Paneer tikka is a mouth-watering vegetarian absolute delightful street food wherein chunks of paneer are marinated in curd along with flavourful spices.
Indian dinner parties are incomplete without tikkas . It is a popular dish that is widely available in India and countries with an Indian diaspora. The word tikka means pieces of meat or vegetables marinated and then baked in a tandoor oven on a big iron skewer or on a grill pan to perfection.
Paneer tikka is one such Indian dish made from chunks of paneer marinated in spices and grilled in a tandoor. It is a vegetarian alternative to chicken tikka and other meat dishes. There are basically 2 types of paneer tikkas. The dry version and the paneer tikka masala wherein the dry tikka is simmered in a creamy gravy.Today I am going to show you how to make the dry paneer tikka at home in a pan. This is such a super easy and versatile recipe. you can easily substitute the paneer with chicken.
Ingredients :
- cottage cheese/paneer : 250 gms
- Bell pepper/capsicum/shimla mirch :Red, yellow and green coloured one each
- Onion : 1 no.
Marination
- Thick Curd/hung curd : One cup
- 1 tbsp coriander-cumun powder /dhania-jeera powder
- Salt to taste
- 2 tbsps kashmiri red chili powder
- Roasted gram flour/besan – 1tbsp
- 1.4 tsp caraway /ajwain
- 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
- ginger garlic paste : 1 tsp
- juice of half a lemon
- 2 tablespoons Mustard oil
For the garnish :
- Minit leaves
- Coriander leaves
- Onion slices
- Lemon wedges
Indian dinner parties are incomplete without tikkas . It is a popular dish that is widely available in India and countries with an Indian diaspora. The word tikka means pieces of meat or vegetables marinated and then baked in a tandoor oven on a big iron skewer or on a grill pan to perfection.
Paneer tikka is one such Indian dish made from chunks of paneer marinated in spices and grilled in a tandoor. It is a vegetarian alternative to chicken tikka and other meat dishes. There are basically 2 types of paneer tikkas. The dry version and the paneer tikka masala wherein the dry tikka is simmered in a creamy gravy.Today I am going to show you how to make the dry paneer tikka at home in a pan. This is such a super easy and versatile recipe. you can easily substitute the paneer with chicken.
Preparation :
- We have taken paneer and capsicums of red, yellow and green color and onions. Cube the paneer and vegetables.The size of cubes are entirely your choice.
2. As for paneer- Paneer is literally a two ingredient cheese. You just need some full fat milk and a souring agent like lemon juice or vinegar to curdle it.You got to boil milk, and once it boils, add vinegar or lemon juice as the case may be and stir. The milk curdles and the whey seperates. Once it curdles, strain it over a muslin cloth till all the whey gets drained out.But, it is anyday better to make use of store-bought paneer for this recipe rather than the home made ones, because it is sturdier and won’t crumble easily..
Marinade :
There is no particular order to be followed while adding the spices and pastes.
If the curds you are using are not thick enough, hang them in a cheese cloth for half an hour or so to remove the whey and then use.
To the Thick Curd/hung curd add
coriander-cumin powder /dhania-jeera powder
Salt to taste
kashmiri red chili powder,
you can also add red chilly powder in the recipe. potency of chili powder and spice level can differ from house to house, so adjust it accordingly. If you prefer your tikkas subtle, stick to just kashmiri chilly powder.
Roasted chickpeas flour /besan. Besan, binds the spice coating to the paneer and vegetables. You have to add it especially if you are using a pan/grill pan or else the spice coating will go runny
carom seeds/ajwain
turmeric powder
ginger garlic paste
juice of half a lemon/amchur powder
Mustard oil.. You can also make use of regular vegetable oil but then, mustard oil adds a distinct flavor. It elevates the flavor of the dish to a totally different level.
You can also add chaat masala or garam masala, fennel /saunf powder, black pepper powder and kasuri methi.
Now, lets go to the marination.
Throw in paneer and the vegetables in the marinade and mix gently till the cubes are coated well. Cover and set aside for at least half an hour or up to two hours.
Once they are well marinated, skewer the paneer cubes alternating with the veggies. Please note that the first and the last skewered chunk shld be of paneer. This should make about 3-4 skewers.
Lets move on to the grilling part..
when you prepare paneer tikka on stove top, either make use of a non stick or ceramic pan or use a well seasoned tawa or griddle. Even the tawas on which you make your dosas work well.
Heat a tawa or a grill pan. Grease the grill pan with oil, add in a blob of butter and then place the skewers on it. The heat should be moderate throughout the cooking process.
Place the skewers on THE PAN. turn the skewers every 5mins or so and they will be done once you don’t see any raw marinade on them. There should be chars to lend that smokiness on the sides. Your dry paneer tikkas are ready. Trust me, they are even better and more flavourful than the ones we eat at restaurants. And the perk is that you can customize the ingredients to suit your palate. Crisp and spicy on the outside and soft and fluffy on the inside.
Place the skewers on your serving platter. Sprinkle some minced cilantro and chat masala and squeeze lime just before serving or prepare lacha pyaaz just the way I did here.
For the lacha pyaaz, thinly slice onions, throw in some cilantro and mint leaves, add a dash of salt, chat masala and squeeze a lemon over it and mix well.
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Belly Over Mind 