Tandoori Paneer Tikka

                                                                 

Tandoori Paneer Tikka is a very popular grilled Starter/Appetizer dish from the North Indian Cuisine. Paneer cubes are marinated in spiced yogurt along with onion petals and diced bell peppers and then threaded onto skewers. The skewers are cooked in Tandoor, a traditional clay oven. Tandoor cooking imparts a distinct smokey flavor and slightly charred appearance to the paneer tikka. This recipe shares the method of making juicy and flavorful tandoori paneer tikka on gas stove , tawa and oven. Tandoori Paneer tikka is served with mint chutney, onion slices and lemon wedges. 

               

It's Celebration Time @Foodie Monday BlogHop

 We are celebrating our 300th week theme on Foodie Monday Bloghop, a Facebook gourmet group, where a group of passionate food bloggers share their culinary delights every Monday depending upon a pre-determined theme. It's been four long years i joined this beautiful group and today it has become van important part of my life as a food blogger. 

I owe many things to this beautiful Foodie Monday Blog Hop group. This group gave me a chance to learn and grow as a blogger and challenge myself to think out of the box and try and experiment on food based on a new theme each week. If it was not for this group and its innovative themes, I would not have tried cooking dishes from so many cuisines around the world. On this group, we celebrate all festivals together irrespective of our religion by cooking food dishes associated with that festival. Many bloggers joined the group, many left due to their professional and personal commitments but one thing remained constant, the enthusiasm of the members of the group. I feel blessed to share my space with such talented and down to earth bloggers who believe in sharing their knowledge and passion for food with fellow bloggers. I made many new friends on this journey and I wish to meet them in person someday.  

For the 300th theme we decided to post any dish that we make to celebrate a special occasion. Paneer is hot favourite in my family and any celebration, get-together or party is incomplete without one or two panerr dishes on the menu. So i made this Tandoori Paneer tikka as my humble contribution towards this celebration theme.                           

Tandoori Paneer Tikka is one of the most popular vegetarian starter / appetizer that is served in Indian restaurants. Luscious flavorful grilled marinated paneer chunks skewered in between crunchy sweet onion petals and diced bell peppers with a smoky flavor is a delightful treat any day. Best part is that we can make it easily at home without much efforts.

Video Recipe for Tandoori Paneer Tikka 

                  

Serving Suggestions:

• You can serve Tandoori paneer tikka as a flavorful party starter or appetizer with mint chutney, onion rings and lemon wedges. 
• The tikka can also be used in making yet another delectable North Indian curry - Paneer tikka masala. 
• Apart from that you can serve paneer tikka in wraps, franky rolls, burgers and sandwiches. It makes a delicious baby finger food as well. 
• Paneer tikka can be added to biryani and pulao as well.

Dietary Tips: This Tandoori Paneer Tikka is

• Healthy Starter / Appetizer
• Protein rich 
• Vegetarian snacks
• Kid friendly
• Flavorful Party food
• Easy to make
• Delicious
• Gluten free
• Can be made with or without oven
• Grilled food

               

Preparation Time: 1 hour

Cooking Time: 15 minutes

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

• 300 grams Paneer/ Indian Cottage Cheese
• 1/2 cup hung curd
• 1 yellow bell pepper, cubed
• 1 red bell pepper,cubed
• 1 green bell pepper, cubed
• 2 onions, cubed, layers separated
• 1 1/2 tablespoon oil (preferably mustard oil) or pickle oil
• 1/2 teaspoon ginger garlic paste
• 1-2 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder
• 1 tablespoon kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves)
• 1 tablespoon roasted gram flour / besan
• 1/2 teaspoon garam masala
• 1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 1/2 teaspoon black salt
• 1/2 teaspoon roasted cumin powder
• 1/4 teaspoon chaat masala
• 1/4-1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste

Method:

1. In a mixing bowl take hung curd. Add spice powders - turmeric powder, Kashmiri red chili powder, turmeric powder, garam masala, chaat masala, roasted cumin powder , kasuri methi. Add ginger garlic paste, roasted gram flour, black salt, regular salt and oil. Mix the marinade well.
2. Add cubed onions, bell peppers and paneer to it and gently mix it such that paneer and veggies coat properly with the marinade.
3. Cover the bowl with a cling film and refrigerate for 1-2 hours. If time permits you may keep it for 6 hours. Keeping for more than 8 hours will break the paneer pieces.
4. Post marination, thread the paneer cubes in between the onion and capsicum on the skeewer.
5. To make the Paneer Tikka in oven, preheat the oven at 200 degrees Celsius for 15 minutes. Line the baking tray with parchment paper. Place the skewers over it. Brush or spray oil to prevent paneer and veggies from drying out.Grill for around 10 minutes. You may cover the tikka with left over marinade for preventing it from drying out.
6. To make tandoori paneer tikka on gas stove, place a wire rack on the gas and place the skewers on the rack and roast directly over the flames. Keep turning the skewers to ensure the tikka cooks evenly and gets charred from all sides.
7. To make the Tikkas on tawa. Spread 1 tbsp oil on the tawa and heat it on medium flame. Place the skewers on it and cook on medium flame. Keep turning the skewers so that the tikka gets grilled evenly from all sides. After grilling on tawa, you may hold the skewers directly over the flame to give a charred effect. Remove the tikkas on a plate, brush them with butter and serve with lemon wedges and onion slices.

           

8. Our delicious Paneer Tikka is ready to serve. Drizzle some lemon juice and sprinkle chaat masala over the tikka and serve it with mint chutney and onion slices and enjoy with your loved ones !

Recipe Notes:

• Do not skip adding roasted besan as it helps the marinade adhere well to the paneer and veggies.
• Try to use thick strained curd or else the marinade will be runny and not cling well to the paneer. 
• To make hung curd at home take around 1 - 1 1/2 cup thick curd and add it to a muslin cloth. Gather the edges of the cloth and tie a knot and hang it to a hook for 1-2 hours. 
• If using bamboo skewers for gas stop method, make sure you dip them in water for around 1 hour or else it will burn.
• If making for party, you can half grill the tikkas on tawa or oven ahead of the part and later on roast it over open fire for few seconds just before serving.
• To induce restaurant style smoky flavors in the tikka. Place a burning red hot wood charcoal in a bowl and place the bowl in the serving platter with the tikka. Add 1/2 tsp of ghee over it. It will smoke. Immediately cover the platter with a lid or foil for 5 minutes. 
• You can serve Tandoori paneer tikka as a flavorful party starter or appetizer with mint chutney, onion rings and lemon wedges. The tikka can also be used in making yet another delectable North Indian curry - Paneer tikka masala. Apart from that you can serve paneer tikka in wraps, franky rolls, burgers and sandwiches. It makes a delicious baby finger food as well. Paneer tikka can be added to biryanis and pulaos as well.
• Use homemade or fresh paneer in making this paneer tikka for best results.
• Do not grill the tikka for a longer time as it will make the paneer hard and chewy. Paneer pieces should retain their moisture and be luscious and juicy in the tikka.

Would love to hear from you !

I hope you would love trying out this healthy and delicious Tandoori Paneer Tikka. If you do so, feel free to share your feedback with use in the form of likes and comments in the section below this post.

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See you soon with yet another healthy and delicious creation from my Kitchen. Until then Stay safe and eat right !

 

Happy Cooking !

Happy Eating !

 

Regards

Poonam Bachhav 

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