It's going to be hot: how the fashion for barbecue in restaurants is changing
Shish kebab, as we know it today, became known in Russia in the second half of the 18th century, after the annexation of Crimea. At the end of the next century, this method of cooking meat gradually became popular and even fashionable, especially in Moscow, largely due to the efforts of representatives of the Caucasian nobility, so that mentions of this dish are found in the works of Saltykov-Shchedrin, Chekhov, Gorky and other writers of that time. Modern Russian cuisine is already completely impossible to imagine without a barbecue, and new ones have been added to the canonical version this century, coming from other national culinary schools. For more information about the most current trends in cooking meat on fire in restaurants, see the Izvestia article.
Kebabs and kebabs
In the classical sense, shish kebab is meat that is cooked on hot coals with the addition of salt and pepper during frying. Despite its simplicity, this dish is perfect for restaurant gastronomy, as it opens up a wide range for chefs to experiment.
Grilled meat
"Shish kebab is a universal format, and if the concept of the establishment allows for an open fire, lively warmth and dishes with a bright taste, then it can fit in seamlessly," Igor Dovgelya, chef of the Barrel meat restaurant (Moscow), told Izvestia. — The main thing in a barbecue is the juiciness of the meat and its roasting. He either lives or dies on coals. No sauce can save over-dried meat.
Barbecue
According to our interlocutor, this also applies to kebabs, which are also very popular with guests today. They are made from minced meat, which should be perfectly balanced in texture and moisture. For the new menu, Dovgel's chef created a kebab made from crab meat and langoustines, adding a little butter for more softness and milky taste. The resulting minced meat is beaten to the desired density — without this, the kebab will fall apart on the grill. The dish is cooked over an open fire to get a light smoky taste and a golden crust, and served on a roti flatbread with a red caviar sauce that adds a slight salinity.
Crab kebab with tomato salsa
Speaking about new approaches to cooking meat on coals, our expert added that nowadays frying in butter or clarified butter is increasingly practiced, which helps to get a crispy crust and a richer taste. Roasting on straw or oak chips gives interesting smoky shades to dishes, and adding alcohol (whiskey, port, sake) to the marinade opens interesting notes in the taste of meat.
Meat on fire
— If earlier the most popular types of meat for barbecue were lamb and pork, now they are increasingly being prepared from beef, — says Artem Martirosov, chef of the pan-Caucasian cuisine restaurant "KrabyKutabs" (Moscow). — Roast duck kebab with foie gras, premium wagyu meat, octopus and other seafood.
Lyulya-veal kebab with Aychuchuk salad
The most popular barbecue in our interlocutor's restaurant is made from marbled beef (thin-edged), which is pre-marinated in a mixture of spices, including black cumin, with apple ash and caramel. In addition, shish kebab made from chicken thigh on the skin, also aged in a large amount of oriental spices, is popular.
Duck shish kebab
"Today, meat is marinated not only to soften it, but also to saturate it with brighter, Asian flavors," our expert continues. — There is an amazing version of the marinade with ginger, which also, in principle, softens the meat well and makes it more spicy. Marinades with soy sauces, kimchi and kalbi sauce, Asian sauces based on plums and other fruits are still popular today.
Souvlaki
Souvlaki is one of the most common Greek fast food dishes. They are primarily distinguished from the usual kebabs by the small size of the pieces of meat. As a rule, they are strung on thin wooden skewers, but there are also options for serving in a pit with tomatoes, onions and zajiki sauce. In Russia, the dish is often found in restaurants specializing in Greek cuisine.
Marbled beef souvlaki with Uzbek tomatoes, capers and red onion
— Oregano, olive oil and fresh lemon juice are usually used in souvlaki marinades, which is also not typical for shish kebabs, — the Mediterranean cuisine restaurant Moró (Moscow) informed us. — This set of spices allows you to preserve the original taste of the product without clogging it with other strong flavors.
Souvlaki is made from almost any meat — chicken, pork, beef, fish and seafood. The main thing is not to take those products and meat cuts that require long languishing, since souvlaki must be fried quickly over high heat to preserve juiciness.
"We make souvlaki from marbled beef tenderloin and cook it until medium well fried by default," Moró told us. — We serve the dish with sweet Uzbek tomatoes, capers, red onions and season everything with olive oil.
Kushiaki
The fashion for Japanese cuisine has contributed to the appearance of a hot snack kushiaki in our gastronomic routine. These are small skewers, which are mostly cooked on a special robata grill and served on bamboo skewers.
Minced lamb kushiaki with steamed tortillas, egg and soy sauce with sesame seeds
"Kushiaki is the common Japanese name for grilled meat, fish, poultry or vegetables that are strung on a skewer," explained Grigory Kim, brand chef of the Fresco Group (Krasnoyarsk), to our publication. "At the same time, each type of kushiaki has its own name, which depends on what the dish is made of.. For example, yakitori is made from chicken. And shish kebabs from chicken giblets already have their own names: from the stomachs is sunagimo, from the liver is reba, from the hearts is hatsu. And these are just the chicken options.
Tiger shrimp kushiaki with steamed tortillas, egg and fresh herbs
Traditionally, kushiaki is cooked over coals, and the ingredients for them are either pre-marinated in a mixture of mirin, sake and soy sauce, or poured over it during the frying process. The Fresco Asia restaurant offers guests three versions of this dish: kushiaki made from fried pieces of beef steak, shrimp with a sauce of egg yolk and herbs, as well as an author's interpretation with chopped lamb. All skewers are complemented with steamed tortillas as a side dish. "In Japanese cuisine, it is important to preserve the natural flavors of products, so you don't need to use a lot of spices in kushiaki," adds Gregory Kim.
Asador
In recent years, the technique of cooking meat on an open fire and coals, known as "asador", characteristic of the culinary traditions of Spain, Portugal and Argentina, has become increasingly popular in Moscow restaurants. For this method, as a rule, a special grill steam room is used.
Dry aged beef steak with pepper sauce
—For us, asador is not just a grill, but a system consisting of three zones," Evgeny Tsyganov, brand chef of the Folk Team (the group includes Padron Spanish restaurant in Moscow), shared the details. — The first is with an adjustable grill, where you can control the heat, raise and lower the meat. The second is the area where the coals are lit, which are moved to the main part only when they are fully ready (in order to have a clean, even heat). The third is the almost contact zone, where the products get a crust, but remain juicy.
Most often, Padron restaurant in Asador serves dry-matured beef, as well as poultry and vegetables. Fish, squid and octopus are fried in the contact area. The main subtlety lies in the fact that this technology allows you to accurately distribute and regulate the heat at different stages. At the same time, guests have the opportunity to observe the cooking process and understand what is happening with the product.
Assorted seafood with scallops, langoustines, mini squid and octopus
— If you like to cook over coals, do not light them under the product (this will spoil the taste), but let them burn separately, — our expert recommends. — Work with the grill, even if you have only one — at least change the distance above the heat manually. Do not salt the meat in advance, otherwise you will lose the juice, and if you fry fish, do it close to the charcoal, but not for long. And most importantly — never rush!
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
