Ingredient: fresh ginger, grated

Spicy Honey Lime Chicken

I’m one of those people who almost always has chicken frozen in my freezer, so I’m always interested in ‘another’ chicken recipe. 

Marinated in honey, lime juice, soy sauce, and garlic, these honey lime chicken skewers have a tangy, sweet, and salty taste, 

A perfect marinade for chicken guarantees the chicken will be flavorful and juicy. So, marinades should always combine an acid (such as vinegar or lime juice), fat, and sweetness. Salt, herbs, and spices also contribute to the end flavor of marinated chicken.

Honey and lime is an all-time flavor pairing. It not only works on sweet things, but it also plays nice with savory dishes. I think the reason it works so well is that it’s got that perfect balance between tangy and sweet. Add in a few savory and salty elements in the rest of the marinade, and the flavors are just mouthwatering.

The honey lime chicken marinade I’m using today infuses the chicken with loads of flavor, but it also helps caramelize the outside of the chicken, so you get not only gorgeous flavor, but a beautiful textural contrast between the crisp, caramelized exterior and the tender, flavorful interior.

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 Spicy Honey Lime Chicken
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Course Main Dish
Cuisine Mexican
Keyword spicy honey lime chicken
Servings
SERVINGS
Ingredients
Chicken
Honey Lime Marinade
Course Main Dish
Cuisine Mexican
Keyword spicy honey lime chicken
Servings
SERVINGS
Ingredients
Chicken
Honey Lime Marinade
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Instructions
Marinade
  1. Whisk all marinade ingredients together in a small bowl or blend them in a food processor.
Marinate Chicken
  1. Pour HALF the marinade into a zip-lock bag or container & add chicken. Marinate for 30 minutes at room temperature or 6-12 hours in the refrigerator. IMPORTANT: If marinating overnight, leave out the lime juice & increase zest so it doesn't 'cook' the chicken.
Glaze
  1. Use the reserved marinade for basting & glazing. Mix the cornstarch into the reserved marinade & microwave for about 1 minute, watching carefully. Set aside.
Grilling
  1. Spray grill with oil. Heat grill to medium-high heat. Skewer marinated chicken pieces onto skewers & PAT DRY. Discard the marinade used for marinating. Lightly spray chicken with oil to avoid sticking.
  2. Grill on all sides until chicken cooks to a golden brown (you will need to turn chicken a couple of times), for 9-12 minutes in total (depending on the thickness & how tightly packed the skewers are), basting once or twice with the GLAZE.
  3. Any extra glaze can be drizzled over cooked skewers. Serve with lime wedges if you wish. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Pulled Pork Naan Pizza w/ Peach Onion Chutney

CELEBRATING HERITAGE DAY!

In 1974, the first Monday of August was made an official provincial holiday to recognize and celebrate the varied cultural heritage of Albertans.

The Heritage Festival in our city of Edmonton, Alberta Canada is one of the world’s largest three-day multicultural events, taking place every August. The festival showcases a diversity of cuisine, entertainment, interpretive materials, and crafts worldwide. There is no admission to enter or to watch the many cultural dances and folk music shows throughout the day. Attendees will be able to purchase various food made by the pavilions. Due to the renovations currently happening at William Hawrelak Park, the festival has been relocated to the Edmonton Exhibition Lands and Borden Parks. 

Today, I’m doing a savory version with some pulled pork with a seasonal fresh peach and onion chutney. Chutney is a condiment that originated in India that can add an extra zing to your meal. A chutney may be sweet and spicy or sweet and savory, depending on the spices and other ingredients used. Often served with meats, such as chicken, pork, or ham, as well as fish.

You’ve likely eaten naan bread at some time. The tasty Indian flatbread is traditionally cooked in the tandoor, carries a slight smoky aroma, and has a soft texture with pillow-like pockets studded over the top. Puffed flatbread has the power to move beyond a dinner accompaniment. It’s worthy of a role far better — like actually being the main course.

It proves to be super versatile — naan is soft and sturdy enough to take the place of bread, thin enough to be used as a flatbread or pizza dough, and pliable enough to work as a tortilla. It can be soaked, baked, fried, and folded to take on some surprising and delicious forms such as French toast, savory bread pudding, paninis, nachos or even as a dessert naan bread with bananas, strawberries & chocolate.

Ever since Brion & I got ‘tuned in’ to savory naan bread pizzas, we love them no matter what the topping is. Should be a good meal for today!

