A cilantro-heavy marinade is the star in this versatile recipe for Spicy Thai-Style Grilled Veggie Skewers. An easy side-dish for a summer BBQ, these veggies can also take the center stage when served atop a bowl of rice or noodles.
The garden is planted, the sun is shining, and then rain is (hopefully!) behind us. I do believe it’s time to start doing my summertime happy dance.
This hands-down my favorite time of year, and the very moment it becomes warm enough to eat outside I know it’s time to fire up the grill and find some veggie BBQ ideas.
Veggie kebabs might be an old stand-by, but this spicy Thai-style marinade is a total show stopper.
It’s loaded with cilantro, garlic, and chili sauce so it’s bright, fragrant, and has a nice kick to it, which makes some amazing Thai grilled vegetables!
I let my vegetables marinate for an hour in the fridge, but I think you could get away with up to 4 hours if you’re trying to work ahead. Any more than that and I’d fear that they might release too much liquid.
Once they’re done marinating, slide them onto some metal skewers (or wood skewers that have soaked in water for 30 minutes) and prepare your charcoal grill.
They just need about 15 minutes on the grill, then pull them off and serve them up!
Veggie lovers (and fellow Thai-food junkies) would love these just as they are, but these are also great as part of a rice or noodle bowl. They make a great side dish to anything else you’re BBQing, or you could even make a double batch of the marinade and use it on some chicken skewers.
You can make these vegan skewers by substituting soy sauce for the fish sauce as mentioned below in the ingredients list.
I’m also sharing a recipe for noodle bowls using leftovers (if you have any!) from these Thai vegetarian skewers. You can check out the recipe right here: Thai Veggie Noodle Bowls
Here’s the Recipe!
Spicy Thai-Style Grilled Veggie Skewers Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups packed cilantro leaves
- 8 cloves garlic - peeled
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce - sub soy for vegan BBQ skewers
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon chili garlic sauce
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
- 2 pounds vegetables - cut into bite-sized pieces (any combination of mushrooms, peppers, scallion, zucchini, and yellow summer squash)
Instructions
- Place the cilantro, garlic, fish sauce, water, pepper, chili-garlic sauce in the bowl of a food processor; pulse to form a paste. With the processor running, pour the oil through the lid spout in a slow stream. Use a spatula to scrape the marinade out of the processor and pour it over the vegetables. Toss well, cover, and refrigerate for 1 hour.
- Meanwhile, prepare a charcoal grill for medium heat. Thread the marinated vegetables onto metal skewers (or wooden skewers that have soaked in water for 30 minutes). Grill the skewers for 12-15 minutes, turning frequently to prevent burning, until tender and browned around the edges.
- Serve with rice, noodles, or as a side dish to the main event!
