Paneer Tikka ( Cottage Cheese Roast )

I have made this a few times using the tawa or the oven, Paneer Tikka is a delicious Indian snack. Perfect to make for a party as a starter, you could use this as a stuffing for your roll. Use it as a topping on your pizza; stuff it in your   sandwich. The list is never ending.  There are so many ways you can use it ….so let’s get to the recipe 

Serves 2-3 people

Ingredients:

250 gms Paneer ( Cottage Cube ) 

1/ 2 cup Hung curd

1tsp chili powder

 2  tbsp Tandoori masala powder

¾ cup capsicum (I used all the three colors) (cut in squares)

1 onion( cut in squares)

 1 1/2  tbsp Ginger garlic paste  

½ tbsp chat masala

  1 tbsp Ajwain , Carom Seeds

2 tbsp lemon juice.

Salt and oil as needed

skewers

Procedure

Cut all vegetables and paneer into bite size pieces. Don’t cut the paneer cubes too big. As the mix won’t infuse inside the paneer.

Now mix the hung curd, all the powders, lemon juice, salt, ajwain and a tbsp of oil to marinate the paneer pieces. Make sure the marinate coats every pieces very well.

Now add cut onions and capsicum. Keep this refrigerated for 1 ½ hrs.

 Then take it out and insert the paneer, capsicum and, onion in skewers alternatively. Arrange the remaining paneer pieces on the tray itself. Brush them generously with butter/ olive oil

Preheat the oven to 230 deg c and arrange the paneer tikkas in the baking tray and grill the paneer tikkas for 15 -18 minutes turning over the skewers in between for even cooking.

For Cooking on tawa

On a Tawa or flat pan …Heat oil and cook the Paneer Tikka’s on them, turning over the skewers  until they are golden brown.

To give a smoky taste, hold the Paneer tikka over the gas, for 2 seconds. This gives it a smoky flavor.

JServe hot with green chutney and raw onions. Sprinkle some chaat masala and lemon juice over the paneer tikka and enjoy

 

Notes

Soak the wooden skewers in water for atleast one hour before baking, which prevents burning of the skewers

While marinating the paneer toss it carefully, ensuring it does not break.