Far out grilling from the Far East

Marinade

Put the coriander seeds and cumin seeds in a skillet and dry-roast over medium-high heat. Slide the skillet back and forth over the burner to prevent burning. When the spice exudes a pleasant aroma, about 1 minute, remove from heat and transfer to a bowl to cool. Grind in a spice grinder and set aside.

Pound the salt and chiles in a mortar with a pestle into a paste. Add the lemongrass, coriander seeds, turmeric powder (for chicken), cumin seeds (for pork), shallots, almonds and red miso in sequence, and only after the previous ingredient is pureed and incorporated into a paste. Transfer to a mixing bowl and add the coconut cream. Mix well and set aside.

If using a blender, add all the ingredients including the coconut cream and milk, and puree. Transfer to a mixing bowl and set aside.

Store the marinade in a glass jar with a tight fitting lid. Refrigerate, it will keep overnight.

Satay

Slice the chicken, if using, diagonally across the grain into thin strips, approximately 1/10 -inch wide, or as thin as possible. For the pork, slice the loin in half horizontally, before slicing across the grain, like the chicken. Add the meat to marinade. Mix well and let sit for 30 minutes.

Mound the charcoals onto one side inside the grill, leaving the other half empty. Heat the grill.

While waiting for it to get hot, thread 3 to 4 pieces of the chicken or pork onto the bamboo skewer into a tight bundle, covering 5 inches of the skewer. Repeat with the remaining skewers. Add the pineapple juice to the leftover marinade and set aside.

Spray the skewers generously with vegetable oil. Lay the skewer with the meat portion on the rack directly over the hot coals at medium-high heat. Line the skewers tightly close to one another. (The uncovered portion of the skewers should not be over the coals.) Brush lightly and frequently with the combined leftover marinade and pineapple juice mixture. Turn frequently to prevent burning. Grill until the outside is crispy brown and the inside white and tender, about 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer to a serving platter and serve immediately.

Marinade

Put the coriander seeds in a skillet and dry-roast over medium-high heat. Slide the skillet back and forth over the burner to prevent burning. When the spice exudes a pleasant aroma, about 1 minute, remove from heat and transfer to a bowl to cool. Repeat with the cumin seeds. Grind in the spice grinder and set aside.

Pound the salt and garlic in a mortar and with a pestle into a paste. Add the ginger, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, cayenne, turmeric, shallots and peanuts one at a time, and only after the previous ingredients have been incorporated into the paste. Transfer to a mixing bowl and add the tamarind juice. Mix well. Set aside.

Or, if using a blender, add all the ingredients including the oil and puree into a paste.

Stored the marinade in a glass jar with a tight fitting lid, the marinade will keep for a week in the refrigerator.

Slice the meat diagonally across the grain into strips, approximately 1/10-inch wide, or as thin as possible. Add to the bowl with the marinade. Mix well, coating the lamb thoroughly. Cover and let sit for an hour or for best result, transfer to a zippered plastic bag and refrigerate overnight. Bring to room temperature before grilling.

Mound the charcoals onto one side inside the grill, leaving the other side empty. Heat the grill.

While waiting for it to get hot, thread 4 to 5 pieces of the lamb onto a bamboo skewer into a tight bundle, covering 5 inches of the skewer. Repeat with the remaining meat. Add the pineapple juice to the bowl of leftover marinade and mix well. Set aside.

Spray the meat generously with the vegetable oil. Lay the skewer with the meat portion on the rack directly on the hot coals at medium-high heat. Line the skewers tightly close to each another. (The uncovered portion of the skewer should not be over the coals.) Brush lightly and frequently with the marinade and pineapple juice mixture. Turn frequently and grill until medium rare, about 3 to 4 minutes and for well done, about 5 to 6 minutes. Transfer to a platter and serve piping hot.

Marinade

Put the coriander seeds in a skillet and dry-roast over medium-high heat, sliding the skillet back and forth over the burner to prevent burning. When the spice exudes a pleasant aroma, about 1 minute, remove from heat and transfer to a bowl to cool. Repeat with the cumin seeds. Grind in a spice grinder and set aside.

Pound the sea salt and garlic in a mortar with a pestle into a paste. Add the galangal and pound into a paste. Transfer to a mixing bowl and add the coriander seeds, cumin seeds, cayenne, and turmeric powder. Mix to combine. Add the coconut cream and mix well. Set aside.

