Paneer Tikka
Prep Time: 20 mins
Cook Time: 20 mins
Total Time: 40 mins
It’s a famous Indian appetizer where pieces of paneer (Indian cottages cheese) and marinated with yoghurt and spices and then grilled until charred.
​
Onion, bell peppers and tomatoes are also added to the marination along with paneer.
Once cooked, it’s served with cilantro mint chutney, onion slices and lemon wedges. This paneer tikka is excellent with naan, roti or a simple salad.
Recipe
INGREDIENTS
INSTRUCTIONS
Equipment
6 large metal kebab skewers (if using wooden skewers, soak in cold water for 1 hour prior to skewering the paneer)
For the paneer & marinade:
2 bell peppers cut into large squares
​
2 red onions quartered and separated into petals
​
75 g plain yoghurt
​
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
​
2 tsp lemon juice
​
1 tsp ground cumin seeds
​
1 tsp ground coriander seeds
​
2 cardamom pods (seeds ground)
​
1/4 tsp ground turmeric
​
1/4 tsp black salt
​
1/2 tsp garam masala
​
1/2 tsp kasoori methi (dried fenugreek leaves)
​
1 tsp Kashmiri red chilli powder
​
1 tsp smoked paprika (optional)
​
2 tbsp chickpea flour
​
2 large cloves garlic crushed
​
2 cm piece ginger grated
​
2 tbsp sunflower, vegetable, mustard or rapeseed oil
For the paneer & marinade:
1 tbsp melted ghee for brushing on the cooked tikka
​
Sliced onions and tomatoes
​
Fresh coriander leaves chopped
-
Roast the chickpea flour in a dry pan until lightly toasted. Set aside.
​
-
Whisk together all the ingredients for the marinade, including the roasted chickpea flour and except the oil.
​
-
Heat the oil over a high heat until smoking hot. Carefully whisk this into the marinade.Add the paneer, peppers and onions. Mix well to coat and set aside for 30 mins (or cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days).
​
-
Preheat the oven to 200C/400F.
​
-
Skewer the paneer, onions and peppers on the skewers, alternating in each ingredient.
​
-
Set a metal wire rack on top of a baking tray and arrange the skewers on top. Bake for 10 minutes if proceeding to the next step, or 15 minutes if skipping the next step.
​
-
Optional: Once out of the oven, hold each skewer over a direct flame on your hob burner roll char the outside. Be careful not to burn yourself and open a window before you start.
​
-
Brush the paneer tikka pieces with melted ghee and serve immediately with all the accompaniments.
Tips, Tricks & Notes
1. Marinate: Marinate the paneer, peppers and onions for a minimum of 30 minutes to give the ingredients time to get acquainted. If you have time, you can pop the paneer and veg in the tandoori marinade the night before. Be sure to keep it covered in the fridge.
​
2. Soak the paneer: Being your resident paneer fangirl, you’ll know I’m always going on about soaking shop-bought paneer for a fresh, homemade texture and taste. You can find out how I do this in the recipe below.
​
The basic idea is to rehydrate the paneer in boiling water to soften it up and give a brilliant-white colour that’s just like homemade. If you want to make your own paneer at home, you can find my recipe here: Homemade Paneer.
​
3. Crack a window open: Open all the windows in your house for good ventilation. The cooking process will create smoke which will need to escape. If you have an extractor fan, switch it on. It will make your house smell like a restaurant kitchen. Glorious!
​
4. Consider these alternative cooking options: If you don’t fancy cooking this over a flame, you can also place the skewers on a wire rack and cook them in an oven. Make sure it’s very hot. Traditional tandoors average 400°C heat so it needs to be hot! You can also place these on a griddle pan or on the barbecue.
​
5. Choose the right kind of skewers: I used flat metal skewers (be careful when turning as the handles can get really hot) but you can also use bamboo skewers. Be sure to soak them in cold water for an hour before you use them. This will stop them burning during the cooking process.
​
6. Kashmiri chilli powder is your friend: Most restaurants and street vendors add red food colour to their marinade for the iconic and eye-popping crimson colour. I’m no food snob and am not opposed to food colours in cooking but I just don’t find it necessary in this dish.
Kashmiri chilli powder will give you a gorgeous natural red colour with very little heat. If you can’t get hold of it, use equal parts smoky paprika and regular chilli powder in its place. I often use tomato paste for colour and tang which isn’t traditional but works a treat.
A Cold Winter's Night
Describe what you offer here. Add a few choice words and a stunning pic to engage your audience and get them to click.
Sunny Days
Describe what you offer here. Add a few choice words and a stunning pic to engage your audience and get them to click.