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Marinades play a key role in immersing the main ingredient of the dish in flavours. They are usually acidic, so they can pierce through the thick layers of tissues in meat, tenderise it, and fill the flavours to the core of vegetables and paneer.
Several Indian recipes celebrate this technique of bringing a concentrated taste to the dish. Iconic recipes like tandoori chicken, kebab, and paneer tikka are living examples of how marination can completely transform a recipe.
Yes, there are different marinades for different ingredients, formulated specially according to the unique characteristics. Learn more about some of the most iconic Indian marinated recipes and what kind of marinade they use.
7 Indian Recipes With Distinct Marinades
1) Tandoori Chicken
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Tandoori chicken is made in a traditional clay oven called a tandoor. This recipe starts with a spicy marinade made with yoghurt, lemon juice, and spices like garam masala, cumin, and turmeric. To absorb the flavours completely, the chicken is marinated for 6 hours or overnight so the tissues get tender and all the spices are absorbed thoroughly.
2) Chicken Tikka
Tikka translates to boneless pieces of chicken. The Mughals mainly used this term to describe the recipe. In Chicken tikka, the boneless pieces are marinated in spices before adding yoghurt and lemon. Chicken and vegetables are mixed in the marinade to enhance the flavour. Then, the pieces of chicken and vegetables are skewered with a steel rod and cooked in a tandoor or oven till it's lightly charred and well cooked.
3) Paneer Tikka
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Paneer tikka can be referred to as a vegetarian substitute for chicken tikka. Like the above recipe, this dish only replaces chicken with paneer, and other ingredients and processes are kept intact. Unlike meaty chicken, paneer doesn't have any muscles or tissue, so it takes less time to absorb the flavours. The usual duration of marinating paneer is 2 hours or more, but you can keep it for 30 minutes at room temperature as well. Many also call it tandoori paneer because of the tandoor method of cooking.
4) Seekh Kebab
Seekh kebab features minced meat skewered on a long stick and baked to perfection. Since this recipe uses minced meat, it doesn't take much time to marinate and needs to be kept for at least one hour in spices. Typically, lamb or chicken is used for this dish, but it can vary with geography. The meat is seasoned with spices and then combined with ginger, garlic, onion paste, mint, coriander, butter, green chilli paste, cumin, cayenne pepper, and salt.
5) Hariyali Chicken
Different from the traditional red-coloured marinade, this recipe features a green-coloured marinade, giving the dish its iconic name. Hariyali chicken uses fresh green herbs such as coriander and mint as the star ingredient, deriving all the characteristic flavours of the recipe. Red chilli powder, turmeric, garam masala, amchur, and cumin powder are the spices used in the marinade. Curd adds the finishing touch to the marinade.
6) Reshmi Kebab
The word “reshmi” translates to "silken" or "smooth." Reshmi kebab got its name because of its velvety texture and smooth consistency from the rich and creamy marinade. The marinade used for this kebab is made with cashew and almond paste, cream, and sometimes yoghurt. Flavours are comparatively mild, and only black pepper powder and rock salt are used for seasoning. Lemon is added to bring a slight tartness, and chopped ginger and garlic add a soothing pungency.
7) Achari Paneer and Chicken
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Achari means pickling, which comes from the pickle-like marinade in this dish. Aachari marinade contains all the classic Indian pickle ingredients, including mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, fennel seeds, cumin seeds, and other spices. Asafoetida and ginger garlic paste give a pungent kick. All of these ingredients contribute to a tangy and savoury taste, similar to Indian pickle.
These distinct Indian marinades can be used for several recipes and stir-fries. You can interchangeably use any meat or vegetable of your choice and customise these recipes with a unique twist.
