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I’m not sure who had more fun at the first Si Fang Cai (Secret Supper) – me or the guests. The menu was based (mostly) on Asian hawker food – or “street” food.

The weather cooperated, allowing for drinks and cooking outdoors, before moving inside for an intimate dinner peppered with great conversation.

Hawker Menu

Cocktail
Basil Watermelon Caiparinha *

1st Course
Bulgogi Wan-ja with Tamarind Ssamjang (Korea)
Butabara Kushiyaki – Shio & Tare (Japan)
Xinjiang Chuanr (China)

2nd Course
Dan Dan Mein (China)

3rd Course
Gado Gado (Indonesia)

4th Course
Gang Ga-ree (Thailand)

Dessert
Turon w/Macapuno Fozen Custard (Philippines)

Beverages
Cha Yen (Thailand)

Beer
Tsingtao (China)
Chang, Singha (Thailand)
Kingfisher (India)
Kierin (Japan)

* The basil-watermelon caipirinha is from No Recipes.

Everything tastes better when it’s on a stick… And nothing tastes better on a stick than pork belly (butabara). You may be more familiar with the Japanese term yakitori (grilled chicken) – kushiyaki (skewered grilling) is a broader term, covering everything.

Butabara kushiyaki is typically prepared two ways – grilled with salt or grilled and dipped in tare (sweetened and thickened soy sauce). In my mind you’re remiss if you’re not keeping it simple with salt and a squeeze of lemon. The flavor of the pork is what you’re going for here.

There’s really not so much of a recipe to this as there is just simple preparation. Prepping the pork is easier if you stick it into the freezer for an hour or two before cutting (if you are going to skewer with bamboo to cook on a grill, now is the time to start soaking the skewers in water so they won’t burn). First remove the skin – cut close to the skin, you want to leave as much fat as possible. If you’re finding it hard to get a good grip on the pork, use a paper towel to give you a bit more traction. The pork belly should be cut into a slab about 2″ wide and then cut into 1/4″ slices.

Normally, I’d grill this over a medium charcoal fire – but as it was 18º and windy, I opted to cook it in a cast iron pan. There’s no need to oil the pan, a this is pork belly (fatty). Sprinkle the pork with sea salt on each side and cook until it begins to brown. If you’re grilling you can turn often to keep it from burning. In a pan, I try to limit the amount of turning to give it a chance to brown (Geek moment: The browning of the meat is NOT a Maillard reaction – Maillard reactions involve the breakdown of sugars, and there’s no sugar here. The browning of meat is due to the breakdown of myoglobin. Some of the browning on the fat may be from Maillard…).

Serve with a squeeze of lemon.

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Oh, yeah – almost forgot: Kikkomaso! Check it HERE

Korean Drummer

Vegitarian

Fruit Carving

Thai

Japanese

Bau Ga-Prow (Bangkok Cabin)

Dough Figures (Taiwan)

Steamed Banana Leaves

Shaolin sifu giving marching orders…

Normally, I’m pretty dismissive of this type of thing, but this is actually really well done. The lessons are concise and to the point, making the show watchable and the recipes easy to follow. They run the gamut from katsudon to takoyaki – there’s even a recipe for kudzu mochi.

If you’ve been intimidated by Japanese cooking, it’s worth a look.

Cooking with Dog

I’ve read quite a few mediocre reviews of Waikikie Hawaiian BBQ and had always wondered if the food really wasn’t that good or if people were just going in with the wrong expectations.

After a few hours of mountain biking, HX and I had worked up an appetite and I decided to finally give it a try. My expectation was to find Hawaiian plate lunch food – the kind you would find in local beach spot, a combination of Polynesian, Asian, American and leftover MRE’s from WWII. On the drive, I told HX one of my criteria would be if they had SPAM musubi. Lo and behold, there on the menu – SPAM musubi – essentially huge makizushi filled with teriyaki SPAM. Very tasty – salty, seaweedy, SPAMmy – and filling.

SPAM Musubi

BBQ Beef, BBQ Short Ribs, BBQ Chicken, Macaroni Salad, Rice

We shared the Waikikie Combo, a plate of rice, macaroni salad, BBQ beef (similar in taste to bulgogi), BBQ beef short ribs (essentially kalbi) and BBQ chicken (teriyaki glazed chicken breast). Definitely not “barbecue” (that’s another discussion), but well executed and satisfying.

The menu is extensive, featuring “barbecue”, burgers, curry, ramen, fried rice and even a few vegetarian selections. Shaved ice is on hand for dessert. They also currently have a few Hawaiian beers on hand (Longboard Ale and Pipeline Porter – made with Kona coffee).

So overall, maybe not the most spectacular food in town, but I think I had my expectations set correctly. This is actually the kind of place Atlanta could use more of – a restaurant that seems comfortable in it’s own skin – a place to relax and just let it be what it wants to be.

Waikikie Hawaiian BBQ
2160 Briarcliff Road, NE
Atlanta, GA 30329

Tamagoyaki with tomato and smoked salt

I think I’m the only person I know that not only doesn’t gripe when a sushi chef includes tamagoyaki  (a thinly layered Japanese sweet omelette) in a selection. I actually order the stuff. Lately, I’ve been enjoying cooking my eggs this way – I really like the texture it creates. OK, so it it may not be tamagoyaki in the true sense of the word, but it’s still made the same way. Plus, it’s a hell of a lot easier that making a proper French omelette – you don’t need all of the butter, excessive beating of the eggs or the constant jiggling of the pan and fretting over the heat (maybe I just suck at it).

In my opinion (the only one that matters here), the secret to making good tamagoyaki is in creating as many thin layers of egg as possible. You don’t need a special square pan – any non-stick pan will do. And you don’t have to season it with sugar, mirin and soy (but it’s really good if you do. Sometimes I’ll brush the layers with kecap manis – Indonesian sweet soy sauce). Most of the time I simply beat the eggs with a bit of salt and pepper.

Pre-heat the pan over medium heat, and add just a small amount of butter or oil. Then, wipe the pan with a paper towel to remove all but a thin film of the fat. Next is the easy part – just pour in a small amount of the beaten egg (better too little than too much – you can always add more) and swirl around the pan until you have created what is essentially, a paper thin crêpe. The egg will cook quickly. Before it becomes brown and crunchy on the bottom, simply fold it onto itself (thirds or fourths) and slide it back to the far side of the pan. Repeat until you run out of egg. After folding, you can wipe the pan with the paper towel to add a bit more fat to the pan if you feel it’s necessary. I obviously got all Denny’s on this one and folded in some paper thin tomato – but I think the addition of coarse smoked salt negated that factor…

(Sorry about the poor picture quality – it’s hard to cook and hold a Blackberry over the stove before you’ve had your coffee in the morning…)