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 Pulled Pork Naan Pizza w/ Peach Onion Chutney
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Course Main Dish
Cuisine Asia
Keyword pulled pork naan pizza w/ peach onion chutney
Servings
Ingredients
Peach Onion Chutney
Caramelized Onions
Other Ingredients
Course Main Dish
Cuisine Asia
Keyword pulled pork naan pizza w/ peach onion chutney
Servings
Ingredients
Peach Onion Chutney
Caramelized Onions
Other Ingredients
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Instructions
Peach Onion Chutney
  1. In a large heavy pot, combine sugar, vinegar, ginger, cumin, cinnamon & pepper flakes. Bring to a simmer over low heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Add peaches & onion; increase heat to medium high & cook until peaches are tender & mixture thickens. Cool. ( I prefer to make this a day ahead).
Caramelized Onions
  1. In a skillet, heat oil until hot. Add onion & sprinkle with salt. Cook & stir about 15 minutes or until moisture has evaporated & onion is soft. Reduce heat, sprinkle with vinegar. Cook & stir until golden. Add brown sugar, stirring until caramel in color. Remove from heat & cool.
Assembly
  1. Preheat oven to 375 F.
  2. On a large sheet of parchment paper, place 4 Naan breads & place on a baking sheet.
  3. Carefully spread peach onion chutney liberally over each Naan bread. Sprinkle each with a bit of grated cheese.
  4. Layer with pulled pork & caramelized onions. Top with remaining cheese & bake 15-20 minutes or until hot & bubbly. Remove from oven & serve.

Spicy Apricot Mango Stilton Galette


This spicy galette makes an interesting dessert with the sweetness of mango and apricot fruit, as well as savory with the creaminess of stilton, crunchy pepitas, and the perfection of a cornmeal pastry crust.

Stilton cheese takes its name from the village of Stilton, in the east of England. White Stilton has a light, fresh, slightly acidic flavor that makes it a perfect partner for fruit.

White Stilton with mango & ginger is a blended cheese which incorporates mango and ginger to impart a sweet, savory intense flavor to the traditional Stilton cheese. Stilton on its own is extremely creamy and delicious but the addition of fruit accords the cheese a new dimension. As it melts, the unusual combination of the mango adding a fruity flavor and the ginger adding a mildly warming, spiced overtone. White Stilton with mango & ginger is perfect for a breakfast or dessert cheese.

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 Spicy Apricot Mango Stilton Galette
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Course dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword spicy apricot mango stilton galette
Servings
Ingredients
Cornmeal Pastry
Filling
Course dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword spicy apricot mango stilton galette
Servings
Ingredients
Cornmeal Pastry
Filling
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Instructions
Pastry
  1. In a small bowl, combine sour cream & ice water; set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, cornmeal, sugar & salt. Using a pastry blender or fingertips, cut in the butter until mixture resembles BOTH coarse crumbs & small peas. Sprinkle the cold sour cream mixture over dough, 1 Tbsp at a time, tossing with a fork to evenly distribute it. After you have added all the sour cream mixture, dough should be moist enough to stick together when pressed; if not, add additional cold water, 1 tsp at a time. Do not overwork dough.
  2. Press dough into a disk shape & wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours. The dough can be kept in the refrigerator for a day or two or it can be wrapped airtight & frozen for a month. Thaw, still wrapped in refrigerator.
Filling
  1. In a saucepan over medium heat, add apple cider vinegar, brown sugar, ginger, anise seeds, cloves, pepper, cardamom, cinnamon & sea salt. When mixture starts to bubble, add dried apricots & mangoes. Cook, stirring often, until fruit is soft. Set aside to cool.
  2. Preheat the oven to 425 F.
  3. On a large sheet of parchment paper, roll or press out chilled pastry into a 13-inch circle. Spread mixture evenly over dough, leaving about a 1 1/2-inch border. Gently fold pastry over filling, pleating to hold it in. Sprinkle with crumbled Stilton cheese. Brush with egg wash (if using).
  4. Bake 35-45 minutes until filling bubbles up & crust is golden. Remove from oven & sprinkle with pepita seeds. Serve.
Recipe Notes
  • If filling seems too dry, add a bit of water or apple juice.

Peach Chutney Galette

This peach chutney galette has all the flavors of a classic peach pie, plus the pop of fresh ginger, apple cider vinegar and spice.

I love chutneys and find that just about any fruit can be made into one. Each chutney is a balance of sweet, sour, savory and spice with endless variations. When it comes to the ways you can eat or serve it, a few that come to mind are:

  • Add it to a chicken sandwich
  • Serve with cured meats & cheese
  • Serve on the side with empanadas or meat pies
  • Eat it with any cooked pork meal
  • Serve with grilled sausages or roasted poultry
  • Serve it with pate
  • As a topping for warm Brie cheese
  • Mixed into Greek yogurt
  • Puree it & use as a dipping sauce
  • Served on a burger

Peaches are one of those fruits that make their way into summer chutneys so why not put some in a galette and see what develops?!

