Smoky flavor from grill

The first day of spring, when the temperature rises above 60 degrees, outdoor grill cooking comes alive and fragrant aromas fill the air. At least that’s what happens on the fire escape at my New York City fourth-floor apartment.

The UPS man has been known to call out “What’s for dinner?” as he looks up from the street while making deliveries.

I grill, squatting, in front of my hibachi, tottering on an improvised setup between the window and the railing. I grill through summer and well into fall, quitting just as Thanksgiving comes around and the flashlight and sweater are no longer adequate to the challenge of wind and weather.

The last big blowout usually happens Labor Day, however, when friends and family visit and everyone relaxes and enjoys eating late-season corn, tomatoes and other local produce lightly charred on the grill.

For me, grilling is about going back to basics. It is fuss free with no pots and pans to wash. It is quick, without compromising on flavor. It’s simple and fun.

While writing “The Asian Grill: Great Recipes, Bold Flavors” (Chronicle Books), I had the chance to reconsider the art of grilling.

At its core, grilling is a primitive cooking technique. In Asia, it goes back to ancient Mongolia. The ever-on-the-move marauding Mongols were grill fanatics. Veggies don’t grow well in the Gobi Desert, so meat was the food. Kitchens were as portable as the horsemen themselves. Some rocks, a stick and fire did the trick.

Our equipment might seem different, but think tailgaters, RVers and backyard charcoalers. It’s a Weber, tongs and fire. The simple joys of grilling at their basics are all the same.

I’ve been grilling or eating grilled foods for a long time and have experienced all sorts of flavorful foods off the grill in Europe, Asia and here in the United States. I’ve had andouillette served with Dijon mustard in Burgundy, France; squid brushed with olive oil, garlic, and salt and pepper in Italy; spice-laden duck satay in Bali, Indonesia; mushroom soy sauce and pepper quail in Thailand; and good old barbecue from sausage to brisket to ribs, in and around Austin, Texas.

No matter where I go, what intrigues me most about this primitive cooking technique is the way it easily transforms the simplest foods, adding a smoky layer of flavor to the mix.

In Asian grilling, it all starts with marinades, and the marinades start with the ingredients in the pantry. My pantry is complete with soy sauce (thin and thick), fish sauce, hoisin sauce, miso, palm sugar, sesame oil, rice wine, rice vinegar and five-spice powder, all of which are readily available. My refrigerator is never without garlic, ginger root, red chilies, lemongrass, scallion and cilantro. I consider these ingredients the basics. Easy to find and when combined just right, they create complexity of flavor that keeps my guests guessing while they are tasting.

Marinades especially are an easy way to enhance the flavor of all sorts of meat, from the best steak to the lesser cuts of pork. They take minutes to make — I’ve never spent more than 10 minutes prepping a marinade — and add a sense of excitement and anticipation.

Freshly grated ginger root, garlic or lemon grass, chopped scallions and cilantro, fresh-squeezed lemon or lime, it’s all good, and you get aromatherapy as a side benefit. Mincing shallots, I have to admit, literally brings tears to my eyes, but they are joyful ones. Making marinades awakens my senses and makes my mouth water.

Marinades are best made fresh but can be made three days to a week ahead of time, without compromising too much on flavor. I like to make a paste with close to equal amounts of garlic, ginger root and scallions, either mincing them or processing them in a mini food processor.

Every once in a while, I add a fresh chili pod (seeds and stem removed) or a teaspoon or so of store-bought chili paste to give the marinade, and ultimately the meat, a bit of a kick. A tablespoon or two of that fresh mixture added to 1/4 cup of soy sauce (or fish sauce) and 1/4 cup of palm sugar (or regular sugar) makes for a delicious basic marinade full of sweet, salty, spicy and bitter notes. Add to it a couple of tablespoons of rice vinegar, and the sour note makes it whole. For Asians — professional chefs and home cooks alike — balancing these five flavor notes is essential to good cooking and a perfect example of the ancient principle of balanced opposites, yin and yang.

Marinades also tenderize lesser cuts of any meat. Knowing this, I often pick inexpensive cuts like chicken legs and hanger steak. They tend to be flavorful, juicy and definitely tender after two to four hours of marinating.

Dark-meat chicken, for example, is far more interesting to me, when it comes to grilling, than delicate white-fleshed breast meat. It is stronger tasting than white meat and holds up to complex marinades the way white meat can’t.

Hanger steak, the cut the butcher kept for himself until recently, has always been my favorite in the beef department. I’ve been eating it since I was a small child in France, where it is a bistro favorite. It can be a bit chewy and strong in flavor, but that is key. These attributes make it a perfect candidate for a marinade, which tenderizes and tames the somewhat gamy flavor. Just grill and eat.

