Day 07: Dad's 55th Asian Inspired Birthday Meal

My latest interest - cake baking & decorating have kept me busy from cooking & blogging. I'm a little bit disappointed just because I've been procrastinating on my first love - cooking. It's been awhile, but I'm back to post my previous dishes I've made.

Caramelized Pineapple Cake

My Dad turned 55 on November 7, 2009. I attempted to make Vietnamese BBQ Pork Chops. I had a vision of bbqing pork chops you would order at any typical vietnamese restaurant, but turned out to be a lot more asian inspired considering the ingredients I chose to marinade the meat. Although it didn't turn out to my initial planning, the chops were still pretty good!

Alongside the main dish, I paired the pork chops with Basil Shrimp & Coconut Rice ... I tried to keep the asian theme!

My family including my parents, the bf & my siblings' significant others had no problems clearing up our plates. One suggestion from the birthday man himself (also known as the very hard critic to my food!) - cut down the sweetness of the marinade.

Enjoy the recipes because my family sure did!

Asian-Influenced BBQ Pork Chops

Basil Shrimp

Asian-Influenced BBQ Pork Chops
15 pork chops
1 C banana ketchup
8 T toyamansi
4 T dark rum
3 T soy sauce
1 T spicy vinegar
6 cloves garlic, chopped finely
1 each lemon & lime
salt & pepper

1. Season cleaned pork chops with salt & pepper.
2. Mix remaining ingredients for marinade in bowl.
3. Marinade pork chops in large ziploc bag & let sit for 2-3 hours.
4. BBQ on grill on low heat until cooked through.

Basil Shrimp
2 lb shrimp, peeled
2 C pineapple chunks
6 garlic cloves, minced
2 T dried basil
1 t ginger, sliced thinly
1 lime, zest & juice
salt & pepper

1. Season shrimp with salt & pepper. Set aside.
2. In fry pan, saute garlic & ginger until soft. Season with salt & pepper.
3. Add dried basil & let cook for a couple minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Add shrimp & lime zest to pan. Once the the shrimp starts to turn pink, add the pineapple & let cook until pineapple begins to break down slightly.
5. Once the shrimp is completely cooked, squeeze in juice of lime. Set aside until serving.

Coconut Rice
5 C parboiled rice
1 can coconut milk
Water enough to total 6 cups liquid.

1. Add all ingredients into the rice cooker & let cook until done.