A Bit of Kick...

This morning while reclining in my adjustable bed, drinking a cup of java (it's a Sunday morning thing) I happened to turn on the cooking channel with Bobby Flay who was grilling up Korean Style Grilled Chicken (This was after watching Sunday Morning on CBS about all of us overweight Americans). It looked so good that it got my creative juices going and I decided that "I" could come up with a marinade for my own grilled Asian Chicken. "It can't be all that hard" I said to myself. A little bit of this and a bit of that, stir it together and pour over the frozen chicken breasts and then let thaw all day and let that marinade get worked in.

I pulled my ingredients and utensils together and started in. In a few minutes, after a few minor adjustments...what was it that Bobby Flay said about cardamon and curry? I have a bad habit of not measuring, I'm sort of a pour and go with it kind of gal. Instead of mashing out my garlic like Guy Fieri I have this cool little apparatus that quickly does it. I can then brush it off into my bowl. Hmmmmm...a bit more of this...ah...my marinade was ready and to me it was outstanding. Such flavor with a touch of hot. I can hardly wait to heat the grill up this evening. But what to have with it? Ah...I know, grilled potato fingerling's, sweet onions, peppers with a few broccoli florets thrown in for green. I would do a zucchini but Dave is not that fond of that particular vegetable, what the heck, I will do a zucchini anyways because Christie and I like them.

Ok, I know you're wondering what I put in my marinade, well here goes.

Susie's Asian Marinade

2 large cloves garlic ground or pasted
3 Tbls. Hoysin Sauce
2 Tbls. Oyster Flavored Sauce
1 Tbls. Soy Sauce
1/4 Cup Chinese Sweet Chili Sauce for Chicken
12-15 Dashes of Tabasco Sauce
1 tsp. Toasted Sesame Oil
1/4 Cup Balsamic Vinegar or Rice Vinegar
1/4 Cup Olive Oil
1 tsp Coriander pressed with mortar and pestle to break seed open
1/8 tsp curry powder (optional)

Mix all together in a bowl, taste for heat, add more Tabasco if necessary, pour over chicken in a Ziploc plastic bag, seal and marinade for 4 to 6 hours. Turn bag over every hour. Make sure you have plenty of wood soaking for your grill. I use mesquite wood. Grill however you would grill it and enjoy.

My garlic grinder plate, yes it's made in China. It grinds the garlic clove making it into a lovely paste and you can grind whole nutmegs and the plate will not hurt your nails or your fingers. You can find them at Walgreen's for around $10.00 in the seen on TV isle. I would not be without this set. Just rinse plate and brush off with water for easy clean-up. You can grind up some garlic add some crushed red pepper and olive oil right in the garlic plate and you have a dipping sauce for Italian bread sticks. Along with the plate and brush is a garlic clove peeler, stick in a clove of garlic, roll it back and forth a few times and walla... it takes the skins right off the garlic clove. Hold the clove by the root end and swirl it with a bit of pressure around the grooves on the plate and you'll have mashed garlic in just a few seconds. Brush garlic off with the brush provided and you are set to go.

Here's my plated Asian Chicken with grilled vegetables. Time to dig in folks. Boy does that look good, hey Dave pass the...

Happy trails...