Or, if using a blender, add all the ingredients and puree. Transfer to a mixing bowl and set aside.

Stored in a glass jar with a tight fitting lid, the marinade will keep overnight.

Diagonally, slice the chicken across the grain into thin strips, approximately 1/10-inch, or as thin as possible. Add the chicken to the marinade; mix well to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Mound the charcoals onto one side inside the grill, leaving the other side empty. Heat the grill.

While waiting for it to get hot, thread 3 to 4 pieces of the chicken onto the bamboo skewer into a tight bundle, covering 5 inches of the skewer. Repeat with the remaining chicken. Reserve the remaining marinade.

Spray the chicken generously with the vegetable oil. Lay the skewer with the chicken portion on the rack directly on the hot coals at medium-high heat. Line the skewers tightly close to each other. (The uncovered portion of the skewers should not be over the coals.) Grill, basting frequently with the marinade and turning frequently with marinade and turning frequently to keep from burning, until the surface is crispy and brown and the inside is firm and white, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a serving platter and serve.

Heat the oil in a saucepan over high heat for 1 to 2 minutes. Add the garlic and stir to prevent burning. When the garlic turns yellow, add the remaining ingredients. Stir and cook until the mixture boils and the sugar is completely dissolved. Let it boil for another 8 minutes before transferring to a serving bowl. Let cool. The sauce will thicken like maple syrup. Or transfer to a glass jar with a tight-fitting lid and store in the refrigerator for up to a month.

Pound the salt and garlic in a mortar with a pestle into a fine paste. One at a time, add the chiles, lemongrass, galangal, and shallots, in sequence, adding each one only after the previous ingredient has been pureed and incorporated into the paste.

Or, if using a blender, combine all the above ingredients, add the coconut cream mixture, and puree.

Combine the chile paste and coconut cream (or the chile paste-coconut cream mixture) in a saucepan over medium-low heat and cook, stirring constantly to prevent the coconut cream from curdling, until the mixture begins to bubble, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the soy sauce, palm sugar, and peanut butter and cook, stirring to dissolve the sugar and peanut butter. When the mixture begins to boil, add the tamarind juice. Stir to mix. Cook until the liquid begins to boil again. Transfer to a bowl and let cool before serving. Or store in a glass jar with a tight-fitting lid in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Put the rice in a small skillet and dry-roast over high heat, sliding the skillet back and forth over the burner to prevent burning, until the rice grains are golden, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and transfer to a bowl, let cool, then grind to a powder in a coffee or spice grinder.

Combine the shrimp, garlic, ginger, sugar, salt, pepper, and rice powder in a food processor. Process until the ingredients form a ball. With the machine running, add the egg whites and process to a pastel. Transfer to a bowl.

Heat the grill.

While waiting for the grill to get hot, line a tray with wax paper and spray it with vegetable oil. Spray your hands with vegetable oil. Pick up 2 to 3 tablespoons of the shrimp mixture, and put in around the upper half of a sugarcane strip, molding it into and oval shape (like a corn dog). Repeat with the remaining shrimp.

Spray the shrimp mixture generously with vegetable oil. Place the skewers on the grill over medium-low heat, turning frequently to prevent burning, until the shrimp mixture is slightly charred and firm to the touch, 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a serving platter.

Fill a large bowl with lukewarm water. Invite your guests to serve themselves: To eat, bathe a rice paper in the water, shake off the excess water, and set the rice paper on a plate to soften briefly. Line the rice paper with a couple of pieces of lettuce, cucumber, cilantro sprigs, and mint leaf. Break the shrimp off the sugarcane into bite-sized pieces and put on top of the herbs. Fold the bottom edge of the rice paper over the filling, then roll the rice paper over the filling from left to right, forming a cylinder. Dip in the sauce and chew on the sugarcane between bites.

I am certain that this recipe will be added to your repertoire of favorite dishes. Choose seasonal fruits with different textures and spice them up with the dressing. Instead of coleslaw or potato salad, serve this salad with barbecued steak, pork chop, chicken, or hamburger.

Dry-roast the coconut in a small skillet over high heat, sliding the skillet back and forth over the burner to prevent burning, until the coconut is golden approximately 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool.

Combine the lime juice, fish sauce, sugar, salt and chiles in a bowl. Add the diced fruit, celery and shallot. Toss gently to mix them add the lime zest. Toss to combine.

Transfer to a serving bowl, garnish with the dry-roasted coconut and mint leaves, and serve.