A tiny corner of Lexington Market bears witness to the growing mainstream appeal of Asian grilling.
Amid the bustle of carryout chicken and pit-beef sandwiches and the other traditional fare offered in Baltimore's oldest market, 32-year-old Sunmi Son scurries to fill orders at Bulkoki Corner, her Korean barbecue stand.
For $3.95, her customers get a long, thin strip of beef that has been marinated for a day in soy sauce, garlic, ginger, sugar and fruit juice, then grilled. It's served on a bed of steamed rice. For 95 cents more, she will add a dollop of kimchi.
Few of her customers are Korean. Many have never before tried bulkoki (or bulgogi or bul kogi, as it is sometimes spelled), one of Korea's most famous dishes. But they are attracted by the savory smells, the sweet and salty appeal of a wholly authentic Asian barbecue.
"American people understand," says Son, who lives in Ellicott City and opened the stand seven months ago. "It's just a little bit different."
For anyone who still believes outdoor grilling begins and ends with Texas barbecued brisket or Southern-style smoked pork shoulder or even hot dogs and hamburgers, it's time to get with the 21st century - both A.D. and B.C. In the East, the grilled-foods tradition has been cultivated for thousands of years.
From Indonesian satay to Vietnamese skewered pork, and from the street carts in Bangkok to the hibachis of Japan, food cooked outdoors over an open flame is an integral part of every country's cuisine.
At its most basic, Asian grilling is about street food - small morsels chosen from the most humble cuts of beef, seafood, pork or chicken that are marinated and thoroughly seasoned and then cooked quickly over wood or charcoal. The flavors are intense enough to withstand a good charring over high heat.
"This is cooking that can be done in a cart," says James Purviance, a Napa Valley-based chef and co-author of Weber's Big Book of Grilling (Chronicle Books, 2001, $22.95). "They are good at taking what looks like scraps from the market and through marination and spice rubs bringing these ingredients to life."
Ginger, soy sauce, sesame oil and garlic are common ingredients, but every culture has its own twist. In Japan, dry sherry, mirin or sansho, a kind of pepper, may be used. In Thailand, there is an affection for cilantro, lemon grass and hot chili peppers.
