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Paneer Tikka

Paneer Tikka is a traditional Indian recipe for a classic vegetarian kebab of paneer cheese and red bell pepper in a yoghurt-based marinade with garam masala and chaat masala spicing. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Indian version of: Paneer Tikka.

prep time

20 minutes

cook time

10 minutes

Total Time:

20 minutes

Additional Time:

(+120 minutes marinading)

Serves:

4

Rating:

Tags : CurryVegetarian RecipesCheese RecipesIndian Recipes

Along with halloumi, tikka is one of my fridge standbys as it means I can whip-up a meal (just like this one) in under half an hour. This is a classic grilled (broiled) or barbecued dish of lightly-curried paneer cheese and bell pepper skewers that is an excellent vegetarian dish or starter. Note that if you are using wooden skewers for the kebabs you should soak them in a bowl of water for 20 minutes before use.

Ingredients:

100g (3½oz) spinach leaves
40g (1½oz) coriander (cilantro) leaves
180g (6oz) Greek yoghurt
2 green bird's-eye chillies
2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
3cm (1in) piece fresh root ginger, roughly chopped
salt, to taste
375g (13oz) paneer cheese, cut into 3cm (1in) cubes
1 red bell pepper, cut into 3cm/1in cubes
butter (or ghee), for basting
1 tsp garam masala
chaat masala (or lemon juice), to garnish
salt and freshly-ground black pepper, to taste

Method:

Blend together the spinach, coriander, yoghurt, green chillies, garlic and ginger to make a smooth marinade. Season to taste, then add to a bowl along with the paneer cubes and bell peppers. Set aside to marinate for at least 20 minutes, but ideally a couple of hours.

Pre-heat your grill (broiler) to medium and place a wire rack over a baking tray (this also works on a barbecue). Skewer the marinated paneer and pepper pieces to make kebabs, then place on the wire rack and grill (broil) for 3–4 minutes. As the paneer starts to colour, keep turning the skewers and basting with butter. Grill for another 4 minutes until golden all over.

Sprinkle the paneer tikka kebabs with garam masala and chaat masala (or lemon juice) and serve immediately.