The Meatwave

Blogging is such a funny thing, a constant pull between complete anonymity and total exposure. Being more than a bit shy and reserved in my real life persona, I rather enjoy the wall I get to hide behind while I ride on this internet superhighway, so I didn't know what to make of an email I received shortly after posting this Asian turkey burger with Sriracha mayo recipe asking if I'd like to be interviewed for a documentary about Sriracha.

A couple of years ago I would have quickly shunned the idea—too much fear and pressure in plopping in front of camera to be a talking head—but right now I'm in a "busting out of my shell" phase, and decided to dive right in, for better or worse. As the interview looms later this afternoon, my head is whirling with mixture of anxiety and tasty tidbits I could impart in my love for Sriracha, which got me thinking of this recipe I had lurking in the back log for Thai beef rolls with sweet chili sauce—featuring a brief cameo by Sriracha, of course.

Of all the hundreds of grilling recipes I've tackled since starting the Meatwave, this is up there as one of my fondest. There's a lot of reasons for this, starting with the fact that these were first introduced to me at a Meatwave by one of my most loyal followers, Chris. I fell in love with his creation instantly—the spicy Thai meat paired with the sweet basil was a most perfect of pairings, leaving me to mostly hord the beef skewers for myself that day, unable to get enough.

After that, I knew I had to make these myself, which brings about the second reason this recipe is so close to my heart—it posed a good challenge. While Chris's version used regular sweet basil, I was dead set on finding the more appropriate Thai basil. The journey for it brought me through multiple neighborhoods and Asian groceries that dot the 7 line in Queens, but I didn't come up with gold until I hit Main Street, which just happens to be a Thai basil Mecca.

With my ingredient quest fulfilled, I went forth mixing the beef with a rather ubiquitous combination of Thai flavors—green onions, mint, chilies, fish sauce and sugar. I formed the cutest little meat logs and picked off the largest basil leaves to wrap the beef in before skewering them.

And enter Sriracha. Only playing a minimal role in the ingredient list, this paste comprised of chilis, vinegar, garlic, sugar and salt didn't let its presence go unknown. Without the Sriracha, this dipping sauce would have had no kick, and the balance between sweet and spicy is just another reason I love this recipe so.

Just as I'm about ready to walk out the door to become a certified student film food documentary celebrity, these little beauties got their 15 minutes, photographing like superstar. The greatest achievement though is their taste totally blew their good looks to bits. All the diverse flavors came together to be both a contradiction and compliment, creating a complexity that was an excitement in each mouthful. Now, if I can only turn out a fraction as good on film as these babies did in my stomach, I'll be lucky.

Published on Thu May 27, 2010 by Joshua Bousel

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