The recipes that follow are from “The Asian Grill: Favorite Recipes, Bold Flavors.”

Spicy sweet soy sauce marinated chicken

½ cup thin soy sauce

1 tablespoon thick soy sauce

1/4 cup Shaoxing rice wine or sake

1/3 cup sugar

1 tablespoon dark sesame oil

2 large garlic cloves, finely grated

1 scallion, trimmed and minced (include white and green parts)

1 to 1½ tablespoons finely grated ginger root

1 red Thai chili, stemmed, seeded and minced

8 whole chicken legs or whole breasts (with skin and bone)

In a large bowl, whisk together thin and thick soy sauces, rice wine or sake, and sugar until sugar is completely dissolved. Add sesame oil, garlic, scallion, ginger root and chili. Stir well.

Using a skewer, poke holes in chicken legs or breasts. Place chicken and marinade in a resealable gallon plastic bag. Squeezing out the air, seal the bag. Holding onto the ends, shake the bag to coat the pieces evenly with the marinade. Refrigerate for 3 to 4 hours, turning the bag over every 30 minutes or so to redistribute the marinade.

Prepare an indirect fire in a charcoal or gas grill. Grill chicken legs or breasts until crisp and cooked through, turning the meat frequently to prevent burning, about 10 to 15 minutes total. Transfer chicken to a serving dish. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Garlic-pepper marinated hanger steak

This can be served with pineapple and onion chutney.

1/3 cup mushroom soy sauce

1/3 cup sugar

10 large garlic cloves, finely grated

2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

2½ pounds hanger steak, cut into 8 (5-ounce) pieces

Pineapple and onion chutney, optional (recipe follows)

In a large bowl, whisk together soy sauce and sugar until sugar is completely dissolved. Stir in garlic, pepper and oil until well combined.

Place hanger steaks and marinade in a resealable gallon plastic bag. Squeezing out the air, seal the bag. Holding on to the ends, shake the bag to coat the pieces evenly with the marinade. Refrigerate for 4 hours, turning the bag over every 30 minutes or so to redistribute the marinade.

Prepare a hot fire in a charcoal grill, or preheat a gas grill to 500 degrees. Grill hanger steaks, turning frequently to prevent burning, until crisp and medium-rare, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer steak to a serving dish and serve solo or sliced and filled with pineapple and onion chutney, if desired. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

PINEAPPLE AND ONION CHUTNEY

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 large red onion, halved and thinly sliced into half circles

3 to 4 tablespoons finely grated ginger root

1 large garlic clove, minced

1 large ripe pineapple, peeled, cored and finely chopped

1 teaspoon Indian curry powder

1 lemon, grated zest and juice

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

3 tablespoons minced fresh mint, divided

In a medium saucepan, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onion, ginger root and garlic, and saute until golden, about 10 minutes. Add pineapple and continue to cook until browned 20 to 30 minutes. Add curry powder, lemon zest and lemon juice. Stir to distribute evenly.

Season to taste with salt and pepper and cook until thickened, about 10 minutes. Stir in 2 tablespoons mint, cook another minute or so and remove from heat. Transfer to a serving dish and garnish with remaining mint before serving. Makes about 4 cups.

Barbecued pork

2 tablespoons hoisin sauce

1 cube preserved bean curd

1/4 cup thin soy sauce

1/4 cup sugar

1 tablespoon Shaoxing rice wine or sake

2 large garlic cloves, minced

1 teaspoon finely grated ginger root

2 pounds pork shoulder (pork butt), cut in long 1-inch-thick strips

1/4 cup honey

Scallion flat breads or other Chinese pancakes and sliced scallion, optional

In a bowl, whisk together hoisin sauce, bean curd, soy sauce, sugar, rice wine or sake, garlic and ginger root. Transfer marinade and pork strips to a resealable gallon plastic bag. Squeezing out the air, seal the bag. Holding on to the ends, shake the bag gently to coat the strips evenly. Refrigerate and marinate for 4 to 6 hours, turning the bag every 30 minutes to redistribute the marinade.

Prepare a hot fire in a charcoal grill or preheat gas grill to 500 degrees. Grill pork strips, turning them frequently to prevent burning, 10 to 15 minutes for medium. Remove pork from heat and immediately brush honey all over. Let rest for 15 minutes before slicing and serving. Serve solo or wrapped in scallion flat breads or other Chinese pancakes, along with a little sliced scallion, if desired. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Corinne Trang is a caterer and author of “Authentic Vietnamese Cooking” and “Essentials of Asian Cuisine” (Simon & Schuster) and “The Asian Grill” (Chronicle Books). For more information, visit www.corinnetrang.com.