Grilled Paneer Tikka

Paneer is a go-to ingredient in most vegetarian dishes, especially the one's that get featured in a restaurant menu. That said and done, I like how the humble cottage cheese gets used in so many variations. Gravies, Sweets and grilled delights to name a few.

Paneer tikka is typically a tandoor grilled dish, wherein chunks of paneer are marinated in curd with some spices along with bell peppers and onions. The result is a slightly charred Indian satay version of cottage cheese which goes really well with some mint chutney as a starter.

Now, all of us do not have a tandoor at home. So you can cook these marinated chunks on a stovetop pan, girdle, grill it in an oven or an air fryer like I did. The charring effect is more in an oven or a girdle though vs frying it in a pan - that's just my personal opinion and preference. You are free to add a little bit of tandoori colour (food grade) or a nice Kashmiri Chilli powder also does the trick.

Once you've grilled these beauties, you can either serve them as is OR use as an element in your rolls, sandwich, burgers or top it on your homemade pizza as well.

Remember to always soak your bamboo skewers in water for a minimum of 1 hr before using them to stack up your marinade chunks and grilling it, to avoid burning of the sticks. Also ensure that the curd used for marination is fresh and not sour, as sour curd will tend to interfere with the overall taste of the paneer.

INGREDIENTS:

1 Pack of fresh paneer - cubed

1/2 cup - fresh curd

2 tbsp - Besan flour

1 tbsp - Kashmiri Chilli Powder

1/2 tsp - Red Chilli powder (adjust as per preference)

1/4 tsp - Pepper powder (sprinkle while grilling)

1 tbsp - Coriander powder

1/2 tsp - Turmeric powder

1/4 tsp - Chaat Masala

1/2 tsp - Garam Masala

1/2 tbsp - Ginger Garlic Paste

1 tsp - Kasuri Methi

1 Large Onion - diced

1 Capsicum - diced

Salt to taste

2 tbsp - Oil

PROCEDURE

1. In a large bowl mix all ingredients and let them marinate for a min 1 hr in a refrigerator.

2. On a skewer stack up Paneer, Capsicum and Onion pieces alternatively, drizzle some pepper powder.

3. If you're using an oven, preheat to 180C, line up your paneer skewers on an aluminium foil, drizzle sufficient oil and cook for 10mins with both rods on with fan.

4. If you're using a pan/girdle, heat oil/ melt butter and cook the skewers on both sides on a medium flame for 4minutes on each side, rotating them as they cook through.

Serve hot with Mint Chutney or Drizzle with lime juice/ honey mustard sauce.