Chicken and mutton need to be marinated perfectly to relish the flavours. Getting the ultimate mix of ingredients can be rather tough and without the right marinade, your dish will just not taste the same! Lucky for you, we have everything you need to know about tasty marinades right here.
1. What Goes With What
Marinating is the most important step in grilling that perfectly pink, juicy steak. So, what are the most essential ingredients of a meat marinade? Most marinades are made up of fats and acids (in addition to all the extra spices and flavourings you may want to include) to break down the meat, seal in the moisture and enhance the flavour of the dish.
Yoghurt and vinegar are great for marinating chicken and mutton, lime juice and fish make a nice acidic combination while pineapple juice works well on pork. Oils are a good base for marinades as well, they pool in the flavour deep into the meat.
2. Marinating Tips And Tricks
Add a little sugar to your meat to caramelize it and add tenderness. Don’t add too much salt as it will draw out the moisture from the meat. Be sure of the flavour combinations you use and be judicious while picking the ingredients of your marinade. The marinade itself is not the star here, it’s about enhancing the flavours of the dish you are marinating!
3. Marinating Time
Prick the meat with a fork or make cuts in it, this helps to seep in the flavours of the marinade deep into the meat. Fish usually takes the least time for marinating because of its soft flesh but other poultry items like chicken need to be marinated for at least an hour. A whole chicken requires more marinating time than its parts. Now, let’s get to some actual marinating. Time to let the juices flow!
4. Easy Chicken Marinade
A simple yet scrumptious chicken marinade you can whip up anytime! Use this marinade recipe for a little mid-week pick me up.
Ingredients
• 1 cup of curd (or fresh cream)
• Few saffron strands
• 1 Tbsp. kasuri methi
• Juice of ginger and garlic (to be squeezed out from 1 Tbsp. ginger-garlic paste)
• Seasonings
Instructions
1. Mix all the ingredients and let them rest on the bird for a couple of hours and then pan fry it.
5. Black Pepper Lamb Marinade
This black pepper lamb marinade is sure to spice things up at that dinner date! Marinate the lamb overnight to really seep in all the flavours of this dish.
Ingredients
• 500g of lamb
• 1 tsp. of Healthy Alternatives Turmeric Powder
• 1 green chili, chopped
• 1 tsp. Healthy Alternatives Organic Black Pepper Whole, ground
• 2 onions, diced
• 1 Tbsp. garlic paste
• 1 clove
• 1 Healthy Alternatives Whole Cinnamon Stick, small
• 1 Tbsp. Healthy Alternatives Cow Ghee
• 1 cup of curd
• Salt to taste
Instructions
1. Mix all the ingredients and marinade the lamb overnight.
2. Then, cook it with coconut milk on low heat and serve it with rice.
6. Mutton Kebab Marinade
This is the classic kebab marinade that you can’t go wrong with! The succulent and spicy mutton kebabs are sure to get your mouth watering in no time at all.
Ingredients
• 1/2 kg of mutton, minced
• 25g of raw papaya
• 3 Tsp. Healthy Alternatives Organic Poppy Seeds
• 4 cloves
• 1 Healthy Alternatives Whole Cinnamon Stick
• 1 Healthy Alternatives Black Cardamom
• 3 pieces of Healthy Alternatives Organic Mace Whole
• 12g of roasted gram
• 4 pieces of Healthy Alternatives Organic Green Cardamom Whole
• 1 Tsp. ginger-garlic paste
• 2 onions, chopped
• A handful of mint
• A handful of coriander leaves
• 2green chilies, finely chopped
Instructions
1. Mix the mutton in raw papaya and let it rest for 15 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, grind the remaining ingredients and marinate the mutton for 2 hours before shaping into kebabs and frying in a wok.
7. Cider Pork Marinade
Calling all pork lovers to meat wonderland! Try this cider pork marinade to blow your taste buds away.
Ingredients
• 2 kg of pork
• ½ cup of Healthy Alternatives Organic Brown Sugar
• 1/4 cup of salt
• 1 Tbsp. Healthy Alternatives Organic Coriander Whole
• 4 cups of Healthy Alternatives Apple Cider Vinegar
Instructions
1. Boil 1 cup of water, sugar and salt on high heat, then reduce and simmer this mixture until the sugar and the salt dissolve.
2. Add in about 4 cups of cider, the magic ingredient, and let it cool.
3. Add in the remaining ingredients and marinade the pork overnight before grilling it.
8. Lemon Herb Fish Marinade
A subtle marinade that will give your palette a taste for lemony goodness! You can whip up this lemon herb fish marinade in a jiffy.
Ingredients
• 1/3 cup of Healthy Alternatives Pure Olive Oil
• ¼ cup of lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon of fresh basil leaves, chopped
• 2 teaspoons of fresh thyme leaves, chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon of salt
• 1/4 teaspoon of Healthy Alternatives Organic Black Pepper Whole
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
Instructions
1. In shallow glass or plastic dish, mix all the ingredients. Add about 1 pound of fish or about 1 pound of seafood; turn to coat with the marinade.
2. Cover the dish and refrigerate it for at least 30 minutes but no longer than 24 hours.
3. Remove the meat from the marinade; reserve the marinade. Grill the meat as desired, brushing occasionally with the marinade. Heat the remaining marinade to boiling temperature to serve as a sauce with the grilled meat.
Ready to get your meat on? Get your ingredients here at Nature’s Basket.
Looking for some more meat hacks? Check out this beginner’s guide to chicken cuts.
