I made countless valiant efforts using the traditional Indian recipes, which are entirely yoghurt based. It was a complete surprise to finally find the correct recipe in an excellent book on BBQ. I cook these on a small charcoal grill with hardwood lump charcoal. Chicken Tikka is also a key ingredient in my favorite India street food - the Chicken Egg Roll. [More]

When the weather starts to turn warm in the south, its time for Crawfish. By the time the heat of summer starts killing the grass, the crawfish will be long gone. That means that every year in Texas and Louisiana (and I'm sure elsewhere) crawfish boils appear. Some are huge social events put on in small towns by the Elks or Optimists. One of my favorites is in the back of a bar. And every year, sometimes with not enough planning, I have a backyard boil. [More]

On a trip to a call center in Buenos Aires I discovered my standard street food - the empanada. Every day I insisted that lunch start with yet another trip to the empanada stand downstairs. At a place that resembled a sparse McDonalds, I could get a variety of mostly meat pies, all made with a crispy crust and not terribly spicy filling. On return I started making them myself and found out how entirely flexible they are. Such a fantastic concept - not as much of a caloric investment as a meat pie and not as much of a time investment as a samosa. In the years that have passed since my decision to pursue empanadas I have made them with too many different fillings to remember. [More]

Samosas are great small bites that are an easy addition to any menu. The dough and process for making them are very similar to empanadas. I use them interchangeably and generally make samosas vegetarian and make empanadas savory.



These are simple to make but take a little time. Its much easier if the filling is pre-made and chilled. [More]

Cornucopia delivers the obvious and provides an alternative to kettle corn trailers, a regular at street fairs. Kettle corn is an addictive substance that draws huge crowds when out in the open. It comes in large bags that are normally inhaled while avoiding face painting. The downside of making kettle corn at home is the potential to light your kitchen on fire. The corn is made in a huge pot over a serious gas flame. While I have never seen it, it can't be hard to ignite the oil.



This is a simple alternative that I make on a regular basis. Eventually I want to spend the time to understand a safe way to make kettle corn at home. [More]