Lo' and Slo'

Meet kw's new toy. Remember how he self-assembled it a couple of weeks back? Well, it was finally time for a test drive ...

As an annual Christmas barbecue isn't quite enough to justify the cost of a grill (in my books, not his), we had our families over to share kw's the joy.

My sister made a creamy yet chunky guacamole and zesty mango salsa. Ever the unrelenting nibbler, I had been forward to these all day and they didn't disappoint!

My sister and I polished off the chips while waiting for the others to arrive. Yeah, that's me in my perfect party hostess form. 

Like at most parties I have been to, there would always be a salad to ease our sins. Here, we had an apple, sundries tomatoes and salami salad tossed up by kw’s mum. An unusual combination that works.

My mum recently got a cookbook by Chef Wan, The Best of Chef Wan - A Taste of Malaysian and one of the dishes she made was a unique curry chicken that would later be put on the grill for some extra char, texture and lurrrve.

They were pretty good despite the fact some of that kickass spicy gravy had fallen through the grill.

Mum also offered to prepare another Chef Wan dish - Portuguese baked pomfret wrapped in a banana leaf. It was incredible - the grill had definitely worked its magic on the banana leaf and spices. Though we threw it onto the grill and didn't quite know how long it would take to cook, the fish was surprisingly uber moist when we tucked into it.  

A couple of salmon heads also made it to our grill. I have always wanted to try this out and Dad must have thought the same. HAHA, it worked! 

Comfort food - homemade Nasi Goreng Kampung, also a Chef Wan recipe. We warmed up some of these leftovers the day after and it was even more marvellous with the ommphier fragrance of dried baby shrimps.

Kw's pierce de resistance: Memphis dry rub baby back ribs. While preparing the ribs, he gleefully posted his first Facebook status since 2009 (yes, this topped getting married or the impending arrival of his first child).

You should have seen him work. He merticulously measured out the dry rub and slow barbequed it on the grill for about 4 hours. It's amusing yet unnerving to see him reveal a side that was previously hidden from me.

But I have to hand it to him. Crazy tender while retaining some bite, the ribs were a hit with everyone! Humble pie, I shall eat.

After all that fooding, we ended the meal with something light - an assortment of fruits and a deliciously light strawberry sponge cake from Patisserie Glacé that my elder sister brought. 

Guess who else crashed the par-tay?

Silly prima donna refused to sit or lie down on the grass. Pff!