Beat the heat with these soothing Marinades !

One of the best ways of preserving food, is to marinate them, but Marinades are especially appropriate for warm-weather cooking, not only because they`re good for barbecuing and grilling, but also because they`re a fine way of preserving food for a short time as food tends to be in danger zone all the while.

Being a tropical country the odds of finding a seasonal fruit or vegetable to be the base of the marinade is a give away,Most meats that are barbecued, such as beef, chicken, pork and lamb, are composed of two parts: connective tissue, which is like strands of firm gelatin; and soft proteins, which are somewhat like little egg yolks. When we apply heat, we "melt" though connective tissues and at the same time firm the soft proteins to whatever state of doneness we prefer. In some cases a marinade is all it takes to "cook"something--fish, for example or else known as curing in case of Ceviche.

Marinating has its own rules. First, you should use a noncorrosive dish. Stainless steel is fine, as is glass and porcelain. Avoid anything coarse or porous like an aluminum baking pan or earthenware,yet some specific Chettinad influences would prove us wrong  for Earthenware.

Marinating should be done for specific amounts of time. Too little time and the meat simply isn`t tenderized. Meat left too long in a marinade will become mushy, A piece of chicken  marinated for 5 days the result would resemble mashed potatoes.

Always refrigerate the item if the marinating is going to take more than two hours. Otherwise you are courting danger with bacterial activity. If you have only an hour, leave it out of the refrigerator which is when summer marinades tend to be the best, as short spell marinades of summer tend to get more robust by just the addition of these seasonal entities.

MMM (mango malai marinade )

Freshly squeezed mango pulp - 100 ml reduced to 50 ml 

Cream cheese -50 grams

cardamom  powder - 2 grams

kafir lime leaves - shredded 2 grams 

Ginger - chopped 10 grams 

Lemon juice - 5 ml 

Jaggery -5grams 

Best for : Chicken Drumsticks/ Fish 

Description:  summertime flavours of mango along with the richness of Cream cheese and a sharp zesty lemony tang which gives a soothing effect to the fish and the meats marinated.

 

Som Tum marinade 

Raw papaya - 100 grams coarsely chopped 

Peanut butter - 50 grams

Cilantro stems - 30 grams finely chopped 

Jaggery syrup - 20 ml

Turmeric powder -1tsp 

Fish sauce - 2 tsp 

Lemon grass - 5 grams finely chopped

Lime juice - 30 ml 

Salt 

Best for : Lamb Chops/ seafood/ vegetables 

Description: Asian marinade best for lamb as the enzymes in raw papaya helps as a tenderiser, and the peanuts gives it s distinctive aroma bringing back memories of Thai cuisine, equally good with summer vegetables and tofu.

Melon & mint marinade 

Cantaloupe - 50 grams finely chopped

Honey dew - 50 grams finely chopped 

Watermelon - 50 grams finely chopped 

Beetroot purée - 20 grams 

Mint - 10 grams finely shredded 

Yoghurt - hung and thick 50 grams 

Fennel seeds - broiled and crushed 5 grams 

Best for : cheeses like fresh Mozerella/ Panner / Broccoli/ chicken

Description: fruity flavours with mint where the colour and natural sweetness of beets gives an added dimension and the flavour paring of fennel seeds is a match made in heaven, also the classical melon mint combo cools your tummy with no major fuss