Degchi
Dahi marinade
Also written: yogurt marinade, dahi ki marinade
- Urduدہی
- Hindiदही
- Banglaদই
A dahi marinade is yogurt mixed with ginger-garlic, ground spices and salt, used to coat meat or paneer before it meets heat. It does two jobs at once: it carries the seasoning right to the surface, and its mild acidity softens the outside of the meat so it cooks up tender instead of tight.
Our Chicken Tikka marinates bone-in chicken in yogurt, ginger-garlic and ground spices, and the Tandoori Chicken recipe coats the pieces and refrigerates them for at least 4 hours, ideally overnight. Paneer Tikka uses the same idea on cubes of paneer. Malai Boti is the gentle cousin: cream with only a little yogurt, no red chilli powder, so the colour stays pale.
Thick yogurt is the quiet requirement. A runny, watery dahi slides off the meat and steams it in the oven instead of charring it. If yours is thin, hang it in a clean cloth over a bowl for an hour or two and use the thick part. Pat the chicken fairly dry before you coat it, make small slashes in thicker pieces so the marinade gets in, and turn the pieces once while they rest.
Keep the marinating in the fridge, never on the counter, and wash everything the raw chicken touched. Do not leave it so long that the texture turns mushy; follow the time in the recipe and cook poultry to 74 C / 165 F. Discard any leftover marinade that touched raw meat rather than serving it as a sauce.
Recipes that use it
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How Long to Marinate Chicken Tikka (and When to Stop)