800g braising beef (I used oyster blade), cut into large chunks
2 onions, cut into thick slices
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 cup beef stock
1 cup water
3 tbsp tomato paste/puree
1/2 tsp black peppercorns
2 tbsp Worchestershire sauce
6 shitake mushrooms, sliced thinly
5g cep/porcini mushrooms, rehydrated
1/2 tsp dried thyme
2 dried bay leaves
2 carrots, cut into chunks
Salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper
Rosemary sprigs, to garnish


1. In a large pot or casserole, heat the oil over high heat. When the oil is smoking hot, add the beef to quickly sear, until the meat is browned.

2. Add the onions, garlic, bay leaf, stock, water, tomato puree, shitake mushrooms, porcini mushrooms, dried thyme, black peppercorns and Worchestershire sauce and mix well. Season with salt.

3. Bring to the boil and once boiling, cover with lid, and cook for approximately 1 1/2 - 2 hours over low heat until meat is fork-tender. Add the carrots 30 minutes before the end of cooking time. Season with more salt and pepper, if desired, and then serve with rice or mash potatoes or chunky bread. Garnish with a sprig of rosemary.

*I am submitting this to this month's Little Thumb's Up "mushroom" event hosted by Joyce of Kitchen Flavours.

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