Moroccan-Inspired Barbecue Sauce

Cookgirl's Note:

I'm not so much interested in authenticity as I am in palatability. Try this marinade on lamb, chicken, tofu, turkey, etc. From Sunset magazine.

• Total Time: 25 mins
• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Cook Time: 15 mins

Ingredients:

Yield: 1.25 cup

• ¾ cup honey
• ½ cup fresh cilantro (NOT dried)
• 1⁄3; cup fresh lemon juice
• ¼ cup rice vinegar
• ¼ cup ketchup
• ¼ cup soy sauce
• 1 -2 garlic clove , finely minced
• 1 whole star anise
• 1 cinnamon stick (3 inches long, broken up into thirds)
• ¾ teaspoon black peppercorns
• ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
• ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
• ¼ teaspoon whole cloves
• ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
• ¼ teaspoon salt

Directions:

1. Combine all the ingredients in a medium sized saucepan.
2. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat (do not allow to boil), cook and stir constantly until the sauce is reduced to about 1 1/4 cups. This should take approximately 15 mintues.
3. Pour mixture through a fine sieve to strain.
4. Best made several hours in advance of using.
5. Freezes well.

Reviews

[ElizabethAuthorAKAHajar]

This is good for adding flavor to western cooking, however, authentic happens also to be very palatable. I used this for BBQ chicken, marinated and glazed with a bit in the oven, and and it was slightly overpowering. I think I'd cut back next time on the world tour of spices and limit to 3 for my tastes.

[justcallmetoni]

Short on time, I needed something to give some flavor to some chicken breasts. Boy was this flavorful and delicious. What a surprise that you could develop a complex range of tastes in such a short amount of time. I did cut about 2 tablespoons of the honey because I don't like my sauces to be overly sweet. To balance the loss of sweetness, I also reduced the amount of lemon juice by one tablespoon. I both brushed the chicken with the sauce as well as serving it as a dipping sauce with the cooked strips. Started with a modest dipping technique and by the end we were all doing a full dunk. The sauce is more like a glaze than what would usually be called a BBQ sauce - but glaze or sauce - it was still great.