Paneer Tikka
Paneer Tikka is an Indian dish made of soft pieces of paneer cheese, marinated in a flavored with spices yoghurt paste and then cooked in a tandoor, grilled or baked in an oven. These cubes can be arranged on skewers along with some vegetables or just placed on the grill rack and then grilled. It is a great meatles/vegetarian alternative to chicken tikka and other Indian kababs.
Ingredients:
Serves 2-4
- 8 oz/250 g paneer - cut into ¼ inch/6mm thick x 1inch /2.5 cm square pieces
- 2 capsicum (red, green or yellow) - cut into small pieces
- 8 small white mushrooms
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1-2 dried, whole red chilies
- ginger 1 inch/2.5 cm
- 2 tbsp sour cream
- 1 tbsp yoghurt
- pinch of turmeric
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 4 tbsp oil
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp tandoori masala
- salt to taste
- ½ tsp cumin powder
- chat masala to serve (optional)
- 1 tomato - cut into slices to garnish
- onion to garnish (optional)
- Preparation time: 25-30 minutes
- Marinating: min. 2 h
- Cooking time: about 8 minutes
How to make Paneer Tikka:
- Grind ginger, garlic and chilies to a paste.
- Add yoghurt and sour cream to the paste,
- Add cumin powder, lemon juice, oil, salt, tandoori masala and turmeric powder. Mix well to make a marinade.
- Marinate paneer, mashrooms, capsicum and onion pieces in it for at least 2 hours.
- Arrange paneer pieces on greased skewers with the capsicums pieces, mashrooms and onions.
- Preheat a grill or oven to 450° F / 235° C. Place the skewers on a grill or wire rack brushed with some oil. Grill for 8-10 minutes turning once in between, or till paneer pieces start getting crisp from the sides.
- Serve hot sprinkled with some lemon juice or chat masala on a bed of either plain boiled rice or Pulao Rice accompanied with cooling Mint Raita or Coriander Chutney.
Tip:
- Wide flat bamboo skewers help keep food items in place while grilling, no spinning as with traditional skewers. Soak them in the water before using it.
