an ode to zupan's housemade kabobs

It was too hot to think in Portland, so we did the smart thing and cooked indoors.

We'd swung by Zupan's and picked up four of their housemade kabobs to try, mostly because they were running 25% off this weekend and that is not a sale you walk past. For the record: the next time that promo comes around, do not miss it. We grabbed one of each that caught our eye.

- Coconut chicken curry - Wagyu beef Korean BBQ - Chicken teriyaki - Beef ginger and soy

Before I get to the cooking, I have to say something about the people behind the counter. The butcher staff at Zupan's are simply the best. They welcome my boys in with open arms every single time, ask what we're in the mood for, and steer us toward whatever they're proud of that week. That kind of hospitality is rare now, and it's a big part of why we keep coming back. Half the fun of this haul was standing there while they talked us through the lineup.

The griddle did all the work

With it that hot outside, firing up the grill felt like a punishment. So I pulled out the Made In carbon steel griddle instead and let it do the job. This thing has earned its place in the kitchen. A few minutes a side over medium heat and that was it. The kabobs came off with real color, the fat rendered, the edges caught just enough char to remind you they'd been cooked over metal and not in an oven. No flare-ups, no babysitting, no standing in the sun pretending I was having a good time.

Ridiculously simple. That's the whole point of a night like this.

The rice that finally landed

While the griddle heated, I made the rice, and this is the part I'm genuinely proud of. Plain Nishiki, nothing exotic, but treated right. I wrote the whole thing up as its own recipe (steamed nishiki rice), but the short version is this: wash the rice over and over until the water runs clear, which always takes more rounds than you think. The one tweak I swear by is finishing with filtered water for the actual cook. Tap works fine, but filtered is the difference between good rice and rice that makes someone stop chewing for a second.

My boys said it was the best batch I've ever made. Thirteen years of making rice for these kids and that's the verdict I get on a random hot Sunday. I'll take it.

The lineup

All four were good, but a couple stood out. The wagyu beef Korean BBQ and the coconut chicken curry were my favorites by a wide margin. The wagyu had that deep, glossy, slightly sweet Korean BBQ char and the marbling you'd hope for, and the coconut curry chicken was the surprise of the bunch, bright and fragrant and a little creamy without going soft. The boys went straight for the chicken teriyaki and barely looked up. The beef ginger and soy held its own too, the quiet, reliable one in the group.

Steamed rice underneath, kabobs on top, a little of the herbs and lime from the platter. That's a full dinner that took almost no effort and tasted like it should have taken a lot more.

Then we just sat there

With the food handled and the kitchen cooler than the front yard, we settled in to celebrate a summer of international sport. World Cup on the screen, teams to cheer for, and the single greatest ingredient of the whole night: air conditioning. Cold air, hot food, good rice, happy kids. There are fancier dinners, but there aren't many better nights.

Go grab the kabobs. Catch the 25% sale if you can. Say hi to the butcher counter for me.