Paneer Tikka Tawa Recipe (Healthy Indian Starter)
Paneer tikka is a protein rich, gluten free indian starter or appetizer made with marinated paneer cubes and vegetables in a thick curd, besan and indian spice mixture.
Ingredients
Ingredients for marination
- 225 gm low fat homemade paneer
- 1 big size green pepper (cut into 1 inch pieces)
- 1 big size onion (cut into 1 inch pieces)
- 2 medium size tomato (cut into 1 inch pieces)
- 3 tbsp hung curd
- 2 tbsp roasted besan (gram flour)
- 1 tbsp + 2 tsp refined oil (I used sunflower oil)
- ¾ tsp salt
- ½ tsp roasted cumin seeds powder (jeera powder)
- ½ tsp coriander powder (dhania powder)
- ½ tsp chat masala
- 1 tsp kasoori methi
- 1 tsp garlic and green chilli paste 3-4 clove garlic +2 green chilli
- ¼ tsp red chilli powder
- ⅛ tsp black pepper powder kali mirch
- ¼ tsp small cardamom powder choti eliachi
- ¼ tsp ginger powder
- 1 pinch turmeric powder haldi
For seasoning
- ½ lemon juice
- 1 ½ tbsp homemade unsalted butter
- 1 pinch heeng
For smoking effect(optional)
- 1 small piece of coal (koyla)
- ½ tsp ghee
Instructions
- Roast 2 tbsp besan in a pan till its raw smell is gone. It will take around 1 and ½ minutes on low flame. Let it cool.
- Cut green pepper, onion and tomato into 1 inches pieces.
- Make big cubes of paneer and put them aside.
- Now, In a wide bowl add hung curd, roasted besan, salt, roasted cumin powder, coriander powder, black pepper powder, red chilli powder, ginger powder, cardamom powder, chat masala, turmeric powder, kasoori methi, garlic and green chilli paste and 1 tbsp oil.
- Give a good mix, add pieces of green pepper, tomato, onion and paneer cubes.
- Now mix them with the using your hands so that the masala coats paneer and vegetable nicely.
- Cover the bowl and leave aside for at least 30 minutes and up to 1 to 2 hours to make it more flavourful.
- After 30 minutes, take a skewer and put vegetables and paneer pieces alternatively in it.
- Keep aside the Leftover pieces.
- Take a cast iron tawa, put it on a low medium heat. Grease them with 1 tsp oil and place the skewer on it
- Now take another iron tawa on heat and grease it with 1 tsp oil and transfer the leftover marinated vegetable and paneer pieces.
- Cook them for 5-7 minutes on low medium heat and in between turn them around to get cooked from all the sides.
- Remove them from the heat and transfer them to a serving bowl. Now make a space in the centre.
- Then take a coal piece, put it on the direct heat and wait till it becomes red hot. Place it in a small Katori or bowl then immediately place in the middle of the bowl of grilled paneer tikka. pour ½ tsp ghee on it. It starts smoking, immediately cover the bowl and leave it for 8-10 minutes.
- Now in a frying pan melt 1 ½ tbsp butter. Once it becomes hot add a pinch of heeng and leftover marinated masala and mix well.
- After 10 minutes, remove the coal bowl from paneer tikka and then squeeze ½ lemon juice on it and then pour the hot butter mixture. mix it and serve immediately.
Notes
1. Use hung curd or greek yoghurt for the marination process otherwise spices will not coat nicely to the paneer and vegetable and take more time to cook.
2. Marinate the veggies for atleast 30 minutes and up to 2 hours in the refrigerator to make it more flavourfil.
3. Grill it on low medium heat while using tawa as it becomes very hot and burnt the paneer and vegetables.
4. While grilling on tawa keep an eye and turn them around to cook all sides equally.
5. Make it a vegan recipe use tofu and replace curd with non-dairy yoghurt. Also, replace butter for seasoning with refined oil.
6. Electric Barbeque grill or coal grill can also be used for making paneer tikka.