Dejah

Last night, I tried to replicate the kampung style of little fried fish we loved while visiting friends in Malaysia last spring. Instead of frying in about an inch of oil, I cooked these in The Big Easy. My friend said they were a kind of mackerel, and I found "horse mackerel" in the Chinese grocery store. The fishies were rubbed with salt, turmeric, and a drizzle of olive oil. I strung them onto a skewer and cooked them for about 30 minutes on high. We enjoyed the mackerel and wished we had the climate and the surroundings as well. The "sides" were leftover curry chicken from the weekend, blanched and sauteed gai lan, and jasmine rice. However, I found the mackerel a bit fishy. These were frozen ones. I thought the turmeric would have solved that problem. The squeezes of lime helped. Any suggestions?

Need work on the temp control to produce crispier skin without drying out the meat. The results today had the right flavour, aroma, and texture, but I DO love crispy skin on Cantonese BBQ duck.

Had chickens in the fridge that needed cooking (couldn't fit another thing in the freezer problem), so I seasoned them, one with Jamaican curry powder and fresh curry leaves, and the second with Italian seasoning and fresh rosemary. Tossed them into the basket and into my Char-Grill Big Easy Oil-Less turkey fryer at 7 am! Had chicken for sandwiches at lunch, then I fixed up a curry sauce to eat with the Jamaican flavoured one for supper tonight. The sauce was butter, chopped onion, fresh curry leaves, brown mustard seed, and Jamaican curry powder (commercial). It worked well with the chicken. Sides were cardamom-brown sugar carrots, steamed green beans, and "ancient grains" - a mix of medium grain red rice, barley, rye berries, quinoa, whole oats, and Himalayan long grain red rice. The grains had a nice chewy texture; the leftover will be eaten as breakfast tomorrow with milk and brown sugar.

Kerry: Good idea! Will check the dimensions, talk with my potter friend and another friend who's also experimenting with his BE.. Might save a lot of messing about.

Dakki: The highest setting provides 450 - 500 F. It's hard to really regulate the temperature, but using the mesh lid can produce the higher temp. by reflecting "some" of the heat back into the chamber. I was chatting with a "specialist" on their website and was shown a "smoker" tray that I can use with TBE. They sell disposable wood chip trays, also usable with this unit. Guess I will be giving these a try. I took the two chickens above for supper with our kids (in a city 3 hours away) the day after I cooked them. Wrapped in foil and reheated in the oven, they were perfect for supper. The kaffir lime infused flavour was incredible, and the drippings made great gravy on creamy mashed potatoes.

For naan, I am working with a potter friend to make a "bib" to hang against the liner. The bib will have to be porous and un-glazed, of a special type of clay that will withstand high heat. I imagine it will be similar to a pizza stone except it will be curved to fit snug against the liner. Yeah...I am an addict and I need a 12-step BEA program...

larryroohr: So glad someone else is trying out the fryer! I did two more chickens with kaffir lime leaves to take into the city for supper with the kids. I stuck a finger into the drippings, and OMG...Must use tomorrow for a light (as in not too thick) gravy. I was tempted to take the unit into the city and cook the chickens there, but I was afraid I wouldn't be allowed to leave with it! LOL! And while I was pulling the chickens out, a brainwave! Why not Cantonese BBQ duck?! They are traditionally cooked hanging in an oven surrounded by even heat. So, perhaps by next week, I will have a duck seasoned, air-dried, then into the Big Easy. I think I am obsessed and will need to find a 12-step BEA program soon.

Attended a farewell party for friends, hosted by another good friend. It was like a come 'n'go (except no one "go - ed") and finger food was the menu. I took my Moroccan Spiced Beef Cigars, the most substantial item on the table. Took a total of three hours from start to finish. The 42 pieces took a few minutes to crisp and warm up (made last night), and a few minutes to be devoured! Served with Mango Chili sauce and salsa.

Anna: I don't think the wall of the unit are meant to be used for cooking. It would expose the food to the ring of flames down at the base. But I didn't try...It would be hard on the hands? Tonight's offering: Tandoori chicken!

Thai green curry with baby cuttlefish, basa fillet, and huge 8-12 shrimp. Eaten with nasi lemak and small piece of coconut milk yeast-base naan.

The cylinder is 12" wide, so shouldn't be any problems with bigger hands. The only time naan fell off was when I turned them to borwn the top side better. If I don't sprinkle enough water on it, then it might slip off. I just use long tongs, pull it out and stick it again. I looked at the naan thread in the India forum. There is a video. The audio is off on my desktop, so I don't know if the cook was smearing oil or water on the naan before he slaps it on the tandoor wall. It also blistered a lot more than mine - perhaps even hotter? I must get on my laptop to check out the video again. The recipes I've googled are pretty much all similar...yeast, or baking powder and baking soda with milk, yogurt. The ones last night used yeast and COCONUT MILK, which I forgot to mention. Seemed a waste as there was no coconut taste to the naan.

Use crackermeal. Used to buy it in 50lb bags. Now that I am no longer in the restaurant, I break up soda crackers and whirl them in a small processor until fine crumbs. They are crispy already and would brown quickly. Coupled with frozen chicken, it should work well.

rotuts: probably 10 minutes - the time it took to roll out the frist 4 naan and took them out the backdoor. Placed them in the fryer, then finished the other 3. Snacked on small piece last night with just a little more butter. THink I"ll warm up a piece to eat with something for breakie.

