Get Your Grill On

Our friends know that my wife and I are huge fans of Hawaii, Hawaiian food and any convergence of Hawaiian ingredients and barbecue. They also know that I seek inspiration from the most unusual sources when it comes to trying new food ideas. So another convergence took place recently when we were enjoying a package of Terra Spiced Taro chips (taro is indigenous to Hawaii and the main ingredient in poi). With the flavor of the spices getting more intense as we made our way to the bottom of the bag, it hit me: these same ingredients would make one helluva rub.

The next night I bought some lemongrass leaves and the day after I put my trusty spice grinder to work, making a rub using the six key ingredients in the chip spices. I combined the freshly ground lemongrass (6 parts), salt (4), coriander (2), chili powder (2), ginger (1) and garlic (1). Visually, the final result doesn’t look all that much different from any of the other chicken I’ve cooked, but the taste was intense. The lemongrass contrasted nicely with the sharper spices and worked as well on chicken as it did on the chips. I purposely didn’t include sugar in the rub but I might try it next time.