Paneer Tikka, an appealing and colorful skewered appetizer,  usually made in a Tandoor oven. Good news is, it tastes great when cooked on stove top too! We tried this recipe on a greased pan and it tasted like how it is served in restaurants. Now we are big fans of paneer tikka. Many ideas for related recipes is popping up in the head!

This is also a great vegetarian barbecue recipe for outdoor parties and during camping.

There is no Use of MSG or any food coloring in this recipe.

Serving: 4 Skewers of Paneer Tikka

Ingredients you will need:

Cut the paneer cubes, bell peppers and onions in the same size, This will help in uniformly cooking them.

12 paneer cubes cut in 1.5 inch length (Store bought or made at home, both work fine)

12 red and green bell pepper pieces cut similar to paneer cubes

16 onion pieces, cut in squares.

8 quatered baby bella mushrooms (Optional)

For Marination:

4 tbsp Thick curd

1 tbsp Corn-flour

1/4 tsp turmeric powder

1/2 tsp chilli powder (adjust to taste)

1 tsp paprika powder/kashmiri chili powder (For color)

1/4 tsp Roasted cumin powder

1/8 tsp Carom seeds/Ajwain/Omam powder

1/2 tsp coriander powder

1/4 tsp garam masala

Pinch of Black salt/kala namak

1/2 tbsp ginger-garlic paste

Salt- to taste

Preparation:

Step 1 – Marination: In a bowl add all the ingredients under the heading marination. Mix well and dilute by adding 2 or 3 tablespoon of water. The mixture must be thick and easily should coat the paneer.

Add paneer cubes, bell peppers and mushroom (Optional) to the mixture and set aside. Let them marinate for least 20 minutes. I did not add onions to the mixture because I prefer charred onions without the mixture coating. You can add, if you prefer.

Step 2 – Arranging: I used a metal skewer but if you are using wooden skewers, make sure you soak them in water for few minutes before using to avoid the skewer from burning.

Skewer the onions, peppers and paneer.

For quick and even arrangement: Onion>red bell pepper>paneer>green capsicum>mushroom (optional) and start the arrangement again and finally end with an onion piece. I had arranged 3 paneer cubes in one skewer.

Step 3 – Cooking: Place a tawa/pan or griddle on medium heat. Once the pan is hot, add few drops of oil and place the skewer in the pan. Drizzle few more drops of oil on top. Keep turning the skewers every minute till all sides are well cooked and gets a light brown color. Do not add a lot of oil, the paneer will absorb it and get fried. Later they tend to become very hard and tough. The paneer cubes must be cooked and still keep the moisture in it. Do not worry if the corners of paneer or bell peppers tend to become charred, that’s how they are to be!

Step 4 – Serving: Serve hot with Imli chutney, Mint-Coriander chutney and few lemon wedges. A squeeze of lemon tastes great.

Happy cooking