Culinary Hacks: MARINADES

Top chefs share their kitchen secrets in a new book to help you harness the powers of marinades with these four ‘micro’ recipes that’ll take your home cooking to the next level. 



SPICED YOGHURT MARINADE

160g Greek-style yoghurt, extra thick ~ 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste ~ 1 tsp lemon juice ~ 1 tsp chilli powder ~

1 tsp ground turmeric ~ 1 tsp ground cumin ~ 1 tsp ground coriander ~ 1 tsp garam masala ~ 1 tsp salt

Simply mix all the ingredients together in a bowl, then apply liberally over meat or fish and

set aside for at least 1 hour. This particular marinade is great to prepare proteins for Indian

dishes, but at its core is the yoghurt, lemon juice and salt – you can add whatever flavourings

you like to this to make it your own. Yoghurt marinades are particularly good for chicken, as

they are less harsh than acid-based marinades and add richness to the lean meat.

TIGER'S MILK CEVICHE MARINADE

8 limes, juiced ~ 1 handful of coriander, stalks and leaves separated ~ 1 red chilli, finely chopped ~

1 garlic clove, bashed ~ 1 slice of ginger

Mix together the lime juice, coriander stalks, ginger, garlic and half the chilli, then set aside

in the fridge to infuse for 30 minutes. Strain the marinade, then finely chop the coriander

leaves and add to the marinade along with the remaining chilli and raw fish or seafood. This

is a unique marinade from Peru that is so acidic it actually 'cooks' the fish quickly, so don't

marinate for longer than 10 minutes. Adjust the amount of chilli to your own preference, but

it should have a good kick of heat.

TERIYAKI MARINADE

4 tbsp sake ~ 4 tbsp mirin ~ 4 tbsp light soy sauce ~ 4 tbsp dark soy sauce ~ 4 tbsp light brown sugar ~

15g ginger, peeled and sliced ~ 2 garlic cloves, sliced ~ 1 handful of coriander stalks

Place all the ingredients (except the coriander stalks) in a pan and gently heat until the

sugar dissolves. Leave to cool, then add the coriander stalks and whatever meat or fish you

fancy. This is a quick marinade as it is quite salty, so best used for around 10-20 minutes for

fish and tofu or 30 minutes for meat.

LEMON AND HERB MARINADE

2 lemons, juiced and zested ~ 1 bulb of garlic, cloves finely chopped ~ 1 tbsp flaky sea salt ~ 2 tbsp olive oil ~

1 tsp black peppercorns, crushed ~ 2 sprigs of rosemary ~ 4 sprigs of thyme

Mix all the ingredients together and use to coat meat or fish. This is particularly good on

grilled meats such as steak or chicken thighs.

Recipes from: Great British Chefs: Hacks: How Chefs Make Dishes Go from Good to Great; out now, visit shop.greatbritishchefs.com.