Grilling | Yogurt is a miracle ingredient in marinades for grilled dishes

Elevate your summer grilling with these two distinct marinade recipes, offering a burst of flavor for your barbecue creations.

The first recipe features a Thai-inspired marinade, perfect for adding a kick to milder ingredients. While highlighted for cucumbers, which soften on the grill while retaining a pleasant firmness, this marinade can also be used for tofu, chicken, pork, or vegetables like broccolini. The marinade includes garlic, chili, ginger, lime juice, cilantro, fish sauce, soy sauce, brown sugar, and vegetable oil, with an optional addition of lemongrass paste. A portion of the marinade is reserved as a dipping sauce.

The second marinade draws inspiration from Greek cuisine, utilizing yogurt as a key ingredient. This lemon-yogurt marinade, rich with flavors like oregano and honey, is particularly suited for chicken, lamb, and pork. Yogurt acts as a tenderizer due to its lactic acid content and helps bind flavors. However, the article cautions that yogurt-based marinades can burn easily, requiring frequent turning of the food on the grill for a tender result.

For the Greek-inspired chicken breast recipe, the marinade includes garlic, lemon (zest and juice), Greek or Turkish yogurt, olive oil, honey, dried oregano, salt, black pepper, and dried chili. Optional garnishes like feta, olives, radishes, cucumber, and fresh oregano are suggested for finishing the grilled dish.