Good food on the table is always a treat to the eyes, mouth and stomach. Be it a Sunday brunch or a casual get together, one always looks out for recipes that do not consume much time. The best way is to do all the preparations a day prior and only cook on the D-day. Having a barbecue can be an amazing choice, and pre-planned marination is a perfect way to enhance the flavours of many vegetables or meat.
Marination comes from the French word “mariner” which means “to pickle in brine or saltwater”. Marination needs three basic ingredients: acid, seasoning and fat. For a perfect marriage, meat, seafood or vegetables are rubbed and soaked in the three basic ingredients and flavourful aromatic herbs. One can always experiment with marination and use their own ingredients and spices to create unique flavours.
Here are a few recipes of marinades that would tantalize your taste buds with “melt in the mouth” vegetables and succulent meats.
Tangy Marinade For Yam
Marination time: 30 mins
Serve: 4 per
Type: Sauce
Ingredients:
- Tamarind paste/pulp: ¼ cup
- Rice flour: 1 tbsp.
- Green chilli: 1 finely chopped
- Red chilli powder: 2 tsp.
- Ginger garlic paste: 2 tsp.
- Turmeric powder: ½ tsp.
- Fennel seeds: 1 tsp (crushed)
- Sesame oil: 3 tbsps.
- Curry leaves: 1-2 sprigs
- Salt and pepper powder to taste
- Rice: 2 cups (you can use any rice)
- Yam/ Elephant’s foot: 500g-600g
Method:
- Take a clean and dry bowl for marination, in the bowl mix in tamarind paste, rice flour, finely chopped green chilli, red chilli powder, ginger-garlic paste, turmeric powder and crushed fennel seeds. Throw in the yam chunks and coat each chunk well. Pour in the sesame oil over the yam and ensure it coats well. Tear off curry leaves and add into the bowl. Mix well and leave it for 30 mins.
- After half an hour, add salt and black pepper powder and cook the yam. You can cook the yam in a wok with some sliced onions and curry leaves. You can also use skewers for cooking the yam on a grill. Ensure they are slightly charred and well cooked.
Tip: To cut yam – Take rice in a bowl and add water. Peel, clean, and wash yam. With greased hands cut the yam in sizable chunks. Soak these chunks along with the rice in the same water for 30 mins. Enough water should be added so that the yam chunks are immersed completely. You can reuse the rice after rinsing it well.
Desi Style Tandoori Soya
Marination time: 2-3 hours
Serve: 4 per
Type: Sauce
Ingredients:
- Curd: 1 cup
- Mint leaves: 3tbsps. (Finely chopped)
- Tandoori masala: 1 ½ tbsps.
- Red chilli powder: 1 tsp.
- Garam masala: ½ tsp
- Tomato sauce: 2 tbsps.
- Kasoori methi: 1 tsp
- Ginger garlic paste: 1 tbsp.
- Oil: 3-4 tbsps.
- Sugar: a pinch
- Salt: to taste
- Soya chunks: 200g
- Onion: 3 medium (cut in cubes)
Method:
- Take a clean and dry bowl.
- Add in the luscious curd. To the curd mix in mint leaves, tandoori masala, red chilli powder, garam masala, ginger garlic paste and oil. Crush the kasoori methi and add to the bowl. After mixing the kasoori methi add in tomato sauce and sugar. This forms the marinade for the soya chunks and onions.
- Throw in the soya nuggets and onion cubes. Rub them well till they are covered completely. Marinate them for at least 2-3 hours.
- Check for seasoning and use a skewer for cooking them well on a hot grill.
Sour Cream Aloo Gobi
Marination time: 20 mins
Serve: 4 per
Type: Sauce
Ingredients:
- Sour cream: 1 cup
- Sichuan chutney: ¼ cup
- Honey: ½ tsp
- Fried onion paste: 2 tbsps.
- Mustard oil: 2-3 tbsps.
- Baby potatoes: 5-6 (peeled, pricked and deep-fried)
- Cauliflower: ½ kg (cut in florets)
Method:
- For the marination, take a bowl and mix in sour cream, Sichuan chutney, honey, fried onion paste and oil. Check for seasoning and add salt if required. This marinade pairs up well with most tubers.
- Peel, prick and deep fry potatoes till golden brown. Blanch cauliflower florets for 2 minutes.
- Toss in the vegetables into the marinade and leave it for 20 minutes.
- Cook the vegetables in a wok or on a grill.
Jerk Chicken With a Twist
Marination time: overnight
Serve: 4 per
Type: sauce
Ingredients:
- Chipotle dressing: ½ cup
- Tamarind and saunth chutney: 2-3 tbsps.
- Garlic paste: 1 tbsp.
- Cayenne powder: 1 tsp. (you can add more)
- Cinnamon powder: ¼ tsp.
- Fresh thyme: a generous sprig
- Lemon juice: 3-4 tbsps.
- Garlic and herb butter: 1 tbsp.
- Olive oil: 2 tbsps.
- Salt: to taste
- Sugar: a tsp.
- Chicken breasts: 4
Method:
- Take a clean and dry bowl. Mix in the chipotle dressing, tamarind and saunth chutney, garlic paste, cayenne powder, cinnamon powder, spiced butter and olive oil. Mix all of them well and add sugar and salt.
- Add in freshly squeezed lemon juice. The marinade is ready to be coated.
- Place the chicken breasts and rub them well with the marinade.
- Leave it in the fridge for 8-10 hours or overnight. Your jerk chicken is ready to be cooked.
Simple Marination For Fish
Marination time: 20-30 mins
Serve: 4 per
Type: Sauce
Ingredients:
- Coconut vinegar: ½ cup
- Red chillies: 2-3
- Tamarind pulp/paste: 1 tsp.
- Turmeric powder: ½ tsp.
- Poppy seeds: 1 tsp.
- Cinnamon powder: ½ tsp.
- Clove powder: ½ tsp.
- Salt and pepper powder to taste
- Fish: 500 grams
Method:
- To start, poppy seeds and red chillies need to be soaked for 10 mins.
- Grind them well into a smooth paste along with turmeric powder, cinnamon powder and clove powder.
- Take a dry and clean bowl for marination. Mix the smooth paste, coconut vinegar, tamarind paste, salt and pepper powder. The marination is ready. This marination can be used for any seafood,
- Coat the fish well in the marination and leave it for 20-30 mins. You can cook the marinated fish in a curry form.
Marination needs a lot of precision and knowledge of taste combinations. While the acid in the form of yoghurt, lime juice, tamarind or any other sour ingredient breaks down the meat, the oil adds the required covering on the meat or vegetable to prevent it from getting burnt. Get a brief idea of the science behind marinating and start enjoying juicy meats and yummy vegetables.
Awesome
It’s yummy, a must try. Thank you for sharing