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 Peach Chutney Galette
Votes: 2
Rating: 4.5
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Course dessert
Cuisine American, European
Keyword peach chutney galette
Servings
Ingredients
Pastry
Peach Chutney Filling
Course dessert
Cuisine American, European
Keyword peach chutney galette
Servings
Ingredients
Pastry
Peach Chutney Filling
Votes: 2
Rating: 4.5
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Instructions
Pastry
  1. In a small bowl, combine sour cream & ice water; set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, cornmeal, sugar & salt. Using a pastry blender or fingertips, cut in the butter until mixture resembles BOTH coarse crumbs & small peas. Sprinkle the cold sour cream mixture over dough, 1 Tbsp at a time, tossing with a fork to evenly distribute it. After you have added all the sour cream mixture, dough should be moist enough to stick together when pressed; if not, add additional cold water, 1 tsp at a time. Do not overwork dough.
  2. Press dough into a disk shape & wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours. The dough can be kept in the refrigerator for a day or two or it can be wrapped airtight & frozen for a month. Thaw, still wrapped in refrigerator.
Filling
  1. In a saucepan over medium heat, add apple cider vinegar, brown sugar, ginger, star anise, cloves, pepper, cardamom & sea salt. When mixture starts to bubble, fold in about 2 cups sliced peaches. Bring the mixture to a boil; turn down heat to a lively simmer. Cook, stirring often, 20-30 minutes, or until mixture has thickened enough to easily coat a spoon. Set aside to cool.
Assembly
  1. When chutney is cooled, preheat oven to 350 F. On a large sheet of parchment paper, roll or press out chilled pastry into a 12-inch circle.
  2. In a large bowl, stir to combine remaining peaches, cooled chutney, 1/4 cup sugar & cornstarch.
  3. Spread mixture evenly over dough, leaving a 1 1/2-inch border. Gently fold pastry over peach chutney filling, pleating to hold it in. Brush with egg wash (if using); sprinkle with sugar.
  4. Bake 35-45 minutes until filling bubbles up & crust is golden. Chill at least 2 hours to prevent the filling from running out. Serve as is or with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Pulled Turkey Pizza w/ Rhubarb Chutney

In a time when people chatted over the fence rather than the internet, backyards had rhubarb patches. The big, old-fashioned plant with its huge ruffled green leaves is easy to grow and its extremely hardy. The same roots can produce rhubarb for up to 15 years. Pioneer women smuggled rhubarb cuttings across the plains, even though they were not supposed to take anything worth less than a dollar a pound because of the crowded covered wagon conditions.

Most often we cloak rhubarb in sugar for cake, cheesecake or pies. This recipe shifts rhubarb to the savory side, a chutney that is fabulous in pulled turkey pizza. This pizza concept changes up the usual tomato sauce base with a spiced rhubarb chutney. Chutney is good with pretty much everything and takes on unexpected flavors when paired with different foods.

This pizza was an experiment that turned out to be amazing with the combination of salty and sweet. The addition of a potato crust and some caramelized onions, what’s not to like?! Of course, you have to start with being a rhubarb lover.

