Tamarind-Yogurt Blender Marinade

Yogurt is one of my favorite ingredients to add to marinades. Not only does it gently tenderize the meat (making it extra juicy), but it also adds a bit of tang — and when the milk solids caramelize during the cooking process, it gives whatever you’re making the tastiest, crispiest crust.

Here, I’ve paired yogurt with chopped shallot, a generous amount of garlic, and tamarind, a soft brown fruit that grows in pods. The tamarind tree is native to Africa, although the ingredient is ubiquitous in a lot of Southeast Asian cuisine, from India to the Philippines. It adds bright, citrusy flavor to this all-purpose marinade, and can be used in sweet applications as well.

Read more: Why Greek Yogurt Makes a Great Chicken Marinade

While this marinade tastes great on any protein, I especially love it on lamb chops. I recommend marinating the lamb for at least 30 minutes, or up to overnight. You could also use it as the base for a quick shawarma marinade.

While it’s tasty as is, lemongrass, ginger, and cilantro would all be great flavor-boosters here. You could also swap in different spices, such as turmeric, cumin, or coriander.

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