PANNER TIKKA RECIPE

Tikka basically means anything that is marinated and then baked, grilled or fried, and paneer tikka is a popular vegetarian tikka dish. This tasty homemade version is similar to the dish served in restaurants, but I would say it actually tastes better!

The Indian spice powders, mixed with the yoghurt (curd), make a flavorful marinade that is soaked up by the porous paneer cubes. Grilling the skewers then produces a nice, slight crispiness on the paneer.

For newbies to Indian food, tandoori style cooking is when marinated ingredients or Indian flatbreads, in this case, paneer cubes, have been threaded on a skewer and grilled in a tandoor, which is a cylindrical clay oven.

This produces a subtle charcoal flavour and is a popular way of cooking in Indian restaurants. In this homemade version, we grill the paneer skewers in the oven, although you can even bake them.

Most of the time, for tikka recipes, the yoghurt-based marinade is made, which is unique to the tandoori style of grilling.

This restaurant-style paneer tikka can be easily made at home. In this delicious recipe, paneer cubes are marinated in a spiced yoghurt-based marinade, arranged on skewers, and grilled or baked in the oven.

This spicy snack is a dry dish, meaning it is not in a gravy sauce, but the paneer cubes themselves are juicy and succulent.

Bell peppers (capsicum) and onions have been added to the skewers in this recipe. The veggies add flavour and nutrition, and you can add as many as you like. This vegetarian dish makes great appetisers or sides.

INGREDIENTS

Cottage Cheese-200g
Hung curd: 2 tablespoons
Ginger-garlic paste
Kashmiri Mirch powder or paprika.
Turmeric powder
1 teaspoon dry mango powder (amchur)
Black salt
salt
1 teaspoon chaat masala
Dried Kasturi leaves
Garam masala powder
Lemon juice: half a lemon
Green capsicum: 1
Onion- 1
Tomato: 1
Melted butter
Coriander leaves, chopped
1 teaspoon of cumin powder
1 teaspoon dry mango powder (amchur)

PREPARATION

This spicy snack is a dry dish, meaning it is not in a gravy sauce, but the paneer cubes themselves are juicy and succulent.
Bell peppers (capsicum) and onions have been added to the skewers in this recipe. The veggies add flavour and nutrition and you can add as many as you like. This vegetarian dish makes great appetisers or sides.
Crush 1.5 inches ginger and 6 to 7 small to medium sized garlic to a fine paste in a mortar-pestle.
You will need 1 tablespoon of crushed ginger-garlic or 1 tablespoon of ready ginger-garlic paste.
Slice 200 to 250 grams block or paneer into cubes or squares and keep aside. Best is to use The bestmade paneer.
Put 200 grams of hung curd (greek yogurt) in a bowl. With a whisk, beat the curd lightly till smooth.

Now add 1 tablespoon of ginger garlic paste or 1 tablespoon of crushed ginger garlic to the curd. Also, add all the dry spice powders. Below you see the following Indian spice powders in clockwise order:

2 teaspoons kashmiri red chilli powder
½ teaspoon turmeric powder
Kasturi methi
½ teaspoon garam masala powder
1 teaspoon cumin powder
1 teaspoon dry mango powder (amchur)
1 teaspoon chaat masala
½ teaspoon black pepper powder (optional)

Kashmiri red chilli powder gives a nice red colour to the food but is not spicy and hot.

Instead of Kashmiri red chilli powder, you can add 2 teaspoons of sweet paprika or ½ to 1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper.

Add ½ teaspoon black salt and regular salt as per taste. If you do not have black salt, then skip it.
Add ½ tablespoon (1.5 teaspoons) of lemon juice.
Next add 1 tablespoon of mustard oil. If you do not have mustard oil, then use a neutral-tasting oil.
Mix very well. Check the taste and add more seasonings if required.
Add the onions, capsicum and paneer to the marinade.
Slowly and gently mix them with the marinade. Cover and keep the marinated paneer and veggies in the refrigerator for 2 hours or more.

This is how they look after 2 hours.

Assemble and Grill Paneer Tikka

Begin to thread the veggies and paneer alternately on bamboo skewers. Before you begin to thread preheat the oven to 230 or 240 degrees Celsius or 464 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 to 20 minutes.

Use only the top heating element while preheating as well as grilling. Soak or rinse the bamboo skewers before threading.

Place them on a tray lined with aluminum foil or parchment paper.

Brush with some oil all over.

Place the tray on the top rack and grill in the preheated oven for 7 to 10 minutes first at 230 to 240 degrees Celsius or 464 degrees Fahrenheit.

Then remove the tray from the oven and turn the paneer tikka skewers.

Again keep back on the top rack in the oven and continue to grill till the edges of the paneer and veggies are golden or slightly charred for about 3 to 5 minutes.

Do not grill for a long time as the paneer becomes hard. Keep an eye on the temperature because it varies from oven to oven.

You can reduce or increase the time as required. The total grilling time will be 15 to 20 minutes.

Remove once done. Serve the paneer tikka sprinkled with some chaat masala and lemon juice. Also serve mint chutney, onion slices and lemon wedges as sides.

Serving Suggestions

Whether you have made paneer tikka in the oven or on the Tawa, it is always served with this bright Mint Chutney that is made with curd (yogurt). This chutney is the traditional sauce or dip that is served with all tandoori dishes.

Onion slices and lemon wedges are also traditionally served with this appetiser dish or starter snack.

They even go well as a side dish. You can even eat paneer tikka with roti, naan, or bread or make wraps or rolls with them filled with your favorite toppings and veggies.

Expert Tips

Barbecue: You can also cook the paneer tikka on the barbecue grill.
Grilling in the oven: In the oven grill for 15 to 20 minutes at 230 or 240 degree celsius with only the top heating element on. Basically here we are broiling the dish.
Marination Time: It is best to marinate the paneer cubes for 2 hours or more. You can also keep the marinated paneer overnight in the fridge. Since I made the paneer tikka for dinner, I marinated the paneer and veggies for 2 hours in the refrigerator. The longer it marinates, the better flavors get infused into the paneer and veggies.
Vegetables: The veggies used can be of your choice. In the step-by-step photos, I have used onions and green bell pepper (capsicum). In the video, I used red, yellow, and green bell pepper with onions. You can use baby corn, mushrooms, cauliflower, tomatoes, broccoli, etc. For cauliflower blanch them before marinating.
Adding Oil: While grilling or baking, the paneer cubes and veggies can become dry. Oil is added to the paneer and veggie mixture to prevent this from happening. The paneer cubes and veggies are also brushed with some oil to avoid them from becoming dry.
Overcooking: Don’t overcook the paneer as they then become rubbery, dry, and hard. The paneer should be soft, well-cooked, and juicy.
Marinade: The leftover marinade can be applied or brushed on the paneer tikka before grilling them. If you are making paneer tikka masala gravy, you can use the extra marinade in the gravy.
Vegan Options: Use tofu, seitan, or tempeh in place of paneer. Use a vegan yogurt like almond or cashew yogurt in place of dairy yogurt.