Get Desi with your Barbecue

Sick of sausages? An Indian barbecue is spicy, tangy, tender and colourful – and the magic is in the marinade.

Around Black Friday, I made the mistake of pining over a Weber barbecue online while builders hammered together our new backyard deck. Would future me be a coal-fired BBQ Goddess or a wood-fired pizza Angel?

Before I could decide, the stalking began.

Businesses selling sauces, meat thermometers, and pizza peels relentlessly tried convincing me that barbecue season was here. What was I doing, still cooking dinner on the stove? But, I showed Meta who’s boss, and spent three hours de-rusting my trusty $100 Warehouse grill. While others went shopping at Kmart for the endless Secret Santa’s, I went to my local butchers because I wanted, no needed, to have a grilled meaty meal.

Meat in hand, the only thing left to decide was which desi (Indian) marinade I should use first.

One of the best parts about an Indian barbecue meal is that there are never any sausages on the menu. Nor do we eat meat that is seasoned only with salt and pepper. An Indian barbecue is spicy, tangy, tender, and colourful. Think, fiery red and smoky Tandoori Steak, earthy and bright green Hariyali Chops or creamy, garlicky Malai Chicken Tikka. Sounds tasty but complex? Think again. The magic is in the marinade and they’re all relatively easy to master.

Tandoori Chicken by Simon Hopkinson from his cookbook, The Good Cook

Tandoori

A Tandoori marinade is an Indian staple that works on every meat and also with paneer, potatoes or tofu. The internet is full of recipes but be warned that they’ll have a long list of ingredients. If you’d like the spicy, smoky Tandoori flavours at home, you’re better off starting with a ready-made Tandoori Paste instead. A good quality paste will contain fenugreek leaves, black cardamom and cinnamon. If it doesn’t just add those in at home. Mix the tandoori paste with yoghurt and lemon juice and you’re good to go.

Malai

Malai translates to cream, making it the perfect marinade for children and spice-averse guests. If you’re feeling brave, combine ginger-garlic paste, cream cheese, cream, salt, pepper, thick yoghurt and a green chilli. Allow the meat to bathe in the marinade for a couple hours before popping it on the grill. The result? Garlicky, creamy, succulent chicken or paneer.

Hariyali Chicken by blogger Anamika of Spice and Colour

Hariyali

Hariyali translates to lush greenery and if you love herby, earthy flavours this is the marinade to try. Process together coriander, mint, green chilli, garlic, ginger, cumin, garam masala and lemon juice to create a chutney. Coat your beef, fish or paneer in the chutney and you’re ready to grill. You can also use this chutney to create en papillote style steamed fish parcels.

Looks similar to chicken tikka but has more of a kick

Achaari

Spicy and pungent, an Aachari marinade is made with spices that are normally used in an Indian pickle and will give a robust, zesty kick to your barbecue. Grind together fennel, mustard, fenugreek and nigella seeds with chilli powder and dry mango powder. Combine the spice mix with mustard oil to create a paste that you can coat onto the meat. If you’d rather not muck around with multiple spices, invest in a bottle of Mother’s mango pickle instead and use that after you’ve brined the meat.

Kesari chicken tikka, Gulf News

Kesari

If you love a more subtle earthy flavour then opt for this golden saffron-infused marinade which goes best with chicken, fish or paneer. Soak a generous pinch of saffron in warm milk to release its aroma. Mix the milk with yoghurt, turmeric, ginger-garlic paste, green cardamom, cumin and coriander powder to form a smooth paste. Allow the protein to marinate in the paste for 2-3 hours before charring on the grill for a mild, smoky meal.

So ditch the salt, pepper, ketchup and mustard this summer and get desi with your marinades instead.

And, if it all gets too hard (it’s school holidays after all!), head to your local Pakistani/Indian butcher where you can buy the meat already marinated for a few extra dollars.

---

Have you tried any of these marinades before at home? Is there an Indian marinade you’ve tried that I missed above? Let’s talk food in the comments!