The Diary of Anne Ku

17 June 2000 Saturday hot and a little humid

BARBEQUE SAUCE

Most barbeques smell better than they taste. This one was no exception. The huge racks of lamb had been marinated in wild herbs and garlic. When the feast was finally served, I wondered if I should have brought my Texas barbeque sauce.

Last year, I begged my ex-colleague to bring from Texas barbeque sauce, vanilla extract, and chopped walnuts and pecans. These were the three things that I had trouble finding in London. Only luxury supermarkets, like Harrod's Food Stalls, carried such items. Even so, it was a hard find.

As a teenager, I used to experiment with sauces. My famous Chicken A La Ku enjoyed its debut after many variations of the barbeque theme. It turned out that barbeque sauce by itself was too boring. I would mix it with soy sauce, ketchup, freshly chopped home-grown red and green chilli peppers, garlic, scallions (spring onions), fresh ginger, and brown sugar. The chicken thighs and legs are soaked in the sauce for a few hours before being topped with fresh vegetables and fruit. This casserole dish was one of my favourites.

After cooking vegetarian for about two years, I decided to revisit this Chicken A La Ku for my friends. Out of sight, out of mind, out of practice. It was such a disaster, that I have not touched the remaining three bottles of Texas barbeque sauce since!

yesterday

tomorrow