Mesquite Grilled Boneless Beef Chuck Steak (燒烤豆科灌木牛排, Siu1 Haau1 Dau6 Fo1 Gun3 Muk6 Ngau4 Paai4)

I’ve totally changed the way I grill beef steaks after reading the method used by America’s Test Kitchen. The recipe was for rib-eye steaks, but it can be used for other cuts of beef (this recipe is for boneless beef chuck steak) and other meats (e.g. pork). Their method produces a charred exterior with a tender medium-rare interior, and uses both the oven and the grill. The basic premise for their method is to preheat the steak in the oven before grilling the steak over a hot fire to produce the desired results. I adapted the method to use the grill only to produce similar results. In my previous grilling recipes, I would place the meat over a hot fire first to char the outside and then move the meat to the cool side of the grill to roast and/or smoke. This produced a charred exterior and medium-rare interior, but the medium-rare interior was sandwiched between a well-done exterior, whereas the America’s Test Kitchen method produced a consistent medium-rare interior without the well-done exterior layers.

So my adaptation is to reverse the previous order of cooking the meat to first pre-heat the meat on the cool side of the grill to smoke it before moving to the hot side to char. This produces similar results to America’s Test Kitchen’s original method even though the fire is reduced in heat when the meat is charred after pre-heating, and you don’t need to use your oven. The new method does take longer to cook the meat, but it’s worth the extra time to get the desired results. The cooking time varies with the thickness of the meat, temperature of the fire, and your previous experience with the barbeque grill, so you’ll have to experiment a little to get the desired results. I think if you try cooking steaks using my adapted method, you’ll also change the way you grill meat.

Enjoy!

Pickled Chili Sugar Snap Pea Scallops (風味糟辣椒蜜豆帶子, Fung1 Mei6 Zou1 Laat6 Ziu1 Mat6 Dau6 Daai3 Zi2)

Scallops were on sale at my local market, so I decided to make a dish using pickled chilies. Pickled chilies are available bottled at your local Asian market. The picked chilies are broken into pieces, as opposed to being whole, so all you have to do is add them to the sauce mixture. Since the scallops were on the large size, I decided to use Shiitake mushrooms that were roughly the same size. The mushrooms were also the high quality mushrooms purchased at my local Asian herb and dried goods store, so they’re meatier than the mushrooms found at Asian markets.

Enjoy!

Black Bean Chili Oil Shredded Spice Tofu Asparagus Chicken (黑豆辣椒油五香豆腐絲蘆筍鷄, Hak1 Dau6 Laat6 Ziu1 Jau4 Ng5 Hoeng1 Dau6 Fu6 Si1 Lou4 Seon2 Gai1)

Shredded spice tofu adds texture to this dish and provides needed contrast to the softer chicken. The tofu is formed into long noodle-like pieces that must be cut smaller in order to eat. I think the shredded spice tofu also provides a great visual element to the dish. Shredded tofu can be purchased in a package at your local Asian market. If shredded tofu is not available, marinated five spice tofu (which comes in blocks and must be cut into pieces) can be substituted. I used a spicy black bean chili oil to give the dish some spiciness, but a black bean garlic sauce can be substituted if spiciness is not desired.

Enjoy!

Grilled Sriracha Capsicum Lamb Ribs (燒烤紅油辣椒是拉差香甜辣椒醬羊扒, Siu1 Haau1 Hung4 Jau4 Laat6 Ziu1 Si6 Laai1 Caa1 Hoeng1 Tim4 Laat6 Ziu1 Zoeng3 Joeng4 Paa4)

This recipe uses lamb chops marinated overnight with spicy chili oil and Sriracha, together with a pepper and star anise spice mix. This recipe is very similar to the Grilled Oyster Sauce Capsicum Lamb Chops (燒烤紅油辣椒蠔油羊扒, Siu¹ Haau¹ Hung⁴ Jau⁴ Laat⁶ Ziu¹ Hou⁴ Jau⁴ Joeng⁴ Paa⁴) recipe. I use a bottled spicy chili oil that has ground bits of chili made by Ming Teh Food, but you can use any chili oil that’s readily available at your local Asian market. Combining the chili oil with Sriracha produces a spicy and tasty combination when the lamb chops are grilled. Lamb chops are easily overcooked, so the lamb grilling and smoking time needs to be based upon the heat of your grill and previous experience. The trick is to quickly grill both sides of the lamb over a very hot fire before smoking.

Enjoy!

Basil Shredded Spice Tofu Chicken and Cantonese Pork Sausage Chow Mein (紫蘇五香豆腐絲臘腸鷄炒麵, Zi2 Sou1 Ng5 Hoeng1 Dau6 Fu6 Si1 Laap6 Coeng4 Gai1 Caau2 Min6)

I always have a package of Cantonese pork sausage in my refrigerator. The sausages have a characteristic deep red color and provide a tasty addition to any dish, in this case, chow mein noodles. The sausages are dried, so they are dense and hard, and not at all like fresh sausages. The sausages can be purchased at your local Asian market. There are many variations (of content), but this dish uses the pork only version. The sausages are also available lean, with less fat content. Oil may be need to be added to the wok if the lean version is used, otherwise the sausages produce their own oil when cooked.

Enjoy!

Sriracha Capsicum Dipping Sauce (紅油辣椒是拉差香甜辣椒醬, Hung4 Jau4 Laat6 Ziu1 Si6 Laai1 Caa1 Hoeng1 Tim4 Laat6 Ziu1 Zoeng3)

Capsicum in Red Oil and Sriracha Sauce were the basis for making the beef steak marinade in the last recipe: Grilled Sriracha Capsicum Bourbon Rib Eye Steak (燒烤是拉差香甜辣椒醬紅油辣椒波本肉眼牛排, Siu¹ Haau¹ Si⁶ Laai¹ Caa¹ Hoeng¹ Tim⁴ Laat⁶ Ziu¹ Zoeng³ Hung⁴ Jau⁴ Laat⁶ Ziu¹ Bo¹ Bun² Juk⁶ Ngaan⁵ Ngau⁴ Paai⁴). The marinade is slightly spicy (at least to my tastes), but the combination also makes a great dipping sauce. Rather than using soy sauce as the dipping sauce for dim sum, try using this mixture instead.

Enjoy!

Grilled Sriracha Capsicum Bourbon Rib Eye Steak (燒烤是拉差香甜辣椒醬紅油辣椒波本肉眼牛排, Siu1 Haau1 Si6 Laai1 Caa1 Hoeng1 Tim4 Laat6 Ziu1 Zoeng3 Hung4 Jau4 Laat6 Ziu1 Bo1 Bun2 Juk6 Ngaan5 Ngau4 Paai4)

Capsicum in Red Oil and Sriracha Sauce are the basis for this easy to make beef steak marinade. The marinade is slightly spicy (at least to my tastes), but you can adjust the amount to suit your personal preference. Bourbon gives the steak added flavor (use your favorite brand). The steak can be marinated for as little as one hour, but ideally should be done overnight. Just make sure to turn the steak over halfway through the marinade time so that both sides of the steak are coated. For the best results, choose a thick cut beef steak for a given weight so as not to overcook the beef.

Enjoy!