Why Tamarind Makes A Great Marinade And How To Use It

The three pillars of a marinade are acid, fat, and seasonings. A marinade transforms meats by tenderizing their gristly bits, preserving their moisture content, and infusing them with flavor. A basic meat marinade would call for ingredients like citrus juice, olive oil, garlic powder, and salt and pepper. Although there is a time and place for a no-frills marinade, your marinades deserve a little jazzing up from time to time. Enter tamarind paste, the multi-dimensional marinade fixing that's as functional as it is flavorful. 

Tamarind paste is a thick, concentrated form of tamarind — a tangy, slightly sweet, caramel-kissed fruit that grows in pods on the tamarind tree. Tamarind paste is made by soaking tamarind pods to soften the fruit, extracting the pulp, removing seeds and fibers, and then cooking the pulp into a sticky, decadent paste. Introducing tamarind paste into a marinade provides your favorite cut of meat with a deep, hearty sweetness that complements its savory notes while leaving behind whispers of zippy sharpness. Not only does it imbue meat with a refined and pleasantly unexpected flavor, but tamarind paste also doubles as an acid source, tenderizing meat for a more succulent and juicy mouthfeel. And despite its uniquely complex flavor tapestry, tamarind paste marries well with common marinade ingredients. If you're skeptical of a sweet ingredient in a meat marinade, don't just take our word for it, ask Texas Roadhouse, who uses tamarind as a secret weapon in its steak sauce.

To achieve a well-made tamarind paste marinade, ratios are key. A good rule of thumb is two parts fat, one part acid, and one part seasonings. Of course, when using tamarind paste, seasonings and acid are one and the same. However, don't hesitate to introduce complementary acids and flavoring agents like lime, apple cider vinegar, cilantro, ginger, garlic, and spicy peppers. As for fat sources, buttermilk or yogurt can impart a lush, creamy richness that rounds out the complexity of the paste, while avocado oil provides a lighter, fresher taste.

How long you marinate a protein is just as important as what you marinate it in, and longer isn't always better. If you have a tender cut of meat, you only need to marinate it for up to two hours. If your goal is to tenderize the meat, however, you'll need six to 24 hours — but never any longer if you want to prevent a mushy texture. Always marinate meat and plant-based proteins in the refrigerator to adhere to food safety practices and prevent bacterial growth from ruining your dinner. And trust us, you don't want to take any chances with this crave-curbing, one-of-a-kind tamarind marinade.