Achari Paneer Tikka is a popular starter dish served in restaurants. It is a variation of the classic paneer tikka where the cottage cheese cubes are flavored with a marination of pickling spices.

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 60 minutes
  • Cook time: 30 minutes
  • Total time: 90 minutes
  • Yield: 4
  • Category: Snacks, Starters
  • Cuisine: North Indian

Ingredients

  • 2 teaspoon split yellow mustard ((rai ka kuria) or 1.5 teaspoon whole mustard seeds)
  • 2 teaspoon fennel seeds
  • ½ teaspoon nigella seeds ((kalonji))
  • ¼ teaspoon fenugreek seeds ((methi dana))
  • 2 to 3 dry red chilies (- deseeded and broken into small pieces)
  • as substitute for above (you can also add 2 tablespoon of ready made dry achar masala or pickle mix)
  • 250 to 300 grams paneer ((Indian cottage cheese) - sliced into cubes or squares)
  • 1 medium capsicum ((bell pepper - red or green or yellow) - diced)
  • 1 medium onion (- halved and the layers separated)
  • 1 medium tomato (- diced (optional))
  • 7 tablespoons hung curd ((hung yogurt) or thick curd (yogurt) or greek yogurt)
  • 2 tablespoons besan ((gram flour or chickpea flour) or corn starch (corn flour))
  • 4 to 5 medium garlic cloves + 1 inch ginger (- about 1.5 teaspoon ginger garlic paste)
  • ½ teaspoon dry mango powder ((amchur powder) or lime juice - add as required for more tang if preferred)
  • ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder ((ground turmeric))
  • ½ teaspoon coriander powder ((ground coriander) - optional)
  • ½ teaspoon red chili powder (or cayenne pepper)
  • ½ teaspoon crushed dry fenugreek leaves ((kasuri methi))
  • 1 pinch asafoetida ((hing) - optional)
  • 1 teaspoon mustard oil, (preferred or any vegetable oil)
  • salt as required
  • 1 small to medium onion (- sliced thinly or sliced thinly into roundels)
  • 1 small lime (or 1 lemon - sliced or quartered)
  • few pinches of chaat masala powder
  • 1 tablespoon chopped coriander leaves (or mint leaves (optional))

Method

Preparing the achari masala or pickle mix

  1. First take all the spices namely - mustard seeds (i used split mustard seeds), fenugreek seeds, fennel seeds, nigella seeds and dry red chilies in a dry grinder or coffee grinder or blender.
  2. Grind all these spices to a fine powder. A slight semi fine texture is also ok. This is the dry achari masala. Keep aside.

Making Marination

  1. In a bowl take hung yogurt or thick yogurt and whisk till smooth. To make hung yogurt, place the yogurt in a muslin cloth or a cotton napkin. Tie tightly and place on a strainer, which is kept over a bowl. Keep in the fridge till all the whey gets collected in the bowl. This takes about 4 to 5 hours. You can also keep overnight. Here I used thick yogurt.
  2. Add the powdered achari masala, red chili powder, gram flour/corn starch, ginger-garlic paste, asafoetida, coriander powder, red chili powder, dry mango powder or lime juice, crushed dry fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi), salt and mustard oil. You can also use ready made achar masala or pickle masala. Add about 2 tbsp of dry achar masala in the marinade.
  3. Mix everything into the beaten curd. Check the taste and add more salt or other seasoning if required.
  4. Add the bell peppers, onions and paneer cubes.
  5. Gently mix the paneer cubes and veggies till they are evenly coated with the achari marinade.
  6. Cover and refrigerate for about 1 hour or overnight. You can also keep for any number of hours.
  7. Once you remove from the the marinated cottage cheese cubes and veggies from the fridge, then gently mix again.

Grilling method for making achari paneer tikka

  1. Preheat your oven to 200 degrees celsius/390 degrees fahrenheit for at least 10 minutes before you grill the tikkas.
  2. For a regular oven, keep both the top and bottom elements on and keep the pan in the center or top rack. For a microwave oven use the convection mode and preheat at 180 degrees celsius/350 degrees fahrenheit.
  3. Thread the veggies and paneer cubes on a bamboo skewer or metal skewer. You can also
  4. Use toothpicks.
  5. Cover a baking tray with an aluminium foil. Avoid butter paper like I have done as the paneer sticks to the butter paper once grilled.
  6. Brush the marinated paneer with ½ to 1 teaspoon of mustard oil or any other oil.
  7. Place the tray in a the top rack or middle rack of a preheated oven. Keep both the top and bottom heating elements on. Grill at 200 degrees celsius for 15 to 20 minutes (depending on the oven temperatures). I have a slow oven, so it took 25 mins for the paneer cubes to be grilled and browned at the edges.
  8. Just keep an eye when the paneer is getting grilled in the oven. For a microwave oven in the convection mode, use 180 degrees celsius/350 degrees fahrenheit for grilling the tikka.

Pan frying or stove top method

  1. Heat about 2 to 3 teaspoon oil in a non stick pan. You can add more oil if you want.
  2. Place the threaded paneer tikka with the skewers on the pan. You can also fry the marinated paneer cubes and veggies without the skewers.
  3. Gently rotate the skewers, when one side is crisp and browned. Keep on rotating till all the sides are browned. Add more oil if required, while frying.
  4. Fry till all the sides are golden. Pan fry on a low flame as the marinade gets browned quickly. Keep the fried achari paneer tikka aside. Remember not to overcook the paneer cubes as then they can become hard or chewy.
  5. Serve with onion slices, lemon wedges and mint yogurt chutney. Sprinkle chaat masala and lemon juice on the achari paneer tikka while serving. You can also garnish with chopped coriander or mint leaves.

Kiyaan Singh’s Kitchen Note

Keep this recipe as a working base: cook once as written, then adjust spice, texture, and serving style for your own table.