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.

Galbi tacos with roasted corn, yellow tomato and basil “salsa”. I really don’t need to say anything else – you can bow down before me.

Galbi (pronounced “kai bee” – Korean for “rib”) are typically marinated and grilled (galbi gui) or braised (galbi jjim). The Buford Highway Farmer’s Market always has beautiful, marbled ribs and I just couldn’t resist.

The marinade is simple, and the longer you let it sit, the better (8-12 hours is optimal):

• 1 cup light soy
• 3/4 cup light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup rice wine
• 6 or so garlic cloves (minced)
• 2 tbsp ginger (minced)
• Black pepper
• Juice of 1/2 lime (optional – I’ve seen everything from mirin to Sprite added – feel free to play around)

Slap them on the grill and watch them like a hawk – they cook fast and all of that sugar loves to burn if you don’t watch out. Honestly, the taco part is a bit gratuitous – you’re lucky if you don’t just eat them all as soon as they come off the grill – but in the name of being thorough:

• 2-3 ears of corn (preferably Silver Queen), roasted in husk on grill
• 1 tomato, diced (any color will do)
• ~ 1tbsp chopped basil (grow your own!)
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• balsamic or red wine vinegar (to taste – I forgot how much)
• 1 tbsp honey

Cut kernels from corn (place one end of cob on a large plate or in a wide bowl and run the knife down – minimal escapage of stray kernels that way). Yes, I made up “escapage” – I don’t think it appears in either Larousse or Escoffier…

Blend olive oil, vinegar and honey, then mix with corn, tomatoes and basil.

Enjoy. (I love recipes that end with a presumptive imperative…)

San Bei Ji literally translates to “three cups chicken“. While there are variants on the dish, three cups typically refers to 1 cup each of sesame oil, soy sauce, and rice wine. This is one of those dishes that you definitely will not find in “Americanized” Chinese restaurants (I’ll save that rant for later) – it is a strongly flavored, almost pungent dish. Honestly, I have not found it in too many traditional Chinese restaurants in the Atlanta area either. While it is a mainland Chinese dish, it is very popular in Taiwan.

What is unique about this dish is the overload of flavor components in the dish – in addition to the three strongly flavored liquids, the dish includes copious amounts of garlic, basil, scallions and pepper. The real key, however is that during the cooking process, the liquid is reduced almost completely, concentrating the flavors even more.

Two of the three cups: soy & shaoxing rice wine

Chicken ( ji ), and the garlic (2 heads), ginger and serrano pepper

the finished dish

No, the recipe is not included yet. I want to make some refinements to my recipe, but as you can see from my previous post, I’m having some stove issues. However, I just bought a batch of basil and I’ve got a whole chicken waiting, so updates should be soon.