with chef Patrick Ho from Fortuna Hanoi Hotel 

Nothing like a good BBQ platter, especially when you have friends and family with you. Here is the recipe for three meat dishes. Enjoy!

To make Mishkaki:

1kg beef steak, cut into cubes

1 tbsp ginger paste

1 tbsp garlic paste

2-3 tbsp grated raw papaya (acts as a tenderiser)

Salt to taste

1 tsp red chilli powder (more for hotter flavour)

1 tsp turmeric powder

2 tbsp oil

1 tbsp tomato puree

1 tbsp tamarind paste or lemon juice

1 tbsp curry powder or tandoori masala, whichever flavour you prefer

Method:

- Mix all the ingredients well, and then marinate the beef in it preferably overnight for the meat to tenderise.

- Skewer the meat on bbq sticks, and cook over a hot grill or using an oven broiler until tender. You can brush a bit of oil during the cooking process so that the meat doesn’t dry out.

To make Tandoori Chicken/Chicken Tikka:

- 1 chicken, skin removed then cut into quarters or 8 pieces.

Chef Patrick Ho

Method:

- Make 2-3 deep slits on each piece of chicken, then slather the pieces with the marinade. The slitting ensures that the flavour from the marinade goes all the way into the chicken, and also helps with quick and even cooking. Refrigerate covered preferably overnight for best results, but even up to 4-6 hours is OK.

- BBQ this on a grill over hot coals, using low heat to ensure the chicken is cooked through. Make sure you oil the grill so that the chicken doesn’t stick, and turn the pieces over every few minutes to get all sides equally done.

- Similarly, turn them over once or twice on the oven tray so all sides are equally done.

- If there is any marinade leftover, you can add a bit of water to it and cook it over low heat until it thickens and is done, this can then be drizzled over your chicken when serving. Keep the chicken wrapped in foil until time of serving to retain heat and moisture.

To make Sheesh Kabab:

- 1 kg beef mince (ask your butcher for ‘kabab’ mince....they normally grind/mince it 2-3 times to make it extra smooth and add some percentage of fat-content to keep the kabab mixture nice and moist)

- 1 bunch coriander

- 1 medium sized onion

- Salt to taste

- 1 tbsp garlic paste

- 2 tbsp ginger paste

- 2 tbsp crushed green chillis (or more for hotter flavour)

- 1 lemon’s juice

- 1 tbsp turmeric powder

- 1 tbsp freshly grinded jeera

Method:

- Grind/blend the coriander, ginger, garlic, onion and green chillis with lemon to a paste and add it to the mince mixture.

- Add the rest of the ingredients and mix thoroughly. Let it marinate for a few hours (2-3) in the refrigerator. Form small balls and skewer them on flat skewers.

- Moisten hands with cold water and flatten the balls on the skewer until somewhat flat, then grill immediately on medium heat, do not turn immediately otherwise they would keep falling into the fire.

- Once the bottom side is slightly done, turn the skewer and do the other side. To keep them juicy, do not over-cook as they will get hard.

- Let the skewer stand for about a minute before removing the kabab as it keeps cooking a little more even after removing from the direct heat.

You can enjoy the dish at Fortuna Hotel, 6B Láng Hạ St, Ba Đình Dist, Hà Nội. Tel: (84 – 4) 3831 3333 – 6435/6437/6413. Website: pr@fortuna.gvn | fortuna.vn.