Paneer Tikka

Paneer Tikka

Ingredients

For The Marinade

1. Paneer  400 grams

2. Besan/gram flour 2 tbsp

3. Mustard Oil 1 tbsp plus oil for brushing

4. Ajwain seeds a pinch 

5. Tandoori masala powder 2 tsp 

6. Turmeric powder 1/3 tsp

7. Paprika/Kashmiri red chilli powder 2 tsp

8. Cumin-coriander powder 21/2-3 tsp

9. Garam masala 2 tsp 

10. Kitchen King masala 3/4 tsp optional)

11. Pepper powder 1/4 tsp(optional)

12. Hung yogurt 1/2 - 1 cup 

13. Ginger garlic paste 11/2 tbsp

14. Salt to taste

15. Capsicum 1/2 cup

16. Onions 1/2 cup

17. Juice of 1/2 lemon

18. Kasuri methi 13/4 tsp

19. Sugar 11/4 tsp

20. Black salt a pinch 

21. Chaat masala for sprinkling 

Method Of Preparation

1. In a non stick tawa, add the besan. Add a pinch of ajwain to it & roast well on low flame till you get a nice nutty flavor. Make sure you don't burn the flour. Add this to a large bowl.

2. In the same tawa/pan add a tbsp of mustard oil & once the oil gets hot add this to the Besan in the bowl & mix well.

3. Add all the dry ingredients(tandoori masala powder, turmeric powder, garam masala, Kashmiri red chilli powder, pepper powder, salt, black salt, cumin coriander powder, kasuri methi, kitchen King masala(optional), pepper powder(optional)) & mix well.

4. Add ginger garlic paste. Squeeze out the moisture from the paste & then add it.

5. Whisk yogurt well to break all the lumps & then add the yogurt little by little to the dry mixture & mix well & make sure it is lump free.

6. The mixture shouldn't be watery so add only hung yogurt & don't add too much yogurt. Add little at a time, mix & if u need more, again add & then mix well. Squeeze lemon juice into it & mix well.

7. Cut the paneer into 1.5 inch long& 1/3 inch thick cubes. Add the paneer to the yogurt & spices mix & marinate it nicely. 

8. Cover with a cling wrap & put it in the refrigerator for 2 hours.

9. In the meantime, cut the capsicums & onions to the same length of the paneer & keep it aside.

10. After 11/2 hours, add only the capsicums to the marinade & again put it back in the fridge. Do not add the onions at this point.

11. Add the onions just 10 minutes before you broil or you can skip marinating the onions & directly put them on the skewers with the paneer & capsicums.

12. Now u can cook this either on the tawa or in the oven 

A. Oven Method:

1. Put the oven on broil mode. Arrange the paneer & vegetables on the skewers(add a cube of onion, then a cube of capsicum, then a cube of paneer & then again onion capsicum & paneer. Repeat this on all the skewers)

2. Using a pastry brush, brush the paneer with oil on one side, put it in the oven for 5 minutes, then take it out turn it to the other side, brush that side with oil & again put it back into the oven & broil till the edges of the paneer & vegetables become charred.

3. If you don't have skewers, then you may arrange the paneer & vegetable cubes on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. Make sure the foil is greased well with oil otherwise the paneer& vegetables will stick on the foil.

B. Gas Stove Method: 

1. Grease a non stick tawa with oil & arrange the paneer & vegetables in a single layer & cook for 2-3 minutes on each side or till the paneer becomes brown on each side, flip to the other side & again cook for another 2 minutes. 

2. If your tawa is big enough, then you may put the paneer & vegetable on a skewer & cook them on the tawa(one skewer at a time), flipping it on both sides till both the sides become brown.

3. While cooking on the tawa, after u arrange the paneer & vegetable cubes on the tawa or u put the skewers with the cubes on the tawa, add 2-3 drops of oil on the cubes.

4. Do not add too much oil as the paneer absorbs all the oil. Cook only on medium heat.

5. For the charred sides, take it out of the tawa, put them on the skewers & show it over direct gas flame till u get the charred sides & a smoky flavor.

13. Once done, remove it from the gas/oven & sprinkle chaat masala over it & serve with spicy & tangy mint chutney, onion rings & lemon wedges.

Notes:

1. Adding tandoori masala & hot mustard oil gives a good smoky flavor to the the tikka.

2. Remove the marinade with paneer & vegetables from the fridge half an hour before u put them in the oven.

3. I do not suggest adding tomatoes, as they leave water as they get cooked.

4. Tofu can be replaced with paneer.

5. Do not overcook the paneer as they tend to get hard. The paneer needs to get cooked at the same time, they need to be juicy inside.

6. Adding capsicum after 11/2 hours helps to retain the crunchiness while you broil them. Marinating the vegetables for long makes it lose the crunchiness & they become too soft while cooking. You can add the onions directly without marinating too.

7. If your using steel skewers make sure u grease it well. If your using bamboo skewers, they need to be soaked in cold water for 30 minutes to prevent the sticks from getting burnt.

8. For the paneer & veggies to get cooked well, leave a little space between each cube while u put them on the skewers.

9. Yogurt can be replaced with sour cream.