Persian BBQ with the Bratties

Tweet



It's been 10 years since I got into college! Aaaargh! I feel so old! But whenever I am with my college blockmates "The Bratties", seem slike we never grew old - just like Peter Pan's Neverland. We laugh about the same silly stuff and sing the same videoke songs, wit the occasional adult chat which makes us cringe after. And talks of marriage while the boyfriends are around which we also laugh off.

We were doing mini 10-year celebrations this year - ZsaZsa Zaturnah, Bicol, Cirque Du Doleil, Incubus, etc. After watching Cirque Du Soleil we decided to plan a BBQ party just because Vix has this new yay-big, kick-ass grill fit for a 4th of July American Barbecue! After my Mediterranean Lunch post, they asked me to do something similar for the BBQ - immediately thought Persian just like bringing Mister Kebab at the backyard! I tried to have in them costume but that's a fail! Hahaha

We prepared a feast fit for Aladdin and Princess Jasmine's Wedding! Check out the easy recipes too! You can easily use a charcoal grill / oven with a rack on center / pan grill for all the recipes. :)

Mis en place started the night before so the meats can marinate well.

BEEF KOFTA
1 kilo ground beef
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1 1/2 tablespoon anise seeds
1/8 teaspoon cloves
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground oregano
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon chili flakes
2 teaspoons garlic powder

mix everything and pop in the fridge

PORK BELLY WITH DRY PERSIAN RUB
1 kilo pork belly, grill cut (1/2 inch thick)
2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 tablespoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon anatto powder (atsuete)
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon white pepper
1 teaspoon cinnamon

mix rub, sprinkle over pork and pop in fridge.

SAFFRON FISH FILLETS
1 kilo cream dory fillets
1 cup coconut milk
1 tablespoon chili sauce
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 tablespoon kasubha (local saffron) or 1 pinch of Spanish saffron

mix everything and pop in the fridge (that's the theme!) haha

ROASTED CURRIED CHICKEN
2 spring chickens (3/4 kilo each), butterflied from the breast bone
4 tablespoons green curry paste*
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper
1/4 cup canola oil

*available bottled at rustan's (or blend together 1 small white onion, 1 stalk lemongrass, 2 cloves garlic, 1 long green chili, 1 thumbsize piece of ginger, 1/4 teaspoon salt and enough water to make a paste)

guessed it right! mix together and pop in the fridge.

Headed to Vix's house at Southwoods, Laguna. Was happy to see the grill!!! It's like Bobby Flay possessed me!

While we prepare the grill my sous chef, Cherub help me out with side dishes.

RAITA - a cucumber and yogurt sauce, universally delish for all the grilled meats
1 cup plain yogurt
1 small cucumber, diced
1 long green chili, chopped
1 small red onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/4 cup chopped cilantro / wansuy
salt to taste

mix together and chill until meat is ready to serve

HUMMUS
1 - 12 oz can garbanzo beans
1 - 12 oz can white kidney beans
2 cloves garlic
1/2 long green chili
1/2 teaspoon salt
juice of 1/2 lemon
1/3 cup olive oil + more to top
enough water from the garbanzo beans to make it into a spreadable dip
*serve with grilled bread (baguette, pita, whole wheat loaf)

whiz everything in a blender! taste for seasoning...

Put in a shallow dish / bowl and top with more olive oil.

VEGETABLES - a fresh salad to cleanse the palate and grilled veggies to complement the meaty flavors; both are great with the raita

lettuce
cucumbers
red bell pepper
teared basil leaves
chopped cilantro
thinly sliced onions
whole green chili,  tomato and onion halves (drizzled with olive oil & salt)

One thing left to do - FIRE UP THE GRILL!!! Always plan the grilling by starting with the one which cooks longest and ending with some of the sides. Barbecuing is truly an art and a science! Hahaha

vix shapes the kofta into logs

We ad ice cold beer in the cooler but another drink that goes well with spicy Persian food are Mojitos. This cocktail has Caribbean influences but the crispness and freshness of mint and limes will definitely cool you down! :)

MOJITOS
1.5 liters white rhum
1 1/2 cups triple sec
juice of 5 limes
1 cup lime cordial
bug bunch of mint, crushed
3 liters of water
1 cup sugar
lotsa ice

Time to eat!

But I have a surprise for dessert...

