Cuisine  from VIVIENNE

We have turfed the gas burning BBQ and gone back to the hibachi.  The BBQ was not just old but some burners would not burn or were very uneven and I was sick of cleaning it with little to show for the effort.  Various wasps were often deciding it was a great spot to turn their mud collections into chimneys and it had become decidedly unfriendly.  It was despatched to the tip last year.  The old hibachi was not looking too good either so it too went.  It had not been made of the correct materials and had rapidly gone rusty.  A new hibachi was finally found – much better construction but unfortunately without adjustable height.  But it does a great job.

It has been put to good use but one does have to plan ahead (as usual with too much of what I do !).  It has been great for family gatherings.   So I am sharing a few things which are excellent when cooked over coals, slowly.  This involves, mainly, meat on a stick.   I use the bamboo ones – they won’t catch fire either.  By the way, all the advice about soaking in water before using on a gas BBQ is rubbish – they still burn.  Years ago I soaked a pile of them (you have to weigh them down as they float) for 18 hours – made no difference.

Prawns and scallops

Prepare green Aussie prawns and scallops and thread two or three of each on the stick.  In a mortar smash up 3 cloves of garlic with a heaped teaspoon of Murray pink salt (just how much depends on how many seafood sticks you intend cooking).   In a saucepan gently melt about 150 grams of butter (for 12 sticks roughly) and add garlic/salt mix and cook very gently to infuse and then add finely chopped parsley.  When the charcoal is ready place seafood sticks on the grill and baste or spoon garlic mix.  Cooking will take longer than you expect but results are very yummy.

Lamb

Try doing it souvlaki style on a stick (marinade overnight with lemon, garlic, salt etc).  Or perhaps more like an old fashioned kebab with onions and red capsicum and mushrooms.  Or, marinade in a tandoori mix.  I regularly have my butcher bone out a leg of lamb and I portion it and freeze for later use in curries or satays.

Chicken

Chicken on a stick over charcoal is excellent.  Use boned skinless thighs and do not cut chunky.  You can marinade and cook and add a satay sauce (make your own or even use the rather good Ayam canned one).  Actually you can cook it many ways – do whatever takes your fancy (honey/lemon or just salt and pepper).

Quail

I am about to do this very soon.  Split them in two or just flatten the whole little bird out.  As you cook it baste with lemon, a little salt and plenty of thyme.  Quail are not expensive here – I can buy a six pack of the large variety for $21.

Salads

Prepare two or three suitable salads and make sure you have some cold beer and appropriate wines handy.    Our last get together over the hibachi began at 1 pm and ended hours later.   It was delicious and lovely.  But remember to start the heat beads at least three hours before you want to begin cooking.  See, you do have to plan ahead!

Finally

This is meant to help inspire you to be a little different.  You won’t have any flame ups or worries about whether you are going to run out of gas.  I always have the ingredients in the freezer so only need to ensure I have some decent salad stuff.  With prawns you can use a few different additions (spicy salt, three different peppers and piri piri – grind in your mortar and sprinkle over prawns while cooking).

Calamari goes very well over charcoal.

My first hibachi went into use back in the 70s on the balcony of our unit in Sydney.  I used to cook fresh sardines and lamb satays (not together though!).  Fresh sardines are in the fish shops right now but do not buy them if they look a bit squashed.