When asked to think of an Asian-themed barbeque, one invariably imagines skewers of satay grilling over hot charcoal embers, and stops there. Truly, we have been so acculturated to franks, chicken wings and jacket potatoes over the barbi that we are lost for ideas on grilling food, Asian-style. Well, not that it is a bad thing, but the wealth of spices and ingredients that we have at our disposal in this part of the world is so astounding, it is almost a sin to let them go to waste without trying to use them to your best advantage for a barbeque.

Aromatic herbs such as screwpine leaves (more commonly known as pandan) and kaffir lime leaves. Lovely ground spices like tumeric and exotic seasonings like fish sauce. All these quintessentially Asian ingredients are incorporated into a medley of recipes for an Asian Barbeque meal story for this edition of The Weekend Chef.

To kick things off to a spicy start, Chili Garlic Lime Prawns does the trick. This recipe is so easy to make, all you need to do to impress your dinner party is to ensure that the prawns used are super fresh. In fact, the simplicity of the dish is intended to bring out the wonderful flavour of the grilled shrimps. By wrapping the prawns with kaffir lime leaves prior to barbequing, you would find the most amazing yet subtle hint of lime as the leaves start to roast and envelop the prawns with their aroma. Although securing the dainty leaves around the slippery prawns may seem like a huge hassle, believe me, it is well worth your effort.

The star of the show is the Pandan Chicken, which are tasty morsels of chicken marinated in a mildly spicy sauce laced with coconut milk, encased in sheaths of pandanus leaves. As with almost all food containing coconut milk or santan, it is advisable to marinate it in the refrigerator overnight, to allow the flavours to fully develop. There is no specific techniques to wrapping the chicken pieces, so do ‘play by ear’ and find a method that is most comfortable to you. Provided, of course, the chicken pieces are fully covered with pandan leaves and secured with toothpicks. The toothpicks should always be soaked in water before usage, as they tend to burn over the grill.

Since every barbeque has to have the mandatory side serving of a salad, for this Asian rendition, we have a Thai Mango Kerabu in its place instead. You can use any type of firm, young mangoes for this recipe as long as it is pleasantly sour. Top this with crispy fried cuttlefish and dried shrimp bits, toss together with the fish sauce dressing and it is ready to be devoured.

I shall leave the dessert to your imagination, but personally, I think that barbeques should be as fuss-free as possible. Therefore, nothing beats freshly-cut slices of watermelon or other juicy thirst quenching fruits. Tropical fruits, of course, in keeping to the theme of Asian Barbeque.

Have fun experimenting and bon appetit!