BBQ Blowout

My sister is getting married in October. In America, which is a little inconvenient for most of her friends and relatives. So we had an engagement party in this country for anyone unable / unwilling to travel all the way to San Francisco. I ended up volunteering to prepare all the food, and with 45 people coming it was by far the largest crowd I've ever cooked for.

A formal sit-down meal for that many people would been completely out of my comfort zone, but a barbecue seemed manageable. I've grilled for around 20 people before, so it wasn't a massive step up. Although charcoal is always my first choice we went with a hired gas BBQ. The large cooking surface and sustained heat made a lot of sense for that many people. The last thing I wanted to do was constantly having to re-stoke the coals and wait for them to come up to temperature. So this was the cooking beast we ended up with:




Positives: the gas kept the grill hot for several hours and the vast cooking surface was a bonus.
Negatives: no charcoal flavour; hard to control temperature (surprisingly); only narrow slits on the steel surface, so food steams and fries more than it grills.
Still, on balance probably the right choice for the occasion.

We ordered the meat from Scottish mail-order supplier Donald Russell, after having them recommended by friends. Have to say it was great quality and didn't cost too much. I'll definitely be using them again in the future.

We got three boned legs of lamb, which I marinaded in chillies, onions, garlic and Moroccan spices. Here they are looking like one massive lump of meat with a Weber meat thermometer to make sure they cooked until they were crusty on the outside and nicely pink on the inside.



Next came some Chicken Satay skewers, marinated in garlic, ginger, coconut milk, soy, sugar and turmeric (served with my patented Satay sauce). We also ordered a whole load of Donald Russell steak burgers and sausages.



Then there were the salads, which were (mostly) made the night before:

Pea, baby broadbean, spring onion and mint
Chargrilled sweet peppers
Greek Salad
Carrot, cabbage and apple coleslaw
Mixed beans with lemon zest and parsley
Mixed leaves with shredded beetroot

Plus 6kg of roasted new potatoes, which we forgot to put out and left in the oven until everyone left and we suddenly remembered. Never mind.



Well, everyone left happy. I didn't feel quite as in control of the cooking as I would have done over charcoal, but it all turned out alright...

Chicken Satay

Chicken Satay has been a stalwart crowd-pleaser in my repertoire for many years - especially during BBQ season. I spent several years as a kid in Holland, where Satay and Pindasaus (Peanut Sauce) is such a major part of the culinary culture that they serve it in snackbars. They even pour the moorish peanut sauce over chips: you really have to taste it to know how amazing that combination is.

Obviously Satay doesn't originate in the Netherlands. Its popularity is due to the influence of former Dutch colony Indonesia and can be seen in the abundance of Indonesian restaurants with their Rijstafels and dishes such as Nasi Goreng.

My peanut sauce is very simple, and very much inspired by the Dutch version found in fast food joints.

As for the Satay itself, I'm not sure if any country can claim absolute ownership. I've sampled beautifully grilled meat-on-stick-combos in Thailand and Singapore, though it's perhaps even more at home in Malaysia and Indonesia. I've also heard that the word satay comes from a Chinese phrase for "three pieces" (of meat).

And there are more recipes for the dish than countries that serve it. Some use coriander; curry paste; coconut milk; lemongrass... Mine is pretty straightforward, though I've tried others that are very tasty. Including some of the 16 different versions in Steven Raichlen's magnificent Barbecue Bible. If you like grilled meat buy one of his books.

Anyway, here's my version:

Chicken Satay:

400g Chicken cut into bite-sized chunks (thigh is my preference, but breast is fine)
4 cloves of Garlic
Inch long piece of Ginger
1 Teaspoon of Turmeric powder (gives it the characteristic yellow colour, fresh turmeric would be even better)
1 Teaspoon sugar
1.5 Tablespoons Soy Sauce (or Fish Sauce if you prefer)
Healthy glug of Vegetable oil
Pinch of Salt
A generous grind of Black Pepper

Mash up the garlic, ginger, salt, pepper, sugar and turmeric in a big pestle and mortar, or blender. Add the oil, soy sauce. Marinade the chicken pieces in this mixture for as long as you please - anywhere between 30 minutes to a few hours. Put it in the fridge if its more than half an hour.

When you're ready to go thread the chicken onto wooden skewers that have been soaked in water so they don't catch fire.



For best results cook on a BBQ, but if it's a sub-zero February night like tonight you can also get a great result indoors. Option 1 is using a griddle pan. My preference is Option 2: use a grill. Heat it to absolute smoking-hot-maximum and put the Satay on a tray, using tinfoil to cover the skewers.



Then put them as close to the grill elements as you dare without touching - no more than one inch away. This isn't for the faint-hearted and will fill your kitchen with smoke, but the results are worth it.

Cook until the top is nice and crusty, turn over and cook the other side. Check that the chicken is cooked through - if not leave it in a warm oven for a few minutes until it's good to eat.

Satay Sauce:

This sauce is so great you'll never want to eat any other Satay again. And it's embarrassingly easy. This has been a trademark dish of mine for a long time, and I'm actually in two minds about giving it away...

2 mounded tbs Peanut Butter - smooth or crunchy. Whatever floats your boat.
1 tbs Ketchup - I know. You're thinking "Ketchup???!". Don't forget the word Ketchup comes from the Indonesian Ketjap Manis.
1 tbs Soy Sauce
1 tsp to 1 tbs Sambal Oelek (ground chili paste in vinegar). You could also mince up a chili or use chili flakes plus a touch of vinegar.
1 tsp sugar if you think the sauce isn't sweet enough - depends on the peanut butter you're using.

Mix the ingredients together in a saucepan over a low heat and add hot water from a kettle to thin it out to a good sauce consistency. Heat through in the pan, taste for seasoning, and you're done.

I served my Satay with a Thai flavoured salad of crunchy vegetables, lime, fish sauce and chili,