When sparking your grill don’t forget how you used to light a camp fire. Primitive man has passed this innate skill for generations and fires were always to be built in the pyramidal shape. It is this that most people do not do and thus will have issues when starting the fire.

Make sure you set up the coal like the Egyptians. OK, maybe I am being too forward…set up your coal in a pyramid. OK now here you have to use your math skills, insert three firelighters evenly, yes EVENLY! into the pyramid and light em up.

Leave for 20 to 30 full minutes, the flames should have died down at that point…and if you have followed these instructions- the charcoal should have turned white.

If you get this far you are almost done… now spread the charcoal more evenly around the barbecue rack using a barbecue tool (ok…a barbeque tool for this purpose is anything you can get your hands on to get the job done!).

The bbq is now ready…but wait! While we can give you some tips…here is where the bbq master inside you has to come out!

Our tips are this:
1. Wait for the flames to die down..(Else, you will get food that does not smell very nice.)
This is because they are soaked in kerosene.
2. Don’t cover all of the base of the rack with charcoal..(this baby need some air too..)
3. Get your beer ready..(Last thing you need is to have to decide whether to get a beer or let the food burn!)

I opened my browser the other day and Poof! the old ‘G’ changed into a lowercase ‘g’. Did the ‘G’ gangsta get demoted? ;). Lots of speculation  and lots of rumours.

Check out these blogs for more info

SeriousRoundTable’s Take on google

Blogoscoped on googles imminent change

Give me some of your thoughts into this new phenomenom.

If there is a recipe that is out there that is ORIGINAL, this is it! I have tried and tested to make this recipe perfect, and finally i did it.

Today the 23rd of May 2008 i perfected it. So with all that excitement. I got straight to the computer and blogged it. So that hopefully by tomorrow or even today, you will all be enjoying this recipe.

This recipe is a version of one of the most popular chicken dishes available in Indian restaurants, commonly referred to as Makahanwala Chicken or Butter Chicken. However it has been difficult to replicate the traditional style of cooking the prawns in the butter chicken sauce and so a little bit of marination needs to go on and more garlic needs to be added to balance the palate.

Serves:
4-6

Preparation Time:
25 minutes plus time to marinade.

Cooking Time:
20 minutes.
Ingredients:

10 Cloves Garlic (grounded fine to paste)
4 Thai Red Chilis2 tbsp-olive oil
1kg large prawns or 500g shelled shrimps
1 tablespoon vinegar
1 tablespoon tomato paste
Kosher Salt or sea salt to taste
1 tablespoon ‘Rajah’ Brand Tandoori Powder (if you dont have access to Rajah, then you can use any other brand however it might make a difference in taste)Half medium onion chopped very finely.
2 tablespoon turmeric powder2 teaspoon cumin powder
1 teaspoon cumin-coriander powder
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 Cup chopped cilantro
4 tablespoons yoghurt
4 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
1 teaspoon sugar.

direcciones…

1. Shell and de-vein prawns. Wash and marinate with salt, vinegar, turmeric and half of the garlic paste.
2. Heat oil. Add remainder garlic paste, onions, and finely chopped chilis and cook till garlic smells cooked
3. Add tomato paste and simmer for 5 more minutes. I personally use a wok so that i have enough room
4. Now add the prawns, tandoori masala, cumin and coriander powder, cayenne pepper and cover for about 15 minutes so that prawns soak in all the spices and masala. Opening to stir every few minutes.
4. Once prawns look a bit done, you will know this because they have released a considerable amount of water and so you will need to put it on high heat to burn off some water.

5. Add the yogurt and stir some more on high and burn off most of the water to get a consistent paste. This will probably take 10 mins or more to burn
6. Once the all the liquid looks gone, and the bottom starts to stick, stir around a few times and add the heavy whipping cream and .Stir it in till you get a consistent creamy looking gravy. Add more cream if need be. The prawns should be medium dry, so it should have some gravy but not much.
7. Garnish with finely chopped cilantro and decorate with spring onion flowers.

Serving ideas: Serve with Garlic Naan bread or Garlic loaf (New York style). Some people have even eaten it with Jeera Rice.

There you go, you have just made the world premier of Garlic Butter Prawns (tandoori bbq style). I said it right here this is my recipe, and hopefully i’ll get Famous with it ;), not that i want to but hey its a bonus innit?

