Marinate Your Meat In One Canned Ingredient For Extra Tenderness

Marinating meat maximizes its flavor with minimal work. However, this simple culinary technique is also employed to tenderize tougher cuts of protein so they're succulent and juicy once cooked. An easy way to keep your chicken and beef extra tender is to marinate them in a canned ingredient that's likely in your pantry at this very moment: unsweetened coconut milk.

While yogurt, which contains tenderizing lactic acid, is fantastic for softening meat without making it mushy, it doesn't lend much in the way of flavor. Fragrant, and creamy coconut milk, on the other hand, has a wholesome nutty quality and thick texture that's perfect for coating and tenderizing chicken, beef, and pork. Better yet, it's both lactose-free and plant-based, making it a brilliant substitute for dairy ingredients. As coconut milk is shelf stable, unlike other liquid tenderizing ingredients such as buttermilk, you can always keep a few cans handy in the kitchen cupboard for whenever you want to cook chicken skewers or rustle up a batch of coconut braised beef ribs. All you need to do is open your can, give it a quick stir if the milk and cream have separated, and pour it over your seasoned meat (pounding the protein with a mallet before steeping it in your marinade breaks up the connective tissue, making it extra tender). A marinade box with a snug perforated basket is an ideal container for the job because it makes it easy to remove your meat once it's infused.

Coconut milk is used heavily in Asian cuisine where it makes a creamy base for Thai and Massaman curries, as well as a fragrant binder in sticky mango rice. This is why the best flavors to pair with a coconut milk marinade are common ingredients used in Chinese and Malaysian cookery, such as birds eye chili, galangal, fresh ginger, garlic, and kaffir lime leaves. These aromatics lend a gentle, fragrant kick to the almost-sweet quality of canned coconut milk and imbue it with heaps of complex character. Liquid seasonings, like soy, sesame oil, and lime juice, will give your basic marinade a salty savoriness that amps up the existing umami flavors in chicken, beef, and seafood (plus, they'll dilute its consistency, so the marinade can coat the protein lightly without clinging to the surface in a thick layer that could burn on the grill). However, you might like to counterbalance the salty heat from soy and fresh chilies with a touch of sweetness from honey or brown sugar to create a marinade with a creamy, fiery, salty, and sweet character.

Leftover coconut milk can be used in both sweet and savory recipes. Consider whipping it into the frosting for cupcakes, stirring through a parfait, or simply adding a dash to a hot bowl of soup to lend it a comforting, luxurious texture.