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 Pulled Turkey Pizza w/ Rhubarb Chutney
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Keyword pulled turkey pizza w/ rhubarb chutney
Servings
SLICES
Ingredients
Rhubarb Chutney
Caramelized Onions
Potato Pizza Crust
Pulled Turkey
  • 250 gm pulled turkey Either slow roast some turkey thighs or pick up at a deli counter already cooked
Cheese
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Keyword pulled turkey pizza w/ rhubarb chutney
Servings
SLICES
Ingredients
Rhubarb Chutney
Caramelized Onions
Potato Pizza Crust
Pulled Turkey
  • 250 gm pulled turkey Either slow roast some turkey thighs or pick up at a deli counter already cooked
Cheese
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Instructions
Rhubarb Chutney
  1. In a large heavy pot, combine sugar, vinegar, ginger, cumin, cinnamon & pepper flakes. Bring to a simmer over low heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Add rhubarb & onion; increase heat to medium high & cook until rhubarb is tender & mixture thickens. Cool completely. (I prefer to make this a day ahead).
Caramelized Onions
  1. In a skillet, heat oil until hot. Add onion & sprinkle with salt. Cook & stir about 15 minutes or until moisture has evaporated & onion is soft. Reduce heat; sprinkle with vinegar. Cook & stir until golden. Add brown sugar, stirring until caramel brown in color. Remove from heat & cool. ( I prefer to make these a day ahead as well).
Potato Pizza Crust
  1. Cook potato in microwave, peel, mash & cool.
  2. Combine yeast with lukewarm water & allow to sit about 3 minutes until foamy. Add butter, salt, sour cream & potato; mix well.
  3. Stir in flour until completely blended. Turn onto lightly floured work surface. Knead dough until elastic & smooth. Place dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap & allow to rise in a draft-free place until doubled in size, about 1 1/2 hours.
Turkey & Cheese
  1. If you are slow roasting your turkey thighs its best to have done this a day ahead so you had ample time to 'pull' the meat. Shred the cheese & set aside.
Assembly
  1. Preheat oven to 375 F.
  2. On a large sheet of parchment paper, roll or press potato dough into a 16-inch circle. Transfer dough (& paper) to a 14-inch pizza pan.
  3. Carefully spread 1 1/3 cups rhubarb chutney over bottom of pizza crust. Sprinkle with a bit of grated cheese.
  4. Layer with the pulled turkey meat & caramelized onions. Top with remaining grated cheese & bake 15-20 minutes or until crust is baked & cheese is melted. Remove from oven; cool slightly & slice.
Recipe Notes
  • When I slow roasted my turkey thighs for this pizza I used a covered roasting pan. To give them a nice flavor I poured a bottle of Zesty Italian Dressing over them. They were super tender & so flavorful, perfect for this pizza.
  • Alternatively, you can purchase the meat (either turkey or pork) as well as a pre-made pizza crust if time is of the essence.
  • We have also tried this pizza with pulled pork.
  • Any extra rhubarb chutney will come in handy for another kind of meal.

Chicken w/ Peaches & Ginger

Meat and fruit pairings are delicious, yet the idea of using both fruit and meat in the same dish is undoubtedly a little controversial.

One of the things I enjoy about cooking is combining flavors to create a wholesome dish. Sometimes, its interesting just to combine ingredients and flavors that don’t seem like they should go together.

Chicken is a good match for a wide variety of fruits with peaches being one of them. Whether fresh or frozen, nothing partners better with peaches than fresh ginger. To enhance the flavor just a bit more, I’m making a fluffy, golden couscous, speckled with green onion and fresh parsley. Subtle cumin and ginger spices add a heady fragrance and warm flavor. Nothing fancy, just a great taste!

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 Chicken w/ Peaches & Ginger
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Rating: 5
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Cuisine American
Keyword chicken w/ peaches & ginger
Servings
Ingredients
Chicken
Couscous
Cuisine American
Keyword chicken w/ peaches & ginger
Servings
Ingredients
Chicken
Couscous
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Instructions
Chicken
  1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
  2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Season the chicken with salt & pepper & cook on one side until golden, about 4-6 minutes. Flip, cook for 1 minute then transfer chicken to a 9x13-inch baking pan.
  3. Place peaches, sugar, thyme & ginger over & around chicken. Add the chicken broth & bake for about 45 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. While chicken is baking prepare couscous.
Couscous
  1. Heat 1 teaspoon of olive oil in medium saucepan over medium heat. Add green onion, cumin, ginger & garlic clove. Cook & stir for about 3 minutes until green onion is softened.
  2. Add honey. Heat & stir for about 30 seconds until green onion is coated.
  3. Add broth. Bring to a boil. Add couscous & 2 teaspoons oil. Stir. Cover. Remove from heat. Let stand for 5 minutes without lifting lid. Fluff with fork. Stir in chopped parsley & season with salt & pepper to taste.
  4. Serve the chicken & peaches over couscous with any ginger sauce from baking pan.

Persimmon Chicken Thighs

Persimmons are a wonderful fruit, typically available in Canada from October to January. Their exquisite, delicate texture & flavor is hard to describe. They have sometimes been compared to that of a peach or a mango.

Fuyus are about the size and shape of a medium tomato, somewhat squat. Their color ranges from deep reddish orange to a vivid golden orange hue with a flower-like top or stem.

Many people prefer to eat persimmons fresh but they are a wonderful addition to many recipes. At breakfast try adding them to smoothies, as a topping for yogurt or granola or as a filling for crepes. The sweet tenderness of persimmons also works well in salads and as a compliment to various meat dishes.

Today we are having persimmon with our chicken. I just can’t resist using them when they are available.

