Paneer Tikka recipe is a popular restaurant-style Indian appetizer made with cubes of paneer marinated in a spiced yogurt mixture. The marinated paneer is skewered with vegetables and grilled until lightly charred and flavorful. This recipe can be made easily at home in an oven, on a stovetop skillet/tawa, or on a grill. Paneer tikka is a dry dish and is best served hot with mint chutney and lemon wedges.

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 15 minutes
  • Cook time: 15 minutes
  • Total time: 150 minutes
  • Yield: 3
  • Category: Appetizer, Snacks, Starters
  • Cuisine: North Indian

Ingredients

  • 200 to 250 grams paneer ((Indian cottage cheese))
  • ½ cup onions (– diced)
  • ½ cup capsicum (– diced, bell pepper - green, yellow or red)
  • 200 grams hung curd (or greek yogurt)
  • 1 tablespoon ginger garlic paste (or 1 tablespoon crushed ginger-garlic)
  • 2 teaspoons kashmiri chilli powder (or sweet paprika)
  • ½ teaspoon turmeric powder ((ground turmeric))
  • 1 teaspoon cumin powder ((ground cumin))
  • 1 teaspoon coriander powder ((ground coriander))
  • ½ teaspoon garam masala
  • 1 teaspoon ajwain ((carom seeds))
  • 1 teaspoon dry mango powder ((amchur powder))
  • 1 teaspoon chaat masala
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper powder (– optional (ground black pepper))
  • 1.5 teaspoons lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon mustard oil (or any neutral tasting oil)
  • ½ teaspoon black salt (– optional)
  • salt (as required)
  • mustard oil (for brushing, as needed)

Method

Preparation

  1. Chop the paneer in square shaped cubes.
  2. Dice the onions and capsicum in 1 or 1.5 inches square pieces.

Making Marination

  1. In a large bowl, take the hung curd (greek yogurt) and whisk it lightly till it becomes smooth
  2. Add ginger-garlic paste, all the spice powders, carom seeds, black salt, regular salt, lemon juice and mustard oil.
  3. Mix very well. Check the taste and add more seasonings if required.
  4. Add the veggies and paneer to the marinade. Slowly and gently mix them with the marinade.
  5. Cover the bowl and marinate for at least 2 hours or more in the refrigerator.
  6. After 2 hours thread the paneer and veggies alternately on bamboo skewers. Soak or rinse the bamboo skewers before threading.

Making Paneer Tikka

  1. Preheat the oven for 15 to 20 minutes at 230 or 240 degree celsius or 464 degrees Fahrenheit. Use only the top heating element.
  2. Line a baking tray with aluminium foil or parchment paper. Arrange the paneer skewers on the tray. Brush some oil on the veggies and paneer cubes all over.
  3. Place the tray on the top rack. Grill the paneer tikka first for 7 to 10 minutes at 230 or 240 degree celsius or or 464 degrees Fahrenheit. Then remove and turn the skewers.
  4. Place back on the top rack in the oven and continue to grill for 3 to 5 minutes more till the edges of the paneer are golden or slightly charred. Do not grill for a long time as then paneer cubes becomes hard.
  5. Since temperatures vary from oven to oven do keep a check. You can reduce or increase the time as required. Total grilling time will be 15 to 20 minutes.
  6. Remove from the oven and then place the paneer cubes on a serving plate. Sprinkle some chaat masala and lemon juice.
  7. Serve paneer tikka hot or warm.

Serving

  1. Serve paneer tikka hot with mint chutney, lemon wedges, and sliced onions. It works well as a starter or snack.

Storage

  1. Store leftover paneer tikka in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Reheat gently on a skillet/tawa or in an oven to avoid drying out.

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.