Junction Triangle

The Bamboo Cooks

The famous tastes of the Bamboo on Queen live on in this fun cookbook which can still be found online:

http://www.amazon.ca/Ramboo-Cooks-Richard-OBrien/dp/0679308377/ref=sr_1_...

Our area has a few ex Bamboo staff like me kicking around and I still enjoy this food as much as I did the first time I tried it .One of the most popular items at the 'Boo were the satays so here is one of my favourites. The great thing about this list is you can swap out or adapt to your taste with ease. (I play down the sugar and boost the mustard powder and cumin.) Read to the end as there are two important tips I have added that will be of help.

2 lb chicken beef or pork
1 TBSP paprika
1 TSP salt (I use a pinch)
1/2 TBSP turmeric
1TBSP ground coriander
1 TBSP ground cumin
1/2 TBSP ground ginger (I use fresh minced)
1TBSP garlic powder
1/2 TBSP mustard powder
1 TSP cinnamon
1 TSP allspice
1TSP black pepper
1TBSP cayenne
2TBSP white sugar (see below)
2 TBSP memmi or teriyaki sauce (I skip the sugar above and make my own teriyaki with soy and brown sugar)
2 TBSP Thai fish sauce
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 TBSP oyster sauce
3 garlic cloves chopped or minced
1/4 cup vegetable oil

bamboo skewers soaked in water

1. For chicken , skin and debone the meat. You may use chicken breasts, although legs and thighs will be more tender. For beef, use flank steak, boneless round or similar cut. For pork, use boneless pork shoulder or tenderloin. Cut desired meat into 2 inch pieces and set aside.

2. Combine dry ingredients, then add remaining ingredients (excluding meat) and mix well. Pour over meat and refrigerate, covered, for at least 4 hours, or better, overnight. Place 2-3 pieces of meat on each skewer and grill on a hot BBQ for 10-15 minutes for chicken and pork, and 5 minutes for beef. You can also broil the satays in your oven.

The satays should always be served with war peanut sauce and something cold and crunchy as they can be quite spicy. We reccommend serving appetizer satays with shrimp chips and oranges and dinner satays with Gado Gado salad and steamed jasmine rice. Try a cool cucumber salad, coleslaw, watermelon slices or a cold beansprout salad.The satays are delicious cold as well and can spice up a caesar salad or make a great pita.

The satays will keep for 3 days uncooked in an air tight container in the fridge or can be frozen for up to 4 months. Cooked satays will keep up to 5 days refrigerated, and can be frozen for up to 6 months. They can be reheated in the oven.

Are you hungry now?

Here are some other tips or ideas based on this formula.

1. Always take your marinade to the meat. Never the other way. You pour it in and mix as needed and what often happens is that you will have some clean un-meat-contaminated marinade left that can be used up in other ways. If you take your meat to the marinade then you must use it all in the initial cooking as it has touched raw meat: using the leftover marinade from this method for anything else including to baste is a dangerous food contamination practice. It amazes how many people I see who don't understand this. Not only is it safer to bring the marinade to the meat, it savers you money and gives you options such as:

2. Keep that left over clean marinade (freeze it too) and you will find that it tastes great heated and poured over a side of sticky rice (which I prefer) with your satays or a completely different main. On another day if you are steaming up any of the 3 meats in a frying pan with a bit of water, throw in your left over clean marinade to spice it up.

3. Of course use that left over clean marinade as a BBQ sauce on the grill. And yes you can use this in a slow cooker.

4. I have a foodsaver thing and I pre-make and mix the marinade and meat in a big batch and freeze one or two meals in the foodsaver bag which intensifies the flavour into the meat and of course is an awesome meal ready to go. If I am really in a rush I find that cooking the mixture in a pan without the screwers is great as well and really fast.

If there is enough interest I will put up the peanut sauce recipe too.