Ciao and happy foodin’

The procedures are simple and pretty straight forward, you would make a paste, marinate the meat and then grill it. Simple huh? i thought so.

To make the paste you would need

Blend it up:
½ cup red and green thai or fingerling whole chillies
8 cloves of garlic and small amount of ginger 1tbsp
¼ cup white vinegar ( i have used malt vinegar if you are trying the fresh Fish)

Ingredients :

1kg T-bone steak/Chops/Fish
1 tsp Salt or to taste
2 tbsp garlic, ginger and chilli paste
2 tbsp red fine chillies
2 tbsp steak and chops spice (you can find this in the grocery store)
2 tbsp cayenne pepper
¼ cup olive oil
3 tbsp white vinegar
1 tsp lemon pepper
4 tbsp lemon juice
3 tbsp tomato ketchup (Heinz organic will do)

Method :

Marinate Meat and set aside for about 30 minutes to marinate. I normally put it in a Ziploc freezer bag and swirl it around to really get it nice and soaked up, this also speeds up the marination process.

Go light up your grill and get the fire going. Pour a glass of wine while doing that

Once the fire is up and running spread the meat on the grill, if cooking the fish you want to make sure you put some aluminum foil and then put the fish on it.

Cook the meat to your preference, i normally go with well done, but thats me.

Serve on plate with various sides, i normally have home made coleslaw or potato salad, and maybe a bread roll.

Enjoy your first recipe of the ‘Braai Culture’

Note: I have softened the blow and toned down the spices, however for an extra kick I use double the amount of chillis and powder.

I present to you hightlights of some international barbecue information that i have gathered up. If you have some more important information to add please comment below and i shall add them in.

The oldest barbecue site that was ever found in the world is in South Africa where animal bones from a BBQ feast dating back over 1 million years was found. Article here.

The second oldest BBQ site found is in Israel. It is over 790 000 years old.

If you from Europe then you know BBQ’ing is upper class high income activity. This is because, you need space to BBQ such as a back yard, and obviously this is RARE in europe. If you want more information check out captain bbq’s European Stat Page for more info and how entire industries are changing to mold to BBQ’ing

Talk about dangerous green house gas emmisions, the US always seems to be on one side of the polarity. Statistics show that last year alone 66,200,000 individuals had barbecued two and a half billion times. Yes 2.5 BILLION!!  USA BBQ Stats.

Out of all the europeans that BBQ, England tops the list. Here is a list of how britons start their fires

See something strange there? Lager to start a fire..geez ive never heard of that ever before.

Our Friends down under, in Australia {said with an Aussie accent} have decided to rename their favorite meat to something more touristy, ‘Australus’. Yes this is Kangaroo meat and they decided to rename it to make it more appealing to diners. Getting back BBQ’ing, they call it scorching.  Nice huh?

Now we all know this one, we usually call our friends or family when we have a BBQ, and stats show that a family of four is far more likely to own a BBQ grill than a single person, maiking it a social affair. Although some sad indviduals may want to BBQ by themselves. To Each his Own.

EXCERPT FROM WIKIPEDIA: In Southern Africa, (South Africa, Namibia, Zambia, Zimbabwe), A BBQ also known as A braai is a social occasion that has specific traditions and social norms. In black and white South African culture, women rarely braai (cook) meat at a social gathering, as this is normally the preserve of men. The men gather round the braai or braaistand (the fire or grill) outdoors and cook the food, while women prepare the pap, salads, desserts, and vegetables for the meal in the kitchen. The meal is subsequently eaten outside by the fire/braai, since the activity is normally engaged in during the long summer months. The braaing (cooking) of the meat is not the prerogative of all the men attending, as one person would normally be in charge. He will attend to the fire, check that the coals are ready, and braai (cook) the meat. Other men may assist but generally only partake in fireside conversation. The person in charge is known as the braaier (chef), and if his skills are recognised, could be called upon to attend to the braai (BBQ) at other occasions as well.

Top Reasons that people BBQ:

• Because it tastes so good (more than 80%)
• Requires little cleanup
• Easy, informal way to entertain family and friends
• Being outdoors
• Personal satisfaction

Some TRIVIA for y’all - Is barbecuing more dangerous then stapling paper?

The AARP July 2006 issue reported the frequency of injuries occurring in the USA as follows:

I dont see BBQ’ing on there…pretty safe huh??

Have any more interesting stats? Send it in!