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 Persimmon Chicken Thighs
Votes: 3
Rating: 4.33
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Course Main Dish
Cuisine American, European
Keyword persimmon chicken thighs
Servings
Ingredients
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American, European
Keyword persimmon chicken thighs
Servings
Ingredients
Votes: 3
Rating: 4.33
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Instructions
  1. Season chicken thighs with salt & pepper. In a large skillet, heat 1 Tbsp coconut oil & sear the chicken thighs for 3 minutes on each side. Remove thighs from pan & set aside.
  2. Add the rest of the coconut oil & the onions. Sauté the onions for 2 minutes; add ginger, garlic, persimmons, rosemary, thyme & a little more salt & pepper. Sauté for another 3-4 minutes.
  3. Add the chicken broth & bring to a simmer, stirring well, making sure to scrape any pieces off the bottom of pan. Add chicken thighs back to the persimmon mixture, cover & cook for another 12-15 minutes or until the chicken is no longer pink in the middle.

Pineapple Chicken over Wild Rice

This week we are celebrating Brion’s birthday. We have never felt the need to give gifts on ‘occasions’ but rather just enjoy another holiday travelling together or ‘gift’ each other at random. As we grow older, it comes clearer everyday, the special privilege it is to simply have each other to share life with. I appreciate the fact that Brion has always believed in me and supported my endeavors and I’ll be forever grateful for the love we share. This picture of Brion was taken in Havana, Cuba this year along the beautiful seawall. 

               THANK YOU FOR BEING THE SPECIAL PERSON YOU ARE!

                                   BIRTHDAY WISHES, WITH LOVE

 


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Pineapple Chicken over Wild Rice

Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Course Main Dish
Cuisine American, European

Servings


Ingredients

Course Main Dish
Cuisine American, European

Servings


Ingredients

Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 450 F. Lightly spray a 9 x 13-inch baking pan.

  2. Trim chicken, rinse & pat dry; season with salt & pepper. Place the chicken in pan, not overlapping.

  3. Drain pineapple chunks, reserving 1/2 cup of the juice. In a saucepan, whisk together juice, honey, ginger, vinegar & soy sauce. Place over medium heat & simmer, whisking often until slightly thickened, about 8 minutes. In a small bowl, dissolve cornstarch in the water; whisk into the pineapple/honey sauce.

  4. Place the pineapple chunks on top of chicken; pour pineapple/honey sauce over all & sprinkle with the almonds. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until chicken registers 165 F.


Recipe Notes

Kalbi – Korean BBQ Ribs

Nothing says summer like barbecued ribs — big, bold flavor, finger licking goodness and that fall-off-the-bone texture.

Outdoor cooking is a very popular pastime uniting us with friends, family and of course great food. It seems there is no end to ideas on how to make the best barbecued ribs. I’ve definitely tried my fair share of recipes. One that I found quite unique is for the Korean-style Kalbi ribs. 

As in every culture, I’m sure there are many recipes that have been handed down through generations of family members. Korean beef short ribs are cut across the bone (instead of between bones) with 3 bones per slice. The result is a thin strip of meat, about 8-10 inches in length, lined on one side with 1/4 inch thick rib bones. This cut is also known as beef ‘flanken’ ribs.

While in North America, we often braise short ribs for hours in a slow oven, Koreans have a very different approach to cooking this cut of beef. Kalbi is marinated for hours in an Asian inspired marinade and then barbecued for a short amount of time. Kiwi, Asian pears, bottled soda and sugar are all common tenderizing agents used in the marinade for making Kalbi. They are definitely worth a try if you haven’t already.

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 Kalbi - Korean BBQ Ribs
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Course Main Dish
Cuisine Korean
Servings
Ingredients
Course Main Dish
Cuisine Korean
Servings
Ingredients
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
You:
Rate this recipe!
Instructions
  1. Using your hands, massage the short ribs with the kiwi puree. Sprinkle each piece evenly with sugar & let sit while you make the marinade.
  2. In a bowl, mix together soy sauce, garlic, ginger, sesame seeds, sesame oil, honey, red pepper powder, pepper & soda. Place the ribs in a single layer in a wide shallow pan & pour the marinade over, turning to coat. Cover with plastic wrap & marinate in the refrigerator, turning occasionally, for at least 1 hour, or preferably 12 hours.
  3. Preheat barbecue to medium heat with a rack 4-6-inches from heat. Drain ribs from marinade. Reserve marinade for basting, if desired.
  4. Brush the grill rack with oil & grill ribs until they turn caramel brown, 6-8 minutes on each side. Baste with reserved marinade during the first 10 minutes of grilling if you wish.
Recipe Notes
  • If you prefer, omit the soda & add more sugar or honey for a little extra sweetness.