Essentials of Asian Grilling

K

for culinary insiders SPRING/SUMMER 2008

K

ESSENTIALS OF ASIAN GRILLING

The techniques, traditions, recipes and ideas behind today’s popular Asian grilled specialties

welcome

K

THE ALLURE OF

Dear Friend, Right now, grilling is on fire. So are Asian flavors. Put those two ideas together, and you’ve got something red hot. That’s why we’ve devoted the inaugural issue of K to creative Asian grilling.

ASIAN GRILLING

Twice a year, we’ll publish this mini-magazine, designed to inspire cooking enthusiasts looking for fresh ideas.

At Kikkoman, we’re proud to have been a part of the way America cooks for more than half a century—and especially proud to be a brand that’s so well loved.

We’ve been grilling up a storm as we put together these articles, tips, techniques and recipes from our test kitchens. We hope K gets you cooking and thinking about food in exciting new ways, and we welcome your feedback and your contributions. Send requests, questions, and ideas for submissions to me. I promise to get right back to you—as soon as I finish grilling one last batch of Hoisin Country Ribs.

Helen Roberts Manager of Culinary Development and Public Relations www.kikkomanusa.com

inside F E AT U R E S The Allure of Asian Grilling 3 Asian Grilling—A Cook’s Tour 7 TECHNIQUES Skewer Savvy 5 Asian Grilling Secrets 6

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Volume I, Number 1 Spring/Summer 2008

RECIPES Ponzu Glazed Chicken 10 Hoisin Country Ribs 10 Bulgogi Beef Lettuce Rolls 11 Takumi Salmon Steaks 11 PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT Teriyaki Takumi Collection 9

First, there was the backyard barbecue— all about burgers and steaks, hot dogs and hot summer nights. Then, tastes got a little more sophisticated and somewhere along the line, barbecuing turned into grilling.

What’s next? Today, like everything else, grilling’s going global. And Asian grilling is coming into its own.

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THE ALLURE OF

ASIAN GRILLING Like most food trends, the Asian grilling boom started in restaurants.

With immigration from Asian countries on the rise in recent years, authentic Asian grilling eateries—from Korean, Mongolian and Thai barbecues to Japanese robata bars—began to spring up all over North America, and adventurous diners couldn’t get enough of them.

Once these mom-and-pop shops paved the way, enterprising restaurant developers were quick to bring Asian grilling into the mainstream, with pan-Asian barbecue concepts sporting trendy names like Zen Grill (L.A.), O (Miami Beach), Zyng (Marietta, Georgia) and Tom Tom (Dallas)—restaurants that riff on Asian flavors and traditions, reinventing them for Western palates.

Grilling over an open-flame heat source has remained an important cooking technique in Asian home kitchens for centuries. Even today, you won’t find an oven in some households, so stovetop grilling is a common technique.

And like anywhere in the world where kitchens are small, meals throughout Asia are often bought and eaten at street stalls or markets, where open-fire grilling is one of the most practical and popular cooking methods.

Now, magazines, websites, cooking classes and cooking shows are all getting into the act, offering Asian recipes and ideas for home-grilling enthusiasts.

And it’s not just about flavor. “Asian grilled food seems to fit the way people want to live and eat right now,” says Cushman. “It’s fast, light and fresh. It’s bold and straightforward. People are hungry for that. And this is just the beginning.”

In that spirit, here’s a brief introduction to Asian grilling to help you get a handle on the subject as you cook, teach, taste, explore and write about it.

Origins and traditions It all began as live-fire cooking, with meat spit-roasted over charcoal embers. Mongols brought this early form of grilling to China; like many nomadic people, because there were no cooking vessels to carry from place to place, and because charcoal was lighter and more portable than wood.

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What makes Asian grilling different?

Like most everyday Asian cooking, Asian grilling is rooted in economy and necessity.

While Western cooks love to grill thick steaks, big juicy burgers, chops, and slabs of meat, Asian cooks cut food in smaller pieces and make small patties of ground meat or seafood, so that cooking is fast and requires less fuel.

This means that foods tend to be cooked through, rather than rare or medium rare, as they are in Western grilling.

Soaking: Soak bamboo skewers in soy sauce–flavored water for 30 minutes or up to eight hours before grilling to keep their exposed ends from burning.

Parallel skewering: Skewer fish fillets, scallops and squid with two or more parallel skewers to keep them from falling apart and to make flipping easier.

skewer savvy

What’s sparking all this interest? “Asian grilling’s got it all,” says Tim Cushman, chef-owner of the hot new O Ya restaurant in Boston. “It adds a smoky char that really brings out all of our favorite flavors, like soy sauce, ginger, garlic and rice wine. And people love the way it caramelizes the sweet ingredients that are so popular in Asian cooking.”

Lemongrass skewers: Lemongrass stalks make great skewers, adding subtly aromatic flavor to food. Peel off dried outer leaves and sharpen one end for easy threading. Soak in soy sauce–flavored water for 20 minutes before using.

