Paneer Tikka

You can grill these over direct fire, in the oven, or even on a griddle on your stovetop. These can also be air fried with great results.

If you have ever eaten at a North Indian restaurant you are more likely to be hooked to the tandoori dishes. Tandoori Paneer Tikka is one of the most popular and is immensely loved by everyone, kids and grownups alike! But what is so special about these…

Soft mouth melting paneer with a burst of smoky flavour and an aroma of tandoori spices is extremely delicious to savour!

About Paneer Tikka

Paneer Tikka is a North Indian appetizer where chunks of paneer are marinated in spiced yogurt and grilled in a Tandoor, a traditional clay oven. The term Paneer refers to Indian cottage cheese and Tikka translates to chunks of grilled meat, or a vegetarian option, in this case it is the paneer.

Traditionally a Tikka is grilled in a tandoor which infuses its characteristic smoky flavour into the food. The marinade is primarily made with thick yogurt known as Hung Curd, which is spiced with many different kinds of ground spices.

This tandoori marinade is the base which infuses tons of flavors to the Paneer Tikka, making these the yummiest!

Once the spiced yogurt is ready, chunks of paneer along with bell peppers and onions are marinated and left to infuse the flavors. These are then threaded to skewers and grilled in a hot tandoor until slightly charred.

Lastly Paneer Tikka is brushed with butter and served with Mint chutney, Coriander chutney or Green chutney. Chaat masala & lemon juice are optionally used while serving.

Apart from serving these as an appetizer, you can also use them in wraps, sandwiches, pizza and even for making fusion fried rice.

All of the magic happens in the tandoor but we do not have that at homes. So for a home version we turn on to electric ovens, gas or air fryer to recreate it.

How To Make Paneer Tikka

Preparation

1. To make this recipe, we need greek yogurt or hung curd (thick curd). If you do not have thick curd, you can check this post on how to make hung curd. I have used thick curd here. If you use runny yogurt, it will let out lot of whey while grilling and all the masala will come off to the tray.

Cube 200 to 250 grams paneer to 1½ inch cubes. Keep aside. Then choose 1 large onion and bell pepper. Rinse and cube them to almost the same size of paneer. Do not chop them small as they shrink after grilling. Separate the layers of onions.

Make a fine paste of 1 inch ginger & 3 cloves of garlic. We need about 1¼ fine paste.

2. To a mixing bowl, add

• 6 tablespoons thick curd
• 1 to 1½ teaspoon red chili powder
• 1/8 teaspoon turmeric
• 1 to 1½ teaspoon coriander powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon garam masala
• 1  teaspoon chaat masala

3. Next add

• 1¼ teaspoon ginger garlic paste
• 1 teaspoon crushed kasuri methi
• ¼ to ½  teaspoon ajwain (carom seeds, optional)

Optional: If making on a griddle or tawa add 1 tablespoon roasted besan or sattu (roasted gram flour). Dry roast besan until aromatic. It should lose the raw flavor, cool and add it. Do not skip using besan it helps to hold the curd well to the paneer tikka. It also brings out a good flavor and will avoid messing up the tawa.

4. Add 1½ tablespoon oil. I have used mustard oil, you can also use any other oil.

5. Mix everything well. The marinade must be thick. Taste the marinade and add more salt and spices if needed.

6. Add capsicum and onions. Coat them well with marinade

How To Make Paneer Tikka

7. Move the veggies to one side of the bowl and add 200 grams cubed paneer and gently coat them as well. Handle with care they may break.

8. Cover and rest them in the fridge for minimum of 30 mins or an hour. If you leave them for too long, sometimes they break when you thread them on to the skewer later. If you prefer to keep them longer, thread them first and then refrigerate.

9. Next begin to thread them on skewers. With the quantities mentioned in the recipe card you can thread them on 3 large or 4 medium skewers. Paneer tikka on tawa and oven were made at 2 different times so the number of skewers seen in the pictures will not match the recipe.