GRILLED MANGO & PINEAPPLE
ripe pineapple wedges
mango halves, leave skin for easier grilling and slicing
vanilla ice cream
honey
nutmeg



grill fruits until caramelized with nice grill marks



spoon chopped fruits over ice crean. drizzle with honey and a dash of nutmeg!




surprisingly simple but tantalizingly exotic!


I wish barbecues were bigger here in the Philippines (well not the isawan type, I mean) hahaha Till our next BBQ Partieh bratties and I'm serious about the costume. Plan your own soon and let me know how it goes! And hope I get invited too! :D

Beanboozled!!!

Tweet



When I see something weird [food that is], I do not hesitate to try and eat it. Cam across Bean Boozled by Jelly Belly last year and had lotsa fun with my nephews and nieces. Last Saturday at Candy Corner Shangri-la, we stopped by to get some goodies by the gram when I saw that Bean Boozled 2nd Edition is now available!!!

The concept is two flavors, same color jelly bean, one pleasantly delicious the other appallingly nasty. Dare to compare!!!


Heed the warning! Really weird and wild!

Double warning - front & back!

Here is the flavor chart printed at the back. You can just imagine how this excited and disgusted me at the same time.

Skunk Spray is like burnt vulcanized rubber. Licorice is what we call the worst "good" flavor - has an astringent anise flavor which is an acquired taste.

Rotten egg is exactly what is tastes like; sulfuric and pungent. Buttered popcorn is heavenly salty and savoury, reminds me of the cinema.

Booger (c'mon we all tasted snot when we were kids...) is salty and dirty tasting, indescribable. The juicy pear is fresh, sweet and tart.

Baby wipes taste like alcohol (try putting some wet ones on your lips and that's what it tastes like). Coconut has a bright tropical taste.

Another childhood flavor that brought me nostalgia is pencil shavings as we have bitten a mongol pencil one way or another, whether deliberate or when we were stressing out for an exam. Top banana tastes like a very good and moist banana cake, only with a natural banana fruit flavor.

Toothpaste is the best "worst" flavor for us! :) Berry blue has that berry candy profile that reminds me of Airheads or Skittles.

Barf tastes like that time when you had one drink too many and you feel acid on your throat for a second and everything that you ate follows after - kudos to the flavorists for getting this very precise! The Peach bean is very pleasant with a fuzzy flavor we usually taste in peach-flavored drinks.

Moldy cheese tastes like stinky cheese kept inside the fridge for months. Caramel coated popcorn / corn snack is what caramel corn tastes like - familiar with Moby caramel curls?

Noticed I skipped some beans?

From the first edition, these were the two flavors that were replaced.
White/Light Beige: Cafe Latte or Ear Wax - nice coffee profile, but the ear wax was indescribable and was not "clear" as to what flavor it was really, no way to guess if you did not know that was ear wax flavor.
Blue with White Spots: Plum or Black Pepper - plum is fruity but no distinct taste, and black pepper is a bit spicy like biting into a whole peppercorn.

The second edition offers oh-so-good fun flavors and the most unbelievable flavors.

Strawberry jam has a deep and sweet strawberry flavor, like spooning jam in your mouth. Centipede tastes like soil and guts which is very funky. Add to that the image in your mind of a crunchy, stinky insect in you mouth! Ulch!

Ever had Chocolate pudding Jello snack cup? That's what this bean tastes like, very rich and smooth. I do not know where to start with Canned Dog Food. It's mere smell made me wanna vomit. Just like freshly opened can of dog food. It has a meaty taste with hints of processed gravy and industrial waste. If ever you get stuck with nothing on your pantry but dog food, practice your survival will power by training your palate with this bean!

We wanted to get a taste of all flavors so we cut beans into three to be shared amongst my nephews, nieces... and to make it more fun, my mumsy!!!

But the fun does not stop there. We had an idea, make nasty cocktails from the beans and combine unknown flavors and see what we get!

Barf or Peach + Baby Wipes or Coconut

Rotten Egg or Buttered Popcorn + Canned Dog Food or Chocolate Pudding

We were sooooooooooooooo lucky to get the ugly flavors in these concoctions!!! Look at the reactions of my niece and my mumsy!!!

These confections are so nasty they should be featured by Andrew Zimmern's Bizaare Foods or by Mythbusters to discover how the hell their flavorists get the flavors soooooo close to the real things.

If it's too extreme for you to pick up a centipede or put a spoon of dog food in your mouth or gnaw on baby wipes, have fun with some Bean Boozled! Available at Candy Corner stores for P99.75 per box! :)