When it comes to marination, Chethana Dinesh has the best tricks to share
![]( "WHAT'SNOTTOLOVE:Use flat cuts of meat to marinate for an even spread of flavour.")
It's a technique that's long been in practice. It tenderises meat, enhances flavours, and makes cooking meat faster and easier. Well, that's marination, a technique that's been in use since the 17th century to tenderise tough cuts of meat. Just soaking meat for an hour in a marinade, which is nothing but a seasoned acidic liquid, can work wonders to the taste of any meat once it's cooked.
Though different marinades are used in different cuisines, the most common ingredients of marinades, especially in our Indian cuisine, include salt, vinegar, lemon juice, curds, and a whole lot of herbs and spices like ginger, garlic, coriander and kasoori methi. And of course, the ubiquitous turmeric. A fine paste of the choice ingredients, rubbed into the meat, and left to rest for at least an hour, gets it ready to be either grilled, baked, fried or roasted.
The science behind this process is simple — the acidic content of the marinade breaks down the tissue of the meat, thereby allowing it to absorb more moisture and get juicier with taste. Even papaya and pineapple are known for their tenderising qualities.
Surprisingly, many centuries ago, wraping meat in papaya leaves was a common cooking procedure in pre-Columbian Mexico. The tenderising quality of papain, the active enzyme in the papaya leaves, has been known since then! In fact, most commercially available tenderisers are nothing but papain, refined from papayas. Most seasoned cooks in India, especially homemakers, add either a fine paste of raw papaya or raw pineapple juice to their meats to dish out mouthwatering platters.
However, though marination is a simple process, following a few simple tips can work wonders for your chosen recipe. To begin with, the marinade should not be too heavy on the acidic content; refrigerate the marinated mixture to avoid the growth of harmful bacteria, but, do not freeze it as freezing can make only the outer layer mushy; marinated meat should be cooked only when it comes to room temperature; do not puncture the meat for the marinade to penetrate as the cooked meat will have an uneven texture. Try and use flat cuts of meat to marinate for an even spread of both the marinade and the flavour; wrapping the marinated pieces of meat in an aluminium foil seals in the flavours; and lastly, never reuse the marinade as it's not healthy.
Speaking from personal experience, fish tastes best only if marinated for about an hour before it is shallow fried. Make a nice, even mixture of salt, red chilly powder, turmeric, lime juice or vinegar and beaten egg, coat sliced fish with this marinade and allow it to rest for an hour before shallow frying it in oil. For a crisper finish to your fish fry, dip marinated pieces of fish in chiroti rava before frying them.
The same rule applies for chicken too. Marinate chicken in a mixture of curds, ginger-garlic paste, turmeric and salt for about two hours before deciding on the recipe. For, marinated chicken can lend itself to a variety of recipes. And of course, biting into a piece of succulent meat can be nothing short of a heavenly experience.
It's a technique that's long been in practice. It tenderises meat, enhances flavours, and makes cooking meat faster and easier. Well, that's marination, a technique that's been in use since the 17th century to tenderise tough cuts of meat. Just soaking meat for an hour in a marinade, which is nothing but a seasoned acidic liquid, can work wonders to the taste of any meat once it's cooked.Though different marinades are used in different cuisines, the most common ingredients of marinades, especially in our Indian cuisine, include salt, vinegar, lemon juice, curds, and a whole lot of herbs and spices like ginger, garlic, coriander and kasoori methi. And of course, the ubiquitous turmeric. A fine paste of the choice ingredients, rubbed into the meat, and left to rest for at least an hour, gets it ready to be either grilled, baked, fried or roasted.
The science behind this process is simple — the acidic content of the marinade breaks down the tissue of the meat, thereby allowing it to absorb more moisture and get juicier with taste. Even papaya and pineapple are known for their tenderising qualities.
Surprisingly, many centuries ago, wraping meat in papaya leaves was a common cooking procedure in pre-Columbian Mexico. The tenderising quality of papain, the active enzyme in the papaya leaves, has been known since then! In fact, most commercially available tenderisers are nothing but papain, refined from papayas. Most seasoned cooks in India, especially homemakers, add either a fine paste of raw papaya or raw pineapple juice to their meats to dish out mouthwatering platters.
However, though marination is a simple process, following a few simple tips can work wonders for your chosen recipe. To begin with, the marinade should not be too heavy on the acidic content; refrigerate the marinated mixture to avoid the growth of harmful bacteria, but, do not freeze it as freezing can make only the outer layer mushy; marinated meat should be cooked only when it comes to room temperature; do not puncture the meat for the marinade to penetrate as the cooked meat will have an uneven texture. Try and use flat cuts of meat to marinate for an even spread of both the marinade and the flavour; wrapping the marinated pieces of meat in an aluminium foil seals in the flavours; and lastly, never reuse the marinade as it's not healthy.
Speaking from personal experience, fish tastes best only if marinated for about an hour before it is shallow fried. Make a nice, even mixture of salt, red chilly powder, turmeric, lime juice or vinegar and beaten egg, coat sliced fish with this marinade and allow it to rest for an hour before shallow frying it in oil. For a crisper finish to your fish fry, dip marinated pieces of fish in chiroti rava before frying them.
The same rule applies for chicken too. Marinate chicken in a mixture of curds, ginger-garlic paste, turmeric and salt for about two hours before deciding on the recipe. For, marinated chicken can lend itself to a variety of recipes. And of course, biting into a piece of succulent meat can be nothing short of a heavenly experience.