Sugarcane skewers: Like Asian cuisines center around lemongrass, fresh sugarcane skewers starch and vegetables, not look great and their juices sweeten foods meat, so grilled meat poras they grill. Look for sugarcane in Asian tions are smaller—often thin markets. Peel a 6-inch section, then cut slices or chunks threaded downward into eight wedges and cut onto skewers, such as Indowedges into strips. Cut one end at an nesian sate or Japanese yaangle to make a point. kitori. And because meat and other proteins are expensive, nothing is wasted—in Japan, yakitori restaurants feature grilled skewers of chicken gizzards, skin, liver and small meatballs made of ground meat.

Vegetables play an important part on the grill as well—in Japan, grilled mushrooms and green onions often complement yakitori, while in Southeast Asia, grilling is used to char and concentrate the flavor of vegetables for

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The umami factor What makes Asian grilling truly different from Western grilling is its flavors—and in particular, its nearly universal use of ingredients rich in umami—the meaty, savory or brothy taste found in food like Parmesan cheese, sautéed mushrooms and naturally brewed soy sauce.

These ingredients come into play in marinades and wet rubs (most notably in the form of soy sauce in Japan, China and Korea, and fish sauce in Southeast Asia), in basting sauces and glazes, and in table sauces. And all of this added umami helps give those modest portions of meat a bigger “presence” in the meal. (We’re so excited about the umami power of Kikkoman Soy Sauce and other products, we’ll be devoting our fall issue to this timeless—and timely—culinary topic.)

ASIAN GRILLING

A COOK’S TOUR Here’s a quick rundown of some Asian grilling culinary inspirations.

japan

sauces and side dishes, in the same way that tomatoes, onions and garlic are blackened on a comal in Mexican cooking.

• Shio-yaki (“salt grilling”)—a popular way to prepare fish, especially richer fish, like mackerel. The fish is salted liberally before grilling or broiling, and served with grated daikon and a squeeze of lemon to cut the oiliness.

Grill with a light hand—Skewered items and thinly sliced meat can easily overcook, so remove them from the grill when heat has barely reached the center but the outside is crisp, so food is “just done” and still moist.

• Yakiniku (“grilled meat”)—bite-size pieces of meat and vegetables cooked over charcoal or a gas or electric grill. (In restaurants, these grills are built into the table.) The cooked foods are dipped in sauces known as tare before being eaten.

A typical sauce consists of soy sauce, sake, mirin, sugar, garlic and sesame. Miso-based dips are also popular, and sometimes yakiniku is seasoned simply with salt.

Slash first—Slash the skin of poultry and fish to allow more marinade to penetrate and help retain shape as the skin shrinks.

Layer flavor—For best flavor, marinate—even for just a few minutes—with a high-umami product, such as Kikkoman Soy Sauce or Teriyaki Sauce. Then grill and use a thicker sauce, such as Kikkoman Teriyaki Baste & Glaze or Takumi Collection Sauces, for basting—or simply as a glaze, brushed onto the food right after it comes off the grill.

Try a cleaner fuel—Japanese chefs use bincho, a type of oak charcoal that burns extremely hot and does not produce smoke or ashes. If you can’t find bincho, use hardwood charcoal like mesquite, not briquettes, which can impart an off odor.

Mesh for success—Use a fine mesh basket or screen placed over the grill for smaller items like mushrooms.

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• Yakitori (“grilled chicken”)—small pieces of chicken, including skin, gizzards, hearts or livers, threaded on bamboo skewers.

The skewers are dipped in a mixture of soy sauce, tamari, sake, mirin and sugar and grilled over charcoal.

thailand

asian grilling secrets

Manage the heat—Because Asian rubs, marinades and basting glazes often include sugar and other ingredients that burn easily, start with a two-level fire, with a pile of hot coals on one side of the grill and fewer embers on the other. This technique allows you to find the right spot for cooking the food thoroughly without burning its exterior.

• Yam makeua issaan (grilled eggplant salad)—long Asian eggplant, grilled whole alongside shallots, garlic and fresh chilies, mashed in a mortar and seasoned with cilantro, lime juice, mint, fish sauce and sesame seeds.

• Gai yang, ping gai (grilled chicken with hot and sweet dipping sauce)—a street-food specialty: butterflied chicken breasts and legs marinated in cilantro root, black pepper and garlic, served with a dipping sauce of vinegar, sugar, garlic and pepper flakes.

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ASIAN GRILLING

• Banh mi thit heo nuong (Vietnamese grilled pork sandwich)—pork is marinated in fish sauce, sugar, garlic and shallots and grilled, then layered on French bread with pickled carrots and daikon, cucumbers, cilantro, a few dashes of soy sauce and a bit of mayonnaise, butter or paté.

• Bulgogi (literally, “fire beef”)—a popular Korean beef dish served in both homes and restaurants. Flanken-style ribs (cut across the bones) are marinated in soy sauce, sesame oil, scallions, chilies and garlic. The grilled meat is served with rice, spicy condiments like fermented soybean paste (toenjang), hot red pepper paste (gochujang) and lettuce leaves to wrap it all up in.

