Overview
Food trucks have taken over Sydney in a big way. Redefining culinary culture, food trucks combine quality food with decent prices in a portable automobile of fun. Inside these trucks sit total legends who said hell no to paying exorbitant rents, cooks who enjoy mixing up their menus and entrepreneurial types who refuse to stare at the same scenery every day.
Eat Art Truck is one of Sydney's most sought-after food trucks. Inspired by the food truck culture in the States, the team saw a gap in the Australian market for portable American street food. More than just tasty, tasty food (we'll be making and devouring their blue cheese sauce in just a few moments), the team have also provided a blank slate for local artists to decorate one side of the EAT truck.
With the demand for food trucks like EAT increasing, entire food festivals dedicated to the humble food truck popping up as well as apps to locate these portable feasts in your area, it was only a matter of time until someone compiled a book dedicated to them. That someone is Erika Budiman, a photographer and graphic designer from Melbourne who understands the simple joy of the food truck. She has sought to translate this joy into a book of recipes, photos and stories from the diverse array of food trucks making their way around Australia.
"For me, food trucks make total sense here. They suit our outdoorsy lifestyle, our climate and our landscape," she says, citing their omnipresence as changing not only her eating habits, but also those of the Melbourne community. "If the weather is good, we can spontaneously get together with family and friends, grab a picnic blanket, some drinks and games and head to the nearest truck jam for an easy and guaranteed delicious picnic. And with several trucks to choose from, everyone's tastes and sizes of hunger can easily be catered for."
Hungry now? Let's get cookin'.
Tender Chicken Bites with Blue Cheese Sauce Recipe
Serves 4
1 kg free range chicken thighs
Marinade:
850g red onions, sliced
280g garlic, crushed
580g jalapenos
580g shallots
50g fresh ginger
25g fresh thyme
50g ground cinnamon
10g salt
100g chilli paste
6 cups pineapple juice
1 cup buttermilk
Light blue cheese sauce:
250ml (1 cup) buttermilk
50g white pepper
50g (1/4 cup) caster sugar
300g blue cheese
300g egg-based mayonnaise
Flour mixture:
500g readymade pancake mix (that's right, pancake mix)
500g rice flour
50g white pepper
50g salt
Remove the excess fat from the chicken thighs and dice them into approximately 2 cm × 2 cm cubes. Rest in the refrigerator in a container or on a plate covered with plastic wrap.
To prepare the marinade, place all the ingredients, except for the pineapple juice and buttermilk, in a blender or food processor. At a low speed, blend until well combined. In a separate bowl add the pineapple juice, buttermilk and the blended mixture. With a whisk mix them together until they are all well combined. Add the chicken thighs and marinate overnight in the refrigerator.
To make the light blue cheese sauce mix the buttermilk, white pepper and sugar in a bowl until well combined. Use your hands to crumble the blue cheese into the mix. Add the mayonnaise and mix with a spatula, folding carefully (don’t blend the mixture or mix it too vigorously because the mayonnaise will heat up and may split).
Remove the chicken from the refrigerator. Strain it to remove the excess marinade. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl. Add the chicken pieces to the bowl and coat well with the flour mixture. Preheat oil to 180ºC in a pot or deep-fryer and fry the chicken in small batches to avoid cooling down the oil.
Serve warm, with the blue cheese sauce on top.
Via Food Truck Feasts, published by Explore Australia Publishing, RRP $34.95, www.exploreaustralia.net.au.
