Topic: tikka marinade penetration

[zzikester]

Ok , I have tried countless chicken tikka recipes over the years in an attempt tnot only to get the taste but to to get the marinade or colour to penetrate the meat.  All my local take aways etc seem to get the colour to sink 4-5mm into the meat, but when I make it the marinade oinly coats the outside with little or no penetration.  It doesnt matter how long I marinade it for it doesnt seem to make any difference.  How is this done?

[Chilli Prawn]

Well it does vary, but a standard marinading technique is as follows.

I use whole breasts for Tikka but you can cut into 2" cubes first if you prefer.  If you use whole then remove the fillet from the inside and make deep cuts in to the outer side.

For two large breasts

Dry the chicken and then put in a bowl and rub  a Tblsp of lemon juice and Tblspn salt into it.  Cover and put in the fridge for min 1/2 hour but up to hours preferred.  This starts the breakdown of the meat, and will alow the marinade to penetrate further

Make up your marinade as your recipe calls for,  and ensure it is pushed into the cuts or around the cubes. 

Some additional tips

If the recipe doesn't call for yoghurt in the marinade then mix in a couple of heaped tablespoons of LIVE yoghurt, don't use the chemically produced stuff.  Yoghurt is a prime marinading agent.  You should end up with a marinade with the consistency of  single cream.

You don't need to add more salt, e.g. if the marinade recipe calls for it don't use it as you already have enough from the first stage. But if you are adding the meat to a sauce then you may need to top up by tasting near the end of the cooking of the final dish.

Store overnight in the fridge if possible.

I shall make no comments on colouring, use as required.

Hope this helps
CP

[haldi]

Ok , I have tried countless chicken tikka recipes over the years in an attempt tnot only to get the taste but to to get the marinade or colour to penetrate the meat.  All my local take aways etc seem to get the colour to sink 4-5mm into the meat, but when I make it the marinade oinly coats the outside with little or no penetration.  It doesnt matter how long I marinade it for it doesnt seem to make any difference.  How is this done?

It's the amount of food colouring used
They use a lot, probably not a good thing
Either East End or KTC brand