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For most people in the U.S., the word
barbecue means cooking raw meat over
hot coals. However, the pleasure of cooking
outdoors is not reserved for meat eaters only.
From Buddhist monks on pilgrimages and
busy farmers in their fields, to city folks on a
sunny holiday, vegetarians around the world
cook in the open air, some out of necessity,
and others just for fun. Outdoor cooking with
friends can be a satisfying change from and
overheated kitchen where the cook is often
isolated from guests. At a cookout, chores
can be shared and cooking becomes a
cooperative event.
Kalbi is the signature dish of Korean cuisine.
Made of beef short ribs, cut into thin strips
and marinated with soy sauce, garlic,
sesame oil, green onions and sugar, kalbi
is grilled over a medium-hot flame and best
served the way Korean restaurants do: cut
into pieces right over the grill, usually with
hefty kitchen shears, and then wrapped
inside a fresh leaf of lettuce with a finger of
steaming white rice, a dollop of spicy red
bean paste (gochichang), a few slivers of raw
or grilled garlic, and shredded strips of fresh
green onion. |
Though Korean-style BBQ doesn't emphasize
vegetables in particular, greens give another
kick to perfect the dining pleasure. Lettuce
is one of the mainstays. Who could resist
the multiple sensory pleasures of Korean
barbecue: the spicy, salty flavors and the
combination of textures and temperatures
crisp lettuce juxtaposed with succulent grilled
meat and fish not to mention the hands-on
fun of going through a pile of lettuce leaves,
wrapping your own individual little barbecue "sandwiches" and popping them into your
mouth. However, there are still many diners
who have not learned the right way of
handling these ingredients. Here are a few
do's and don'ts for your next Korean BBQ.
Lettuce:
• DO tear off a small piece of lettuce ("face
up," with the bottom of the rib facing down)
to wrap around the freshly grilled meat and
make a bite-size sandwich.
• DON'T grab an entire leaf of lettuce to form
a Chipotle-caliber Korean burrito.
Banchan:
• DO taste the complimentary assortment
of banchan, small plates of kimchi, pickled
vegetables, and other side dishes typically
brought to the table just after ordering.
• DON'T try to stuff the banchan into your
barbecue/lettuce sandwich. Leave them as
side dishes to savor on their own. In other
words, keep the sandwich simple: lettuce,
meat, bean paste, shredded scallion or
leek, and garlic.
Garlic:
• DO eat the garlic, often served in a small
bowl with sliced green chiles. First, roast the
garlic atop the grill, and then add a slice to your
barbecue sandwich, if you are so inclined.
• DON'T eat the garlic raw. Garlic is
considered by Koreans to be healthier when
it has been cooked. It also tastes better
grilled, not to mention the fact that you will
be doing your significant other a favor by
avoiding raw garlic.
India is another diverse region with a
tremendous tradition for food. With its
abundant variety of spices and location on
the east-west trade routes, India has had a
great many influences and products from
which to develop its cooking tradition. And
grilling and barbecue has been at the heart of
it. Until the arrival of European and American
cooking equipment, most Indian food was
prepared over a charcoal oven called a chula
a brick cube with a hole in the front to
feed the fire, and holes on the top to act as
burners.
A chula gives the cook the option to use a
pan or cook directly over the flame. Because
of the round shape of the holes in the top
and generally, the lack of a cooking grate,
kebabs are a particular favorite of Indian
cooks. All manner of meats and vegetables
are prepared in this way. But don’t be fooled
barbecue is a popular item
as well.
Indian barbecue is cooked in a Tandoor. A
Tandoor is a large pot, like you might see
in an Arabian Nights movie. Typically, it is
buried in the ground up to its neck. Hot coals are added to the bottom of the Tandoor. Being ceramic, the Tandoor
holds in the heat and focuses it on the food cooked inside.
 Try Vegetable and Tofu Kebabs with Spicy Yogurt Marinade |