Ciao and happy BBQ’ing

Well, that’s what they say, but if that’s really true, then I think most of us are in big trouble. During the week my breakfast usually consists of quick cereal fix…some Chai tea and lots of sugary cookies. I would amend that statement and say, “Breakfast is The Most Important Meal of the Weekend”. I love my Sunday breakfasts so here you go, the top ways for you to create that most important meal of the weekend

La Menu

Super Sunday Breakfast
-Gourmet Scrambled Eggs with sour dough bread, mushrooms and pan fried tomatoes on the vine.
-Fresh Fruit
-Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice
-Whole Wheat Sourdough Toast
-Coffee or Chai

1. Buy all your fresh ingredients the night before. (Milk, Sourdough artisan bread, DOLE All Natural Juice or fresh oranges, chives, natural brown eggs, fresh cream, fresh fruits like strawberries, mangoes, kiwi fruit, grapes, tomatos).
2. Make sure you girlfriend or boyfriend is still asleep.
3. Watch Gordon Ramseys ‘Make Perfect Scrambled Eggs Video’
4. Cut your fruits up before you start cooking and put them to cool in the fridge.
5. Slice up your bread and get them toasted and buttered.
6. Free up some time its gonna be a while
7. Make eggs, mushroom and tomato as per spec of Gordon Ramsey
8. Squeeze the fresh orange juice
9. Prepare all the cooked food, toast, juice and fruits in a upscale gourmet presentation ’similar to what you see in a expensive world class restaurant’. If you dont know how, just experiment, its ok
10. Take the prepared tray to your spouse and surprise them in bed.

There you go, you will not only have the perfect sunday breakfast, but you will be praised by your spouse at her work all week.

Ciao and happy foodin!

Our friends over at vouspensez.com have enlighten’d us with this perfect scrambled eggs recipe done by the one and only Hell’s Kitchen host Gordon Ramsey. Watch this fantastic recipe below.

Go Fullscreen

I like the way he does it although what i do is add some mozzarella cheese or even cheddar to complete the equation and fold it in right before you take it off the stove.

Heres one more for the road.

Fast Food Ramsey Style (15min)

This recipe reminds me of IFRs Maple Glazed Salmon with Black Pepper and Ginger, however when I made it, I had used butterfly chicken breasts instead of the salmon. Mmm mmm mmm good

Alrighty then merry breakfasting and happy fast foodin!

Ciao

Braai’ed (BBQ’d) Eggplant Dip

. The author has amazing photography, excellent recipes and a quirky writing style. I frequently go back to her site many times a day just to check whether she has a new recipe and to reread the old ones

So this got me thinking. I was reading an article about taming indian cuisine for the American Culture in a magazine called Khabar, its a South-Asian themed magazine based out of Atlanta, Georgia. This was the catalyst to start this all. Two weeks prior to this I was in visiting some friends in Orlando Fl, and throughout the time I was there I had the opportunity to cook. I had the chance to make all sorts of really fresh seafood, meats and bbq foods. It was simply AMAZING, it was soo much fun, getting to make food that is truly authentic to my style and watching everyone enjoy and lick their fingers while eating it.

One of my expertise i can say is the art of different BBQ styles. Over the years while in college, i got to experiment with so many different bbq styles and along with my background that experience in mind I have accumulated a plethora of recipes that i will share with all of you. I am from the beautiful country of Zambia, located in Southern Africa, just above Zimbabwe (yes the one with all that turmoil). We are so used to the culture over there called ‘Braai.’ The word braai (pronounced “bry”, rhyming with the word “cry”) is Afrikaans for “barbecue” or “roast” and is a social custom in South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe and Zambia. Here a link to the article on wikipedia. Braai’s are a big social event, preparations are usually done a few days in advance, meats are marinated, duties delegated, liquor stores emptied ;). Yes it usually involves dubious amounts of beer, so that mass amounts of food can be consumed over a whole day affair.

So with that being said I am here to introduce to you the ‘Braai Culture‘, and along with that will come all the recipes and laid back lifestyle thats attached to it. There definitely is a link between modern man and our primitive ancestors whose main source of cooking was over the fire till the meats crispy burnt and scrumptious to eat.

As always I am as curious to see how this will unfold. Spring is in the air, wash out that BBQ stand and get ready for some MASALA BBQ.

Here’s to a new class of BBQ!

BTW: To those of you not familiar with the term ‘Masala’ it means spicy powder or to put into real terms; REALLY SPICY.