Paneer Tikka Recipe (Indian Starter)

Paneer Tikka is a popular Indian Starter made using curd-marinated Paneer cubes flavored with crispy onions, tomatoes, capsicum, and spices.

Paneer Tikka is an Indian Delicacy that has acknowledged new popularity worldwide. India has always been known for its wonder spices and Paneer Tikka just does justice to that.

This Paneer Tikka made with Desi ghee in OTG, is a gentle twist to the classic recipe of Tandoori Paneer Tikka. The crispy and mildly charred paneer, onions, tomatoes, and peppers soaked in Gram flour marination and cooked slowly in OTG is a perfect vegetarian protein appetizer for a family celebration!

There has one thing which remains constant throughout my life: Love for Paneer. I hardly remember an occasion when I had refused a meal comprising of Paneer be it Paratha, vegetable, pakora, or a curry.

These grilled paneer skewers are great as an appetizer, and you can also turn them into a flavorful curry like Paneer Tikka Masala recipe for a complete meal.

If you are a fan of paneer, you may also like my collection of Paneer Recipes: easy tricks to