BBQ

On the menu today: barbecued burgers and tikka boti. The tikka botis were supposed to be shish kebabs, but we misplaced our skewers when we were moving into our new home. The entire menu was for four people only, so keep that in mind if using the recipe.

I marinated both the meats a day before so they would be tender and ready for the grill. So the first thing I did today, as my brother started up the grill, was to create what I call 'pickle envy'. Last year, when I was testing a new knife, I accidentally created this awesome tongue screamer which is not for the faint hearted. You gotta have pickle love for this condiment, and it's the best topping for a barbecued burger I've ever eaten.

Take a dozen banana peppers, a dozen jalapenos, one dill pickle, three slices of pickled turnips, and a dozen green olives. Chop them together into tiny cubes, you don't want any big pieces in your burger. The end result will taste sweet, sour, and spicy. This condiment has a long shelf life, so store it away in your fridge and you can keep reusing it with many kinds of sandwiches.

Mushroom, Onions, Cheese

Then I chopped one medium onion and one large portobello mushroom, put them together on aluminum foil and lay that on a grill. I cooked them halfway, just enough to soften them but not loose their flavor, and then put American cheese on to melt. Swiss cheese and provolone is also a good choice, but I stuck with this one. By the way, I did the mushrooms and onions when the burgers were almost done, since this goes on top of the burger, but I wanted to type this up before I got to the meat.

Beef Botis

I marinated the meat a day before. Take about a pound and half of zabiha halal beef, cut it into small squares. Put one tablespoon of pureed ginger, and two tablespoons of pureed garlic.Then mix in an entire packet of Shan's Tandoori Chicken. I know I know... I used a chicken recipe to make beef botis... but trust me. Also add two tablespoons of vegetable oil. Make sure to seal it in a tight container and put it away in the fridge. Next day, just throw the botis straight on the grill, or use aluminum foil if the botis are too small and might fall into the fire below.

BBQ Burgers

Just like the beef botis, marinate the burger meat a day before as well. Take a pound and half of zabiha halal lean ground beef... ground thick like sausage meat. Add a spoon of pureed ginger and two spoons of pureed garlic and mix it really well with your hand. Add one teaspoon salt and one teaspoon black pepper. And two tablespoons of olive oil. Nothing else. Mix very well, seal it tight, and put it away in the fridge. Take it out next day, break one egg in it, and start making patties. But make small round ones, because you want to make sure the grill cooks the meat thoroughly.

The only thing left then is to put together the burger and eat! Set all the sides down so people can make their own burgers. And serve the beef botis with green chutney. Which you can make by blending one cilantro bunch, two green chillies, one teaspoon salt, two tablespoons of lemon juice, one tablespoon vegetable oil, and half teaspoon of fresh garlic. Just put all that in a blender, add a little water if you have to, but that should do it.

Bon Appetit!