In Japanese, takumi is the word for skilled craftsmanship, and that’s what we put into Kikkoman’s Teriyaki Takumi Collection Sauces—the skills and tradition of centuries of experience balancing and blending the finest ingredients. Original, Spicy Miso and Garlic & Green Onion flavors have recently been joined by a new flavor profile—Triple Ginger. This bright, sweet-spicy sauce gets its flavor from three kinds of ginger— diced, dried and natural ginger extract—perfectly balanced with naturally brewed soy sauce and applesauce. Use it right from the bottle to marinate meat, poultry, seafood or vegetables before grilling, broiling or baking. Or simply brush onto cooked foods—from burgers, steaks and chicken to salmon and shrimp. For stir-fries, simply sauté meat, tofu or veggies, then stir in Takumi just before serving. (Great as a dip for appetizers, too!)

product feature

indonesia

• Nem nuong (ground pork patties)—a mixture of ground pork, sugar, fish sauce, salt and pepper. After grilling, they’re rolled in softened rice paper wrappers with herbs and peanuts, with fish sauce for dipping.

korea

• Sate, also spelled satay, is popular in many Southeast Asian countries—Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines and Thailand. Chunks or slices of meat (chicken, goat, mutton, beef, pork or fish) are threaded onto bamboo skewers, then grilled and served with various spicy sauces. Meat for sate is sometimes marinated with turmeric, which gives it a yellow color. The skewers are served with condiments like spicy peanut sauce, slivers of onions and cucumbers, or a soybased dip.

vietnam

A COOK’S TOUR

K

for culinary insiders

K is a journal of tastes, techniques and trends for food enthusiasts, published twice a year by KIKKOMAN SALES USA, INC. To subscribe or submit material for consideration, contact www.kikkomanusa.com

www.kikkomanusa.com 415-956-7750

KIKKOMAN SALES USA, INC. 50 California Street, Suite 3600 San Francisco, CA 94111 ©2008 KIKKOMAN SALES USA, INC.

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K

for culinary insiders SPRING/SUMMER 2008

for culinary insiders SPRING/SUMMER 2008

BULGOGI BEEF LETTUCE ROLLS

PONZU GLAZED CHICKEN

Prep time: 10 minutes

Prep time: 10 minutes

2 pounds skirt or strip steak 3 ⁄4 cup Kikkoman Soy Sauce 1 ⁄4 cup firmly packed brown sugar 1 ⁄4 cup chopped green onions 1 tablespoon garlic powder 1 tablespoon ginger powder Butter lettuce leaves, separated, rinsed and dried Kikkoman Thai Style Chili Sauce or Plum Sauce

1 chicken (21⁄2 – 3 pounds) 1 cup Kikkoman Ponzu 1 ⁄4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice 1 tablespoon lemongrass paste (optional) 2 teaspoons garlic powder 1 teaspoon ginger powder 1 teaspoon salt Cut chicken into halves. Combine remaining ingredients; pour over chicken in large plastic food storage bag. Press air out of bag; close top securely. Turn bag over several times to coat chicken thoroughly.

Refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight, turning bag over occasionally.

Grill chicken, skin side down, over medium-hot fire until brown. Turn over and cook until chicken is no longer pink in center.

Serves 4

Rinse steak and pat dry; place in large plastic food storage bag.

Combine soy sauce, sugar, green onions, garlic powder and ginger; pour over steak. Press air out of bag; close top securely. Turn bag over several times to coat steak. Refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight, turning bag over occasionally. Grill or broil steak to desired doneness.

Slice thinly; serve in lettuce leaves with Thai Style Chili or Plum Sauce for dipping.

Serves 12

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K

for culinary insiders SPRING/SUMMER 2008

for culinary insiders SPRING/SUMMER 2008

HOISIN COUNTRY RIBS Prep time: 10 minutes 1 cup Kikkoman Hoisin Sauce 1 ⁄2 cup Kikkoman Soy Sauce 1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced 1 teaspoon garlic powder 5 pounds country-style pork ribs

TAKUMI SALMON STEAKS Prep time: 5 minutes

Combine hoisin sauce, soy sauce, green onions and garlic powder; pour over ribs in large plastic food storage bag. Press air out of bag; close top securely. Turn bag over several times to coat both sides of ribs. Refrigerate 1 hour; turn bag over and refrigerate 1 hour longer.

Grill ribs over medium-hot fire 45 to 60 minutes or until done, turning ribs over occasionally. (Or bake ribs, meaty side up, in large, shallow foil-lined baking pan in 325ºF oven 11⁄2 to 2 hours, or until done, turning over every 30 minutes.)

4 salmon steaks or fillets (6 ounces each) 3 ⁄4 cup Kikkoman Garlic & Green Onion Teriyaki Takumi Collection Sauce, divided Rinse salmon; pat dry. Place salmon and 1⁄2 cup sauce in large plastic food storage bag. Press air out of bag; close top securely. Turn bag over several times to coat fish. Refrigerate 30 minutes, turning bag over once. Grill or broil fish until it flakes easily with a fork. Brush with remaining 1⁄4 cup sauce.

Serves 4

Serves 4 to 6

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