Broiled BBQ Tofu

Tofu isn't really as scary as some people think. One of the great things I find is that it absorbs any flavor you marinate it in, so you do you don't get that bland taste some people tend to dislike about. I had cut them in to rectangular blocks and marinated them for a couple of days for maximum flavorage, if that's even a word. When it finally can time to cook them up. I placed them on a foil lined baking sheet and broiled them for 10 minutes on each side. The edges get a bit crisp giving the tofu an almost char look.

The neat thing about the marinade is that it can also be used as a sauce. From the photos, it may not be the best looking thing on a plate, but the taste sure does make up for it. I even wrapped a piece of bread around it and made a mini sandwich out of it with a dash of sriracha. Mmmmm...

Makes 6 pieces.

Broiled BBQ Tofu

1 pack firm tofu into water

marinade
1/2 c soysauce
2 Tbsp brown sugar
2 Tbsp ketchup
1 Tbsp yellow mustard
1 tsp ground pepper
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp pepper

In a bowl, combine the ingredients of the marinade together. Whisk together until slightly thick and the brown sugar has fully dissolved. Set aside.

Drain the water from the tofu, carefully pat dry with a paper towl and into 1/2-inch rectangle blocks. Arrange the tofu blocks on a airtight container. Pour the marinade into the container. Be sure to cover cover all pieces. Marinate for at least an hour before cooking or a 1-3 days before to let the tofu fully absorb the flavor.

Preheat your broiler. Line a baking sheet with some foil and place the tofu rectangles flat. When the broiler is hot enough place the tofu rectangles cook for rough 10-15 minutes on each side until the edges are slightly crisp. Lightly baste with the marinade.

Serve warm in a salad, sandwich or your favorite dish.

Grilled Fish with Ginger BBQ Sauce

Today marks 6-month since I've started this little blog of mine. I'm amazed at how much it's become such a wonderful part of my life. To all you loyal readers, I say thank you for making these past several month a very very fun one. 

I wasn't quite sure which white fish I had gotten. I think it may have been halibut. It just said seafood on the label. But it was fresh. I wouldn't have gotten it, if it wasn't. Labor day meant I had to grill something. I didn't feel up to grilling any type of beef or pork as i had a nice fill of that over the weekend. My other alternative was fish. I love fish.

So the day came and I busted out the ol' George Foreman Grill since I can't grill outside. Georgie, as I like to call it, has done me some good this summer. He's made me some delectable eats.

I basted it with a simple BBQ sauce made from soy sauce, ketchup, brown sugar and a little bit of minced ginger. Grilling fish doesn't take a long time, so this was done in only minutes. Several months ago I posted a cooking tip about when to flip the fish. The answer to that is to just let the fish be. You'll know when it's ready. It will basically lift off the grill without any hesitation onto your spatula. If it looks like it's stuck to the grill let it cook some more. Don't force it. That way you'll have a nice whole fillet.

As for what I served this with, I went for the Asian route. I had some left over white rice that I made into garlic fried rice and tossed in some sauteed thin asparagus. I also grilled several thick slices of tomato while the grill was still hot.

Serve 2

Grilled White Fish with Ginger BBQ Sauce


2 white fish fillet
salt
pepper

Ginger BBQ sauce:
1/3 c Soy sauce
2 Tbsp tomato ketchup
112/ Tbsp fresh ginger - minced
1 1/2 Tbsp Brown sugar


Prep your grill.

Combine the BBQ sauce ingredients and let it sit for at least 30 min to let the ginger flavor really blend into the sauce.

Season the fillet with salt and pepper both sides.

Cook the fillets on the grill. 2-3 minutes per side depending on the heat of you grill.

Baste the fillets with the bbq sauce and flip. A good way to know when to flip is when the fish looks and feels like it's not sticking to the grill. Baste the other side as well.

Remove from grill and let it rest for 2-3 minutes.

Pinoy Style BBQ

Each culture has their own way of doing the B-B-Q. Here's a Filipino way of doing it. Filipino barbecue are on skewers and generally use pork butt (fat and all). Kabob style. (I used chicken tenders. Another great way to use up that big bag from Costco.) It makes an easy eat and travel food. We also do ribs and what not, but if you want to make authentic Filipino barbecue it's got to be the skewer version with a slight sweet marinade/sauce.

If you've ever been to a Filipino gathering or party, there will always be the essential food found on the buffet table like lechon (suckling whole roast pig) or lechon kawali (deep-fried pork), pancit (noodle dish), lumpiang shanghai (egg rolls), steamed rice, sinigang and barbecue or adobo. There's also a couple optional items palabok, fried chicken, kare kare, leche flan and a few others. I'll be making some of those in the coming months except the whole roast pig. Don't have room for that. Two things Filipinos are known for are their hospitality and making sure everyone is well-fed, even when the budget is out of their means. You never leave empty handed either. Whether you like it or not, you'll be taking food home.