If I wasn't trying to stay off carbs, I would have had potatoes on the bottom of the basket to catch the drippings! Would have been deliciously lamb...yyy but probably so baaaaa for my cholesterol. Was planning on a curry for supper, so tried a yeast recipe for naan. Got invited out for supper instead, but still made the naan as the dough had risen. I was happier with this recipe. I sprinkled a bit of water on the rolled out pieces, and also wet the back of my hand. That way, I was able to reach in and place the bread on the surface to make sure it stuck without the back of my hand getting too hot. I also remembered to brush with butter as soon as the bread was taken out, and I sprinkled on toasted cumin seeds. The bread was better than my previous attempts. I was happy that the thicker parts were cooked throughout, and the thinner parts were a little crispy. Will have to have some for late night snack. Have a 3.5 lbs chicken marinating in tandoori spices and yogurt. Hope to try that tomorrow.

Had some over-ripe heirloom tomatoes, part of a zuchinni, and still a bag of kale in the fridge (they keep SO well!), so for brunch, it was this from the fry pan: Threw on some Thai basil on the tomatoes... Lots of different textures and flavours!

More meat! Boneless leg of lamb, marinated in red wine vinegar, fresh herbs, and done in the Big Easy - 1 hour 45 minutes. I think I love this way of cooking just for the crusty layer on the outside! There was a fair bit of fat accumulated in the drip tray. Didn't use it to make gravy as we prefer mint sauce on the meat. We didn't have potatoes or rice, so no gravy needed. Not very challenging or imaginative, but hey! It puts delicious food on the table quickly. Roasted cauliflower "steaks" - drizzled with grape seed oil and Slap Ya Mama seasoning, on a bed of fresh curry leaves. I love the aroma of these leaves and wish they had given up more flavour. The crispy bits were good tho'.

I think Kenneth is correct in saying that the unit would not work as a wok burner, but I'll never know for sure unless I try...maybe this weekend. Been in a bit of a tizzy this week as I am back teaching after a 6 month travelling hiatus. On the way home, stopped at Safeway and saw a 1.5 kg rolled pork rib roast reduced %50 = $9.34. Seasoned with salt, pepper, and inserted sticks of fresh rosemary into various openings, and suspended it in the basket. The roast was done in 1 hour 45 in the Big Easy. The layer of fat on top was pretty much rendered out, leaving nice crispy bits. The meat was tender, juicy, and infused with rosemary. The piece in the front is the 4 rib bones...crispy like deep-fried. I loved chewing off the bits!

I've been a big fan of green stuff but have never eaten kale until this summe. Had it in a stir-fry at a friend's house, with kale from her garden, and I love it! It reminded me of gai lan. I came home with a big bag and have been stir-frying batches. Today, I am going to try it in a mixed veg salad. Happy to see this thread.

I assume it's called a turkey (deep) fryer because it can produce a skin texture like deep frying in oil, as it did on our first attempt when we accidentally over-cooked the chickens by about 30 minutes or so. The meat was still juicy and tender, but Oh My! most of the skin had no fat left in it, and it was crispy like chips! Regardless of whether it's marketing jive or not, I was / am a sucker for new gadgets, especially if it gives me the illusion of having my own tandoori without spending mega bucks. Gotta admit, many of you spend wayyyyy more $ for a coffee machine. This unit just gives me another option for cooking. Call it an circular oven if you wish, and as such, it will keep my kitchen cool when it's hot out. Hope to do a boneless leg of lamb this weekend.

Ok...I'm leaving the technical / scientific talk to the techies...I'm justy not into that. Chicken turned out really good, but the carrots do not do well in dry heat. I had seasoned the chicken 2 days ago with salt, then chilled in the fridge for 2 days, as I would with the Zuni Cafe Chicken. The kaffir lime branches and leaves under the skin really came thru' with flavour and aroma. The drippings in the drip tray was EXCELLENT. Drained off the fat and used the juice just as is over potatoes. The breast meat was tender, juicy, just barely done in an hour. The wing tips were bone-crunchable crispy - my favourite part!

So techie...! I bought it because of the possibility of naan in my own "tandoori" I have my unit set up outside (definitely not meant for inside use!)on a cement pad, beside the BBQ. I think I'll pick up another propane tank so I can use BOTH at the same time if need be. Taking a hint about adding bits of wood to the bottom: I have a bunch of kaffir lime branches from a friend. Stripped off the leaves, stuffed some under the skin on a seasoned chicken, and laid the branches on the bottom of the wire basket. I love the aroma of the lime leaves, so maybe this way, I'll get more of what I like! It's a 2.5 lb chicken. Just set it in the fryer. I tossed in several whole carrots into the basket also. We'll see if they cook well. Should be ready in an hour, and my kitchen stays cool!

rotuts: Check out more info' and pictures on this thread Cooking with the Char Broil Oil Less Big Easy Fryer

rotuts This is the Big Easy - Oil-less Turket Fryer. It is NOT "the Green Egg" The chickens were the first try at using this unit after we got home from our road trip thru' USA

rotuts: I don't have much experience in making naan - just in eating it! The only recipe I am using right now is flour, baking soda, baking powder, milk, oil, and yogurt. It's all mixed, kneaded, rest for 2 hours, roll out and slap it onto a hot Big Easy. I need to try the recipe using yeast. I would appreciate any recipes or suggestions from the forum.

HowardLi: That's exactly what I remembered last night - brush with butter as soon as the naan comes out / off the oven! gfweb: I haven't done naan in the oven, other than warming store-bought stuff before supper. I think it's the contact with the hot "oven wall" like in a tandoori oven. Practice is needed in placing the dough in the oven without burning myself. So far, lucky,