Thai Red Curry BBQ Sauce

I imagine that many people in non-barbecue-famous states believe that bbq sauce is one of those magical substances that exist only in bottles on supermarket shelves. Most of these people have the fixins for a classic sweet tomato-based sauce in their own fridge and pantry. A lot of ketchup, some brown sugar, onions, garlic, and various savory seasonings are all one needs to make a perfect topping for grilled chicken, ribs, and pulled pork. And there's no limitations to the kind of savory seasonings that can be used. For the sauce here (pictured on pulled pork), I cleaned out the last 2 tablespoons from a jar of red curry paste and finished up a big bottle of fish sauce. If Alabama can make white barbecue sauce with mayonnaise, and North Carolina with loads of vinegar, then why can't I make a sauce with flavors borrowed from Thai food?

I can. I will. And I did. And it was pretty tasty.

I had that supermarket red curry to use up, and that stuff is pretty mild. If you want some real kick to your 'que, then use the Maesri brand paste they sell in Asian markets, or, if you have the wherewithal, make your own.

Thai Red Curry BBQ Sauce

1/2 onion, diced
1 tablespoon olive oil
Pinch salt
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons Thai Kitchen red curry paste
4 tablespoons dark brown sugar
3 tablespoons fish sauce
3 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon honey or agave syrup
1 tablespoon light soy
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger

In a medium saucepan, cook the onion in the olive oil and pinch of salt over medium heat until translucent. Stir in the garlic and cook an additional minute or two. Add the remaining ingredients and stir well. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Taste for seasoning; if you think it should be saltier, add more fish sauce. More tangy, add more lime. Thai Kitchen red curry paste is mild/not hot, so if you want heat, add a pinch or two of cayenne pepper.



Posted on Minxeats.com.

Thai Bolognese

In a three day period, Mr Minx and I dined at Bobby Flay's new restaurant, Gato, had a 7-course lunch at Le Bernardin, another multi-course lunch at Ma Peche, and dinner at Harold Dieterle's Kin Shop. With all of that good food behind us, it was hard to come home to a fridge full of nothing. Right away we went to the grocery store to stock up on fresh veggies and dinner fixins. I figured a spicy Asian-style meal would be a good segue from fancy NY food to home cooking, and the first night home whipped up a pasta sauce that was part laab, part Bolognese.

I wanted to use ground pork, but the store we visited had none. Instead, I used ground turkey and made sure to season it well to get rid of, well, the turkey flavor. There's always an assortment of Asian condiments in the fridge (miso, gochujang, hoisin, chili bean paste) so I combined my favorite Thai chilli with basil paste and red curry paste, plus lots of fish sauce, lime juice, and coconut milk powder to make a richly flavored yet light sauce. You could use liquid coconut milk, but I find it doesn't keep well if you don't use the whole can right away. Instead, I always have packets of dried coconut milk so I can use a little or a lot and then store the rest in a zip-top bag in the cupboard.

While the dish wasn't Kin Shop-worthy, it was still pretty darn delicious.

Thai "Bolognese" Sauce

1/2 large onion, chopped
Vegetable oil
The innermost leaves of 1 stalk of lemongrass, bashed with the side of a knife and minced
1 lb ground turkey or pork
2 cloves minced garlic
1 tablespoon Thai chilli basil paste (Maesri brand)
1 tablespoon red curry paste (Thai Kitchen)
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
4 tablespoons fish sauce
2 tablespoons coconut powder
1/4 cup water
Juice of half a lime
1 teaspoon superfine sugar
Chopped cilantro
Thai basil
Chopped scallions
Fresh mint

Cook onion in vegetable oil over medium high heat until translucent. Add lemongrass and ground meat, breaking up meat with wooden spoon. Cook, stirring constantly, until meat is mostly cooked through and beginning to brown. Stir in garlic, chilli basil and red curry pastes, and 1 tablespoon of the fish sauce.

Combine the coconut powder, water, and lime juice in a bowl. Pour over meat mixture in pan and stir well. Add sugar and remaining fish sauce. Turn heat to low. Cook mixture until ground meat doesn't taste strongly of turkey or pork but has taken on the flavors of the pastes and fish sauce, 5-10 minutes.

Serve over pasta or rice, garnished with plenty of fresh herbs and scallions. Alternately, you can chill the mixture and eat it like laab (Thai ground meat salad), rolled in fresh lettuce leaves.

Serves 4-6.



Posted on Minxeats.com.