Cubes of bite size paneer tikka is tossed with sweet corn and spices in this appetizing chaat. Topped with cilantro, sev, this Paneer Tikka Corn Chaat makes a flavorful appetizer for your Diwali party or the Holidays!

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 20 minutes
  • Cook time: 20 minutes
  • Total time: 70 minutes
  • Yield: 6
  • Category: Appetizer
  • Cuisine: Indian

Ingredients

For Paneer Tikka

  • 1/3 cup plain yogurt (75 grams, make sure yogurt is thick, drain for 2-3 hours if you have watery yogurt)
  • 1 teaspoon ginger-garlic paste
  • 1 teaspoon mustard oil
  • 1 teaspoon coriander powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon garam masala
  • 1/2 teaspoon kasuri methi (crushed, dried fenugreek leaves)
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
  • 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon chopped cilantro
  • 1 teaspoon chopped mint
  • 200 grams paneer (cut into small bite size cubes)

For Corn

  • 1 cup frozen corn (175 grams, boiled for 10 minutes and then drained)
  • 1 teaspoon oil (5 ml)
  • 1 green chili (chopped)
  • 1/4 teaspoon kala namak (black salt)
  • 1/4 teaspoon chaat masala
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

Everything else

  • 1 medium onion (chopped fine)
  • 2 medium tomatoes (de-seeded then chopped)
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
  • 1/8 teaspoon chaat masala
  • 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
  • 1/2 lemon (juice of)
  • sev (to sprinkle)

Method

Make the paneer tikka marinade

  1. To make the marinade for the paneer tikka, take a large bowl and to that add the yogurt (make sure it's thick yogurt) along with ginger-garlic paste, mustard oil, coriander powder, Kashmiri red chili powder, garam masala, Kasuri methi, 1/4 teaspoon (or to taste), lemon juice and chopped cilantro and mint. Use a wire whisk and mix until it is all well combined.
  2. Then add in the cubed paneer. Make sure to cut paneer into small cubes for this recipe. Stir and mix until all the paneer is well coated with the marinade. The marinade is now ready. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. You can even make this a night before.

Sauté the corn

  1. While the paneer is in the refrigerator, work on the corn. Boil frozen corn for 10 minutes and then drain the water. Now, heat 1-2 teaspoons of oil in a pan on medium heat and once it is hot, add chopped green chili to it. You can add more chilies if you want to keep this spicy.
  2. Add the boiled corn and cook for 2 minutes. Then add the kala namak, chaat masala and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Stir and remove the corn from the pan into a bowl and keep this aside.

Cook the paneer tikka

  1. Once the marinade has rested for at least 30 mins, take it out of the refrigerator and transfer it to a pan with little oil. I used the same pan in which I cooked the corn as it already had some oil in it. You may add some extra oil if needed.
  2. Cook the paneer cubes until they turn golden from both sides, stirring often so that it gets cooked from both sides. Once done, remove the paneer into a bowl and set it aside.

Assemble the chaat

  1. To put everything together, take a large bowl and add the prepared corn and paneer tikka to it. Then add the chopped onion, tomatoes, 1/4 teaspoon salt (adjust to taste), chaat masala and cilantro. Squeeze in juice of 1/2 lemon and mix. You can also add some chopped jalapeños for that extra heat.
  2. Transfer chaat into serving bowls or glasses. Top with sev and cilantro and serve.

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.