Paneer Malai Tikka is a popular and delicious variant of tikka that is served in restaurants. This Malai Tikka is made with soft paneer cubes marinated in a base of hung curd, cream, spices and herbs.

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 35 minutes
  • Cook time: 15 minutes
  • Total time: 50 minutes
  • Yield: 4
  • Category: Snacks, Starters
  • Cuisine: North Indian, Punjabi

Ingredients

  • 5 tablespoons hung curd (or hung yogurt or thick curd)
  • ⅓ cup low fat cream (- 25% to 35% fat)
  • 1 teaspoon ginger garlic paste
  • ¼ teaspoon ajwain ((carom seeds))
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper powder (or white pepper powder)
  • ½ teaspoon coriander powder
  • ½ teaspoon garam masala
  • 2 to 3 pinches crushed kasuri methi ((dried fenugreek leaves) - optional)
  • ½ teaspoon lemon juice
  • salt (as required)
  • ⅓ cup onion (- cut in squares)
  • ⅓ cup capsicum ((bell pepper) - cut in squares)
  • 250 grams paneer ((cottage cheese))
  • oil (as required for brushing on tikka)

Method

making marination for malai tikka

  1. In a bowl take 5 tablespoons hung curd or or greek yogurt or thick curd.
  2. Whisk for a minute till smooth.
  3. Then add ⅓ cup low fat cream and mix very well.
  4. Add ginger-garlic paste and all the spice powders including salt.
  5. You can also add 2 to 3 pinches of crushed kasuri methi (dried fenureek leaves).
  6. Then add ½ teaspoon lemon juice. If you plan to fry the paneer cubes on tawa or pan, then add 2 to 3 tablespoons besan or rice flour to the marination.
  7. Mix very well.
  8. Add ⅓ cup onion squares, ⅓ cup capsicum squares and 250 grams paneer cubes.
  9. Gently mix with a small silicon spatula or with a spoon. Take care not to break paneer cubes when mixing.
  10. Cover and marinate for 30 minutes. If keeping longer for marination, then marinate in the fridge for a couple of hours.

making paneer malai tikka

  1. Now thread the onion, capsicum and paneer cubes on bamboo skewers. Place the skewers on a pan which is lined and wrapped with aluminium foil. Rinse bamboo skewers with water before using them.
  2. Before grilling, preheat oven at 240 degrees for 15 minutes.
  3. Grill paneer malai tikka at 240 degrees celsius for 15 to 20 minutes. Use the grill mode if using an otg.
  4. Once you see the top light browned remove and turn the skewers. Brush some oil if you want on the paneer, onion and capsicum cubes.
  5. Keep back in the oven and continue to grill till the edges of a few paneer cubes or onions are charred a bit.
  6. Serve paneer malai tikka hot or warm with a side of sliced onions, lemon wedges and mint-curd chutney.

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.