I didn't have a recipe for Thai BBQ sauce, so I took what I knew already about Asian sauces, and happily threw things together in my sauce pot. I knew I wanted something thick and syrupy, a little sweet, but mostly savory with a kick of spice and acid: the perfectly balanced sauce. Now, I'm not going to pat myself on the back and say that I accomplished the perfect sauce. However, I made something that was pretty yummy...and something I will certainly make again. It went especially well with meatballs and sauteed onions and bell pepper.
Usually, I do not put beer in my Asian dishes, but I had bough beer earlier in the day because we were going to our friend's house, and once I tasted the sauce without it, I though beer would be the perfect compliment to it. I had Deschutes Jubelale, which is a dark, bitter brew. That hint of bitterness was what the sauce really needed to be great. It also toned down the spiciness a touch, but added more flavor. I do believe other beers would taste good in this sauce, but you'll just have to experiment and find out!
Jess' Asian BBQ Sauce:
2 TB brown sugar
1-2 TB molasses
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup sriracha (more or less depending on how spicy you like it!)
1 TB fresh ginger, minced
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup beer (preferably something dark and bitter, though any beer will do)
Mix ingredient in a small sauce pan. Heat to boiling, then lower heat and simmer until the consistency is syrupy and coats the back of a spoon.
Meatballs:
1 pound ground beef (5% fat)
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 large egg
salt to taste (about 2 tsp)
pepper to taste
Add ingredients to a large bowl and mix thoroughly (now's a good time to use your hands!). Roll into small balls about 1" diameter. Spray baking sheet or casserole dish with oil and line meatballs on sheet. Bake at 400F for 20 minutes or until meatballs are browned on the outside and cooked through. Let meatballs cool slightly, then pour BBQ sauce over them and coat with sauce. 
Sauteed Veggies:
1-2 TB olive oil
1 onion (yellow or white), cut in half and sliced thinly
2 bell peppers
1/4 cup BBQ sauce
Heat olive oil in a large saute pan on medium high heat. (If you use too small a pan, the veggies will just steam which makes them soggy and less colorful. When sauteing properly, your veggies slightly brown on the outside, but the veggies will keep their crunch and color.) Add in onions and peppers and saute until slightly brown 3-4 minutes. Add in sauce and coat veggies and cook another 1-2 minutes. Take off the heat and cool slightly.
NOTE! When using bell peppers, I try to be discerning. Green bell peppers are very popular (especially in Asian dishes), however, they are very strongly flavored; they are less sweet and more grassy than other colored bell peppers. Red, yellow, and orange bell peppers are very mellow and sweet, plus they make dishes very colorful! For this dish, I used red bell peppers, but any color would work. It just depends on what taste you prefer.
Building the Sandwich:
1 small baguette or hot dog buns
sauteed veggies
BBQ meatballs
fresh cilantro
Cut baguette into sandwich portions and cut down the middle, so the bread opens like a sub. Drizzle some BBQ sauce over the bread, add cilantro, meatballs, then veggies. Drizzle a little more sauce on top. Then, enjoy! :) This is also great without the bread...low-carb stir fry!
What could have made this sandwich even better? A little sriracha mayo!
Sriracha Mayonnaise:
1 cup mayo
2-3 TB sriracha (or more if you like spicy!)
Mix ingredients thoroughly. Use like normal mayo or as a dipping sauce.
No comments:
Post a Comment