If and when the haze starts to clear up, we are thinking we might celebrate with an awesome outdoor BBQ party to finally take in the sights, breathe clean air savour the smells of crispy chicken being grilled. Gathering all our friends and family on a sunny weekend at the beach would just be wonderful. Whether it is a small barbecue or a big one, it has to be festive and of course, delicious. Here are some BBQ planning tips we would like to share with you so you can plan for your own little haze-free celebration party.

Like any party, weekends are great for throwing a BBQ party where people are more relaxed and would enjoy taking it slow and take the time to cook for themselves. It doesn’t really have to be during lunch time, it can start in the evening too where it is cooler anyway. If it is an adult crowd, keep the party for the evening but if it is an event for families with kids, like a kids party, then plan the barbecue earlier, preferably the day time.

What are the possible menu items while planning for a BBQ party?

Quick Tips

• Adults will need around 500grams of food each while kids will need half of that.
• The bigger the variety of food options we have, the lesser the portion per item will be needed.
• Guests will usually eat more in the evening as compared to the daytime.
• While gas burns cleaner than charcoal (burning charcoal produces carbon monoxide and soot), charcoal does give your food a rich, smoky flavour.
• Pre-heat the BBQ pit for around 20 minutes to ensure the right cooking temperature has been reached and any bacteria killed before food touches the grill.
• Oil the grills with oil-soaked paper towers (vegetable-based ones) to prevent sticking before cooking.

Starters

• Grilled Corn – Everyone loves grilled corn right? Why not make it even more special by adding a touch of Parmesan cheese, and some jalapenos. This could be a nice, spicy recipe.
• Tomatoes and Mozzarella Skewers – If you are thinking what to use as starters, this is the best thing you can serve. It is simply tomatoes and mozzarella grilled in basil oil and served on a stick.
• Salads – Probably the easiest thing to prepare for the health conscious and to ensure everyone gets some greens in their tummies before the parade of meats.
• Vietnamese spring rolls – an alternative to the boring salad is a spread of delicious and clean-tasting vegetable-filled Vietnamese spring roll and savoury dipping sauce.
• Potato skins – Crispy roasted potato skins with sour cream, melted cheese, chives and pepper – our mouths water just by the thought of this.

The Main Dish

Well, it’s a BBQ so you cannot forget halal chicken skewers, steaks, sausages, hamburgers and chicken wings. All this should be combined with your favourite dipping sauces. For a more local flavour, swap out the chicken skewers for delicious satay and peanut satay sauce.

Here are some ideas for mains:

Raw for grilling

• Marinated BBQ chicken wings
• Chicken/Mutton or beef satay with satay sauce
• Mackerel fish otah
• Chicken sausages
• Fish ball on skewers

Cooked food:

• Nonya chicken curry with potatoes
• Garlic fried rice
• Vegetarian bee hoon

If there is a large crowd coming, you might want to hire a caterer in Singapore that caters for BBQ items that are already pre-seasoned and prepared so all you have to do is throw them on the grill. If there are going to be vegetarians at the BBQ, consider portobello mushroom burgers and other mock meat items that can be grilled. To bring the BBQ up a notch, it would be thrilling to hire onsite chefs to grill for the guests.

Drinks

Do not forget about drinks as they are the essence of any party. Suitable drinks for BBQs are sparkling water and soda of course. If there are small children in the crowd, then order punches, juice boxes or lemonades. You can also skip soda if it is going to be a health-conscious crowd and instead prepare other options like juices and teas. Prepare about 3 servings per guests and don’t forget to order ice buckets and bring coolers to keep the drinks cool.

Desserts

Keep dessert simple in barbeques because the focus is really on the grilled meats. Here are some cooling dessert ideas for our hot climate

• Mix selection of cut fruits like watermelon, pineapples and rockmelons
• Longan and sea coconut
• Chin Chow with longan
• Cream puffs
• Macaroons
• Mango bean curd with sweet longan
• Crepes

Just Have Fun!

Make sure the environment is beautiful and light music is being played to keep the guests entertained. If you have invited families, organize activities or games for the kids to keep them busy while the adults have their own fun. Everyone will remember your BBQ as long as the food tastes good. If you ever find it too overwhelming, just focus on hosting and leave the food to food catering professionals in Singapore like us at eatzcatering!