DRY PANEER TIKKA

It is one of the best paneer recipe that can be served as a starter or as an accompaniment. There are multiple ways in which this awesome starter can be prepared. The authentic method requires either BBQ grill or conventional oven to get smoky flavour. However not everyone has access to BBQ and sometimes it’s simply not possible to use BBQ grill. Here I shared a very easy recipe that can be easily made at home. This recipe is for paneer tikka which is dry recipe. Paneer tikka is marinated paneer / cottage cheese cubes arranged on skewers and grilled on grill pan or simple non-stick griddle or oven baked in oven. Here I made it on non-stick grill pan. This tastes similar to the ones which is served in restaurants, in fact it was much better than restaurants. Once the paneer and veggies are cooked remove them from the skewers and serve hot with mint chutney and tomato sauce.

INGREDIENTS:

For Marination:

200 gms Curd / Yogurt

2 teaspoon Ginger-Garlic Paste

1 teaspoon Carom Seeds/ Ajwain

1-2 teaspoon Red Chilli Powder

½ teaspoon Turmeric Powder

Salt as per taste

1 teaspoon Jeera / Cumin Seed Powder

1 teaspoon Dhania / Dry Coriander Powder

1 teaspoon Garam Masala

1 teaspoon Dry Mango / Amchur Powder

1 teaspoon  Chaat Masala

½ teaspoon Black Pepper Powder

1 teaspoon Lemon Juice

8-10 Finely Chopped Mint Leaves

Oil for shallow frying

 Other Ingredients:

 250 gms Paneer/ Cottage cheese

1 Large Red Bell Pepper

1 Large Yellow Bell Pepper

1 Large Green Bell Pepper

1 Medium Sized Onion  

 Method:

Paneer and Veggies:

STEP 1 – Chop the paneer in square shared cubes.

STEP 2 – Cut the veggies in square shapes like paneer.

STEP 3 – Keep the chopped veggies and paneer aside.

  

For Marination:

STEP 1 – Take a large bowl, put curd in it and whisk it till it becomes smooth.

STEP 2 – Add black pepper powder, ginger garlic paste, turmeric, red chilli powder, salt , dry coriander powder, garam masala, chaat masala, carom seeds , freshly chopped  mint leaves and coriander and lemon juice one by one as shown in the picture.

STEP 3 – Mix all the spices well with the curd and make a marinade.

STEP 4 – Add the paneer and veggies to the marinade.

STEP 5 – Coat them well with the curd mixture and keep them for at least 1 hour or more in the refrigerator. 4-5 hours lends a good aroma.

STEP 6 – Remove the marinated paneer and veggies from the refrigerator and bring them at room temperature.

STEP 7 – Now arrange the veggies as well as the paneer on the satay sticks/ skewers alternately. Repeat with the remaining veggies and paneer and make more satay sticks.

STEP 8 – Heat the non-stick grill pan with a very little oil on it.

Place the skewered paneer on the griddle / tawa and fry them on medium heat till cooked from all the sides.

STEP 9 – Cook them even on the sides otherwise the masala will remain raw. Add a little oil if needed. Like this cook all the satays and serve hot with mint chutney and onion rings with lemon wedges.

Serve paneer tikka hot with mint chutney and tomato sauce as a starter. Sprinkle some chaat masala and coriander over it.

NOTES: *If you do not have non-stick griddle or non-stick tawa, then use a regular tawa and add more oil while shallow frying to prevent it from sticking.

              *Use Kashmiri red chilli powder for nice color. It is less hot but gives a nice color.

              *You can also use tomato with other veggies.

              *You can add crushed kasuri methi which gives a nice texture as well as aroma.

              *Tofu can be used as a substitute of paneer in this recipe.

              *Use two tablespoon besan/ gram flour in the marination which prevent the paneer from sticking to the tawa and will give a nice taste.  

              *Don’t overcook the paneer as they then become rubbery, dry and hard.

    

* To make the paneer tikka in oven:

    Preheat the oven to 180 degree celcius, grill these for about 10-15 minutes, then if needed brush with oil and again grill at 200 degree celcius for 5 minutes.