Here's a hint in pronouncing words in the Philippine language. In tagalog (ta-ga-log), all words are spoken in short vowels. Long vowels are nonexistent and it's a "say it like you see it" language. Take for instance, the word pinoy, it is pronounced pin-oy. Simple. Or kamusta = ka-moo-sta, meaning hello or how are you. Or salamat = sa-la-mat, meaning thank you. There's also spanish words and phrase used in the language as well as the Philippines was colonized by the Spaniards. Then you'll get people speaking taglish. Intermixing of tagalog and english. That's a whole other thing altogether. You'll never know when you'll be invited to a Filipino gathering, so it's good to know these things. Alright, enough of the language lesson. Where was I going with this? Oh, that's right...Pinoy Style BBQ.

Now I don't have an outdoor grill, I'd even be happy with a little hibachi, if I could. Blame it on the landlord. Grr! But then I realized that I had one of those George Foreman grills. Woohoo... Here I was complaining and feeling envious of those being able to grill steaks, fish and veggies when in fact I had a grill all along. LOL. Duh, Jenn! (*slaps forehead*) I only used the thing a few times when it was the "it" thing to have. Since then it's been sitting my my "clutter" closet. So I dusted it off, cleaned and disinfected it from any weird stuff that may have attached itself and prepared my barbecue.

I also grilled some skewered bell peppers and onions. I didn't have pineapple chunks, but they also go great with the bell peps. The Filipino version calls for calamansi juice and banana ketchup. I had seen the ketchup in some of the Asian aisles of supermarkets as well as Asian/Filipino markets. For those unable to find those two ingredients, you can use lemon or lime juice and regular tomato ketchup.


I had briefly written about the calamansi when I first started this blog back in march (Calamansi - Fruit of the Day). Info about this little fruit can be found here via Wikipedia: Calamansi info The banana ketchup is purely made from bananas. No tomato is found in it. It is banana mashed with sugar, vinegar and spices. The red comes a little red food coloring in the mixture. Here's a recipe from recipezaar, if you'd like to try making you own at home (here). I haven't tried it, so I can't tell you if it's the same thing or not. It is also used to make Filipino-style spaghetti. If using pork for the barbecue, add some 7-up to the marinade, completely optional. Yes, the soda. It will add flavor. (edited to add: 7-up also helps tenderize the meat)

This will serve 2-3 people. For larger quantities, adjust marinade/sauce accordingly. What makes this kind of barbecue stand out is definitely the marinade/sauce and the char from the grill. It's one that you'll never forget. Plus, the easy portability of it.



Pinoy Style BBQ

1 lb chicken tenders or 1 lb pork butt (cubes or stripes)
1 yellow bell pepper (cut into 1" squares)
1 red bell pepper (cut into 1" squares)
1 medium sweet onion (quartered and separated)
1 small can pineapple chunks

BBQ skewers

Marinade/Sauce:
1 c soy sauce
1 tsp ground pepper
3 garlic cloves (minced)
2 Tbsp brown sugar
2 Tbsp Lemon, Lime or Calamansi juice
1/2 can 7-up (optional, if using pork)
1/2 c Tomato Ketchup or Banana Ketchup

Combine the soy sauce, garlic, lemon or calamansi juice, pepper, brown sugar and the optional sprite. Pour over you meat of choice and marinate for at least 30min to an hour. It's even better if you marinate overnight.

Soak the skewers in water for at least 5 min before skewering the meat. This will keep the wood from burning while cooking. Skew the meat leaving at least 2 inches at the bottom for handling.

Then skewer the bell peppers, onion and pineapple in alternating order, also leaving room at the bottom of the stick.

Do not throw away the marinade from the meat. This will become the sauce for basting. Add in the ketchup and mix well. Set aside until you are ready to grill.

Prepare and heat your grill whether be stove-top or outdoor. Cook the "meat" skewers first for 3-5min then flip and baste really good. Cook for another 2-4 min. Flip and baste again. Get a good char on the meat. (Makes it crispy) Remove from heat and let rest for 2 min to let juices redistribute. Adjust the the timing to get a nice char on both side.

Then grill the bell pepper skewers in the same method as the "meat" skewers.

Note: The marinade/sauce can also be used as a dip.

To BBQ in the oven: Heat the oven 350˚F. For chicken, place on in a baking pan and bake for 20 min. Half way turn and baste. Then baste again before removing.
For pork, do the same as the chicken but for 30-40min. Or until you see a slightly charring of the meat.