Great Outdoors - Bonding over the barbie

Bonding over the barbieBy Andrea Anastasiou, Staff Writer GULF NEWS Published: December 18, 2007, 22:59

Barbecuing outdoors is a great way to bond with friends and family, and yes, the food tastes better too!

Barbecuing is a great way to pass the time during the cooler UAE months. "Whatever you're cooking, there is something about eating outdoors that makes food taste better," says Christos Pavlou, a barbecuing enthusiast.

"It's a great way to spend some quality time with your family outdoors. Every culture enjoys bonding over food, and when you are eating outside you get to enjoy the nice weather and the surroundings. And of course, meat tastes so much better when it's been barbecued on charcoal!"

Fellow enthusiast Greg Markwell agrees. "My friends and I enjoy getting together at the park, and playing a bit of soccer while the meat is cooking. It's the ultimate Saturday pastime!"


Barbeque sauce

This sauce can be used as a marinade for the meat, or as a dip. The 'tin' from the chopped tomatoes can be used as a measuring instrument for the rest of the ingredients.

Ingredients
1 tin chopped tomatoes
1/2 tin tomato ketchup
1/4 bottle red wine vinegar
1/4 tin soy sauce
1 large onion finely chopped
3 garlic cloves
1/2 level tsp English mustard
1/2 level tsp paprika
1/2 level tsp aniseed
1/2 level tsp black pepper
1/2 level tsp cumin
1/4 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp sugar
1/2 tin honey
4 tbsp cooking oil

Method
Heat oil in large pan. Fry onion and garlic until browned. Add sugar and brown. Add spices and fry for a few minutes. Add vinegar and soy sauce, and leave to reduce.

Add the rest of the ingredients (apart from the honey) and leave to simmer until it becomes a thick sauce.

Switch off the heat, and add the honey last. Leave to cool



Chicken barbecue kebab

This marinade can be used on large chunks of chicken meat. Marinate the meat overnight before the barbecue.

Ingredients
1/2 cup yoghurt
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 garlic cloves
1 small onion grated
Salt and black pepper
1/4 tsp chilli powder
1/4 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp curry powder

Method
Mix ingredients together. Marinade meat over night.



Marinade for lamb souvlaki

This marinade can be used on small chunks of lamb or chicken meat.

Ingredients
2 tbsp yoghurt
2 tbsp lemon juice
Pinch of paprika
Pinch of curry powder
Pinch of chilli powder
Pinch of salt

Method
Mix together. Can be used to marinade up to 3kg of meat.


Sweet chilli sauce to go with sweet chilli prawns

Ingredients
36 raw fresh water king prawns
or 72 headless raw tiger prawns
6-12 10inch fine metal or wooden skewers
For 175ml of sauce:
150g of caster sugar
300ml of fluid water
1 lime
100g of red finger chillis, trimmed, seeded and very finely chopped
6 fresh mint leaves finely chopped
1 tbsp honey

Method
To prepare the sauce:
Put the sugar and water into a pan and leave over a low heat until the sugar has completely dissolved.

Meanwhile, remove the zest of the lime with a potato peeler, taking care not to remove the bitter white pith from underneath. Cut into very fine shreds, and then bunch shreds together and finely chop them. Squeeze out the juice from the lime.

Bring the mixture to the boil and add the lime zest.

Cook for approximately three minutes until the syrup lightly coats the back of a spoon.

Add the chillies and remove from the heat.

Leave to cool before stirring in the mint. Add a tablespoon of honey.

To prepare the prawns:
Peel the prawns, leaving the last tail section in place. Make a shallow cut along the curved back along each one, and lift out the dark thread like intestine.

Mix the prawns and the chilli sauce together in a large bowl. Leave to marinade in the fridge for up to two hours.

Thread the prawns onto the skewers. Barbecue the skewers over medium hot coals for about 3-4 minutes, turning them now and again, until they become firm and opaque.

Serve hot.