Topic: How do i get chicken really really soft?

[Curry United]

and what do you marinate it in??.....

i am going to try this tonight!

Many Thanks

[PaulP]

Hi Harbut,

Why not try the Panpot Ashoka chicken marinade:

http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=3916.0

You might want to reduce the amounts as this is for 1 kilogram of chicken.

If you do, let us know how tender/tasty it turns out.

[Mikka1]

Panpots method works very well indeed. I was asked in fact why the chicken was so soft? You just have to make sure it is very well coated and allow it to marinate for a time.

Nice one PP.  ;D

Forgive me once agin but the precooked chicken recipe form The Ashoka is perfect. PP

[Spice-as-Nice]

I hope this might be a good answer.

Other than trying to get BIR curries in my home kitchen , I strive to get Chinese takeaway tastes too.
You know that silky soft taste they get into the meats in Chop Suey , Chow Mein and Fried Rice dishes etc.
Well, I tried those tecniques for meats I use in BIR's too and it works for me.

Tenderising the meat
To tenderise chicken or dark meat you marinate it overnight in water with some bi-carb in it. For a 2 person / portions curry I put the chicken in a small dish and just cover it with cold water. Then I sprinkle 2 teaspoons of bi-carb into the water and swish it around a little. Store overnight in the fridge with a lid or plate ontop. When you want to use it , throw the water/mix away ( it will likely be a bit bloody ) and rinse the meat under the running cold tap just for a few seconds then cook as normal. The result is extremely pleasing.

VELVETING the Meat
To get that silky feel ( some might call it slightly slimey ) then you can use the chicken or meat "as-is raw" or first as described above , then procede as follows :

For 2 ~ 3 portions
1 egg white
1 tablespoon of cornflour
1/4 teaspoon of salt

Mix all ingredients to a paste in a bowl. Do not overmix as the egg white will froth. Place meat into bowl and turn it to cover with the paste.  Keep the mixing gentle and just enough to coat everything. Cover the bowl with a lid or a plate and leave at room teperature for 30 ~ 45 minutes , thats all.
Now , to prep the meat.
Heat up a a wok or pan ( wok is best as it saves oil ) enough cooking oil to cover the meat. You can use water instead but I think the results are better with oil.
We are NOT going to cook the meat we are just going to heat it a little so keep the heat down. Drop the meat into the oil in slow amounts ( if the meat appears to sizzle or 'fry' the oil is too hot ) . For chicken we are looking to heat it for 30 seconds to a minute thats all . The chicken surface will turn white and at that point you should remove it from the oil and place it to one side. Same for dark meats , they will turn a much lighter creamy colour. Do this heat treatment of the meat in small batches. each time only for 30 seconds to a minute should see the required result. Remember , this process takes only 30 seconds or so , so you should be able to guage the oil / water temperature and adjust accordingly.Once you have all the meat prepaired this way and set to one side, let it cool. NOT in a fridge , just at room temperature.

After it's cooled procede to use it as you would normally.

Good luck and dont forget to post back regarding any trials you do.

[976bar]

I have to say that precooking chicken (to make it "soft") is something I really can't relate to (if you chose to use chicken breasts, anyway). 

I think that precooking chicken, using chicken breasts (though BIRs probably don't use chicken breast), is unnecessary and saves very little time in the cooking process. 

Frying it, and then cooking it with the curry, for 5 - 10 mins, or so, seems to result in a pretty acceptable "softness" to me ("flavour", however, might be a different question!).

The same is not true of other meats (e.g. lamb and beef) where a long, slow, cook is desirable to soften the meat (for the cheaper cuts anyway).

CA...........

Where are you coming from here? Maybe where you are they might not use Chicken Breast, but here in England, they certainly use Chicken breast.......

[976bar]

and what do you marinate it in??.....

i am going to try this tonight!

Many Thanks

Harbut, It really doesn't matter what you marinate it in, whether its someone elses marinade that is forced upon you or whether it is just a simple lemon and yoghurt mixture with some simple spices, like cumin, coriander and Paprika.

The fact is that Chicken will almost marinade and soften in anything like any other meat if given the time.... and time is the factor here. I usually marinade Chicken Tikka for at least 24 hours, the chicken comes out really tender and the flavours are awesome......

However, when it comes to cooking, It needs to be cooked to a slightly pinkish colour and then left on a plate to rest, just like when your mum did Roast beef. The tendens and fibres in the meat will relax if left for about 10-15 minutes making the meat much softer.....

I just haven't figured out what to do with lamb leg steaks yet, probably in future marinade for 24 hours then a choice of grill or just seal and then pop into the curry itself. I really don't believe that cooking lamb leg steaks for 2 or 3 hours on a slow cook will soften them into something I want, I think they will be tough. Maybe other cuts of meat yes......

I guess we could all do with a professional Butchers input here on how to cook different cuts and types of meat/poultry/game for the best results whether we marinade or not......

[joshallen2k]

For lamb, there is a good precooking method that I've used a bunch of times. I think it was CK's method - its on the site under precook methods. It entails a long simmer, but the result is truly fork-tender lamb just like the BIRs.

For chicken, I too don't get it nearly as soft as the BIRs (all of which I remember used breast exclusively) I really do wonder how in fact they do it. They definitely precook.

I've probably tried many methods from this site. The only non-tikka marinade I've used was the Ashoka as Panpot suggests. Personally I found it too strong on the garlic, but that may just be the fact that I used it with the Ashoka base in the final curry, which is also garlic-heavy. A marinade of some sort may be the way to go, but to truly replicate BIR, a precook would also be required.

[Cory Ander]

they certainly use Chicken breast.......

Really?  Hmmmm.......perhaps you only eat in the posh restaurants then? 

[Cory Ander]

Harbut, It really doesn't matter what you marinate it in

You really need something acidic (e.g. yoghurt, vinegar, wine, lemon juice, tomatoes, etc), to break down the proteins, fats, fibres and tissues, surely?  At least if you're attempting to tenderise the meat rather than to just add flavour.  And usually some oil to prevent the meat from drying out.  And some seasoning/spices to flavour it.

It needs to be cooked to a slightly pinkish colour

Gawd, that would signify blood to me, and not something you'd want to be doing with chicken!

[Cory Ander]

Harbut,

There are several precooking methods, in the supplementary recipes section, that you might like to look at and try:  http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?board=28.0