Paneer tikka
Time: 2+ hours | Difficulty: 3/5 | Recommendation: Weeknight dinner
Paneer tikka! A classic. When I first discovered that the way to do this is to marinate the paneer in yogurt, I was honestly confused. Dairy marinating in dairy?? What a concept! But hey, it works. And adding a touch of chickpea flour brings everything together, and makes sure the marinade doesn’t drip off the cheese. I think it’s best to pair the paneer with red onions and red and green bell peppers, but you could add other vegetables too if you wanted! This recipe also makes a lot of leftovers, but don’t worry, these are GREAT as leftovers. Wrap them in a roti or naan or parotta, or add them to a normal sandwich, or eat with some rice, or even a lettuce wrap? Endless possibilities!!
Ingredients/Tools:
1 block of paneer, chopped in half, then 1/2-inch squares
Yogurt (about two cups)
1 bell pepper, chopped into squares
1 red onion, chopped into squares
Spices: Turmeric, paprika, cumin powder, coriander powder, tandoori powder, garam masala, chili powder, salt, pepper
Chickpea flour (about a tablespoon)
Peanut or vegetable oil
Mustard seeds
Chili flakes
Cumin seeds
A big bowl
Wooden skewers (soaked in water so they don’t stick!)
A ridged skillet (or a grill if you’re into that)
Method:
Add the yogurt and spices to a big bowl, and stir to combine. Add the paneer, bell pepper, and onion, and toss it all. Marinate in the fridge for at least an hour.
When you’re done marinating, make the tadka: in a small pan, heat a couple tablespoons of vegetable oil with the mustard seeds, chili flakes, and cumin seeds. When it all starts to sizzle, add the tablespoon of chickpea flour. Immediately pour it over the marinated paneer, and stir to combine.
Skewer the paneer! Alternate between the cheese squares and the bell pepper or onion squares, three or four to a skewer. Keep as much of the marinade on the ingredients as possible.
Heat a touch of oil in the pan, and add the skewers when it’s hot. Let the paneer cook for a couple minutes on each side, on high heat, and turn when the first side is cooked. (If you don’t have a ridged cast-iron, you can also bake the paneer on a sheet pan!)
Enjoy with tamarind and coriander chutneys, a squeeze of lemon, and some fresh coriander!