Marinades can add flavor to meats, vegetables or even tofu. The right marinade can help you make the most of any food, but is especially helpful if you're opting for healthy, low-fat cooking methods like baking, broiling or grilling. Asian flavors like soy, sesame oil and ginger work well with chicken, beef, salmon, pork or vegetable choices like eggplant and mushrooms.
Types
The basic ingredients for an Asian-style marinade include soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic, ginger and dry mustard. This mixture is flavorful, adaptable and easily adjusted to suit your family's tastes and preferences. Sweeten the basic marinade with brown sugar or honey. Add additional levels of flavor with a small amount of lemon juice, lime juice or orange juice. You can stir marmalade or pineapple into your marinade. Make additional marinade to baste as you cook or as the basis for a sauce.
Recipe
To make a marinade for 1 pound of meat, fish or vegetables, combine 1/3 cup soy sauce and 1 to 2 tablespoons of sesame oil. Add 1 teaspoon of minced garlic and a 1-inch piece of ginger root, peeled and minced. Stir in a pinch of dry mustard powder. Add citrus juice or honey to this mixture if desired, or heat and stir in sugar to dissolve.
Function
Pour the marinade over meat or vegetables in a shallow dish, and cover with a lid or plastic wrap. Use a glass or plastic dish, rather than potentially reactive metal. You also can place the marinade and all other ingredients into a resealable plastic bag. Always marinate meats or fish in the refrigerator to reduce the risk of food-borne pathogens. Remove the meat or vegetables from the marinade, and grill, bake or broil.
Time Frame
Refrigerate at least two hours or as long as overnight, depending on the marinade and what you're marinating. Fish should marinate for a shorter time, while a tough cut of beef will improve with a longer marinade. Delicate seafood like shrimp or scallops might need only a few minutes to absorb the flavors of your sesame soy marinade. If your marinade contains acids, like lemon or orange juice, marinate for a shorter period of time, according to the website Whats Cooking America.
Warning
Discard marinades after use. If you want to use your marinade to baste or finish a dish, make extra and reserve it for this purpose. According to Whats Cooking America, you can safely use a marinade as a finishing sauce if you bring it to a full boil for at least five minutes to kill any potential bacterial growth.
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