Grilling

Grilling is one of my favorite methods of cooking. There always seems to be a ritual that accompanies it, especially when we don’t use the electric grill. One of the things that I love best about it is that the food is usually so good that it practically signals you to eat with your hands, the polite way, of course. Yes, there’s a polite way and a barbarian way of eating with your hands. It depends on which country you’re in, of course, but the general rule is not to stuff your face and not to play with your food. Another thing I love about grilling is that the food tastes really simple, at least most of the time. It’s usually not smothered in sauce and its natural flavors just seem more enhanced.

All the grilled things

The grilling process is pretty straight forward. I guess the hardest bit would be lighting the charcoal (if you’re using a charcoal grill). In the US, I’ve usually used charcoal that’s been pre-soaked in lighter fluid. When I told my mom about this, she gasped and said there was no way something so flammable would enter her house. And, they are quite combustible. Whenever I light one of these up I immediately feel like a little pyromaniac. The only thing I would add to this is that you should the charcoal burn a bit first before putting anything on the grill. If you don’t, your dish is going to taste like kerosene, and trust me, that does not taste good. In the Philippines, though, my family does it differently. The charcoals we use are not soaked in lighter fluid, so we usually hold one piece over the stove fire. Once a little flame has started on that piece, we add it to the pile of charcoal on the grill. Then the hard part begins. We have to fan the flame until most of the charcoal pieces have caught fire. On the plus side, your food won’t taste like kerosene. On the downside, your arm will feel like it’s falling off.

The trick to any great seafood dish is fresh fish. You can tell if the fish is fresh by looking at how clear its eyes are. Also, it shouldn't smell fishy. It should smell like the sea.

Here are some examples of what we love to grill. Fish is my mom’s absolute favorite. The fish here is locally called samaral. It’s a good grilling fish. You can grill all kinds of fish and even shellfish, but it’s important to remember that not all fish will taste their best when grilled. There are some fish that are just more appropriate for other uses. Oh, don’t forget to season your fish very well when grilling. Rub the salt all over the fish. If you’re cooking a large fish, don’t forget to do the insides too. Unseasoned fish tastes bleh…unless it was still alive 15 minutes before you placed it on the grill. Also, try not to turn your fish too often. You’ll know when one side is cooked if the fish’s skin does not stick to the grill. Do not force it to turnover or your fish will fall apart.

Don't forget to rub salt inside the cavity!

Grilled eggplant is another favorite. It’s easy to tell if it’s cook too. Basically, it’s cooked if it’s soft and its skin practically falls from it. If you’ve got the bigger and fatter variety, you may want to slice it thinly and then rub some extra virgin olive oil on it first. You may also want to season it. If you’re using the smaller ones, like these, all you need to do is throw it on the grill. My two favorite grilled eggplant dishes are Tortang Talong and Eggplant Salsa. You can access the tortang talong recipe here. Here's the recipe for Eggplant salsa:

Eggplant Salsa

1 (or 2) grilled eggplant, peeled and mashed, with the head removed

1 small red onion, diced

3 cloves of garlic, chopped

1 tomato, diced

3 tablespoons vinegar (preferably coconut vinegar, but any other type except balsamic vinegar would do)

salt and pepper to taste

In a bowl, combine the eggplant, onion, garlic and tomato. Add the vinegar and season to taste. Mix well, then serve.

Once the eggplant is cooked, its skin will peel away easily.

I honestly did not know you could grill bananas. It was my mom’s idea, and boy, was it a good one. You have to use saba bananas, of course, mostly because it’s the cooking banana. The banana formed a nice little crust once it was done, so there was a slightly crispy layer with a soft inside. The banana retained its natural sweetness. It may seem right to add sugar to it, but I wouldn’t suggest it. The banana was great by itself.

Grilling bananas

Forming a nice crust on the bananas

Of Tortang Talong and Lemon Pepper Fish

When I started writing this entry, I realized that I should probably look up the definition of torta. I figured that since this was a Filipino recipe, there must be an interesting history to this dish. I figured that it must have started in Spain. A quick look in Wikipedia proved me right, but it also showed me that there were so many definitions referring to torta. In Mexico, it's a sandwich, and a flat bread in Spain. Depending on where you are in the Philippines, it can either be omelette or a sweet cupcake-like thingy. (I couldn't think of another word to describe Tortang Cebuana) 

One of my absolute favorite versions of the word torta is tortang talong. Tortang talong is essentially an eggplant omelette. The best thing about it is the smoky smell of the eggplant as you grill it.

Here's what you need:

1 eggplant

1 egg, beaten

salt

pepper

Grill the eggplant until its skin start to char and break apart. Then remove the skin. You don't even need to exert effort in this step since the skin almost literally pulls away from the eggplant. Then using a fork, flatten the eggplant. Then it's dipping time. Dip the eggplant into the eggs and fry! Season with salt and pepper. When one side is done, flip! When the omelette looks cooked, remove it from the pan and eat!

Tortang Talong

Notice that the recipe only makes one torta. So, you'll have to make more if you're serving other people...or if you just want to eat a lot. Don't forget, tortang talong tastes really good with ketchup. It just does, at least for me. Also, there are a few variations you can do with tortang talong. Here they are:

1. You can add peas and carrots. Add them once you put the eggplants in the pan for frying.

2. You can sauté onions and garlic, then place the eggplant over a little mound of them and continue frying. (This is actually what I did)

3. Some people put meat in as well.

Of course, I couldn't just eat torta alone (although, of course, you can). So, I decided that a little fried fish should go with it. This recipe is sooo simple, and sooo good. 

For the Lemon Pepper Fish, you'll need:

1 white fish fillet

Juice of 1 lemon

pepper

salt

First thing to do is assess whether or not one fish fillet is too big or too small. My fish fillet was quite big, so I sliced it into two pieces. You don't have to do this is your fillet is too small or if you like big pieces. Then I marinated the fillets in half the lemon juice for about 5-7minutes. Then I seasoned the fish with salt and lots of pepper. Remember to at least put enough pepper such that you can actually taste the pepper. You can use either finely grounded pepper or roughly grounded.  Finally, pan fry until golden brown on both sides.

Lemon Pepper Fish

Serve both dishes with rice. You might want to try a different sauce for the fish, though. I suggest a mixture of soy sauce and lemon, or better yet, calamansi (or calamondin).