Love the taste of barbequed meats? I do! Ever since I bought a smokeless indoor grill, my family has been able to enjoy eating barbequed foods throughout the year, rain or shine! So, I’m going to share with you some of my all-time favorite store-bought and home-made Asian BBQ Marinades 燒烤醃料.
Usually when you think of Chinese barbeque, Char Siu, crispy barbequed pork and barbequed duck may come to mind. But these are only Cantonese style barbeques. Did you know that in many parts of China, Barbequed Skewers 燒烤串 (shāo kǎo chùan) are extremely popular? Chinese barbeque flavours are greatly influenced by Chinese Islamic cultures. Consequently, the use of cumin is the signature flavor for these skewers. Besides all the basic chicken, beef and pork; lamb and seafood skewers are extremely popular. The meats are mostly sliced thinly and skewered. You can also find various organ meats like chicken heart, liver and gizzard all on a skewer.
Vegetables like corn, asparagus, eggplant, potatoes, brussel sprouts and fresh shitake mushrooms can also be barbequed. Other ideas are fish, beef and pork balls; pork or beef tongue; fish tofu puffs; and luncheon meat just to name a few.
Even if you have no time to prepare your own Asian BBQ marinades 燒烤醃料, just go to your nearby Asian grocery store and go down the sauce aisle. Pretty much any sauce can be a barbeque marinade. There are a few that are my personal favorites and I always have a few packs ready for action in my pantry. They help me have food ready in 5 to 15 minutes for times when time is tight. And everyone loves the taste!
My smokeless grill is basically a regular grill that has a water pan under the grill. It still smokes but it’s less. We still enjoy it though. If you don’t have an indoor grill, I highly recommend it. Makes meal time fun for the whole family. Having lots of skewers is fun too! By the way, if you come across an indoor grill that is really smokeless, please leave me a note to let me know. Thanks!
Mama Sita’s Barbeque Marinade Mix is a must have for me. In my pantry, I have at least 3 packets ready to go at any given time. They are great for any kind of meat. It’s sweet, savoury and has a slight tang. I like to cut up some pork butt into cubes, sprinkle the mix, put them on skewers and then on the grill or even a fry pan. There’s no need to marinade. Finish it with a light brush of honey to crisp up the fats. I haven’t met anyone who didn’t like them.
Asian Home Gourmet Peanut Sauce is wonderful for a bit of a South East Asian taste. It can be made into a dipping sauce or used as a marinade. For this one, you need to add coconut milk or cream and some oil. I also add some chunky peanut better to enhance the peanut taste. Add some chilis if you can take the heat!
Fuji Dressing is absolutely delicious! I could very well just drink it from the bottle! It’s a Korean dressing that is made from Fuji apples, soy sauce, sesame seeds and other yummy things. I find that this goes really well with beef. Marinade thinly sliced rib-eye with this baby and put it on the grill. You can also wrap it up with some green leaf or romaine lettuce to make it extra refreshing. I found this at H-mart in the refrigerated section. I’ve also seen it at Japanese grocery stores. Must try!
Yuzu preserves are usually used to make beverages. But I like to add it to my cooking to add a bit of je ne sais quoi. It’s sweet and has a unique tanginess. Great for white meats and duck. Just add some dark soy sauce, light soy sauce, mix it up and you’ve got a marinade.
And here are some of my own blends:
- Basic marinade: equal parts of light soy sauce, dark soy sauce and sugar. Add a bit of salt and chopped garlic. Good for any kind of meat. Very important that when the meat is almost cooked, brush with honey
- 5 Spice Rub: 1 tsp 5 spice powder, 1 tsp garlic powder, ½ tsp salt, ¼ white pepper powder. I believe that this rub works best with pork. This will have a similar taste to Chinese crispy roast pork
- Chinese Skewer Rub/Marinade: this is for those who like it hot! Numbing hot, I mean! ½ tsp Sichuan peppercorn, ¼ tsp cumin powder, ¼ white pepper powder, ½ cayenne pepper powder, ½ tsp salt, and ½ tsp sugar. To make it into a marinade, add 1 tsp Shaoxing wine and 1 tbsp dark soy sauce
- Cola Soda Marinade: 200ml Cola carbonated drink, 1 tbsp chopped garlic, 2 slices ginger, 1 tbsp light soy sauce, 1 tbsp dark soy sauce, 1 tsp sesame seeds, 1 tsp oyster sauce, and 1 stalk green onions (cut into 2” pieces and crush with a meat pounder to let out its flavor). Marinade using a Ziploc bag. This marinade seems to be best suited for chicken
- Cha Siu Marinade: 2 tbsp hoisin sauce, 1 tbsp light soy sauce, 1 tsp dark soy sauce, 1 heaping tbsp maltose or honey, and 1 tsp Mei Gui Lu wine (rose wine). If you can’t find mei gui lu wine, you can also use Shaoxing wine or other rice wines. Marinade using a Ziploc bag. Add 2 whole shallots cut in half, and a stalk of green onion. Remember to crush the green onions before putting it in the Ziploc bag. It’s best to marinade in the fridge over-night or at least 3 hours.
After you remove the meat from the bag for grilling, save some of the marinade and mix it with more maltose or honey to brush on the meat during grilling. Brush every 5 minutes on both sides until done for best results. Brush only with honey for the last brushing to get a bit of a sweet char.
I don’t recommend using store-bought cha siu sauce because the ones I’ve tasted have an exaggerated, or manufactured, cha siu taste to it, making it unauthentic tasting. I prefer achieving the taste through mixing sauces myself. If you want to make it red, you can add red food colouring to the marinade.
I hope you all enjoy my all-time favorite store-bought and home-made Asian BBQ Marinades 燒烤醃料!
Need drinks to go with your BBQ feast? Try my recipes for Apple Fig Tea 蘋果無花果茶, Hong Kong Milk Tea 港式奶茶, or Hong Kong Lemon Tea 港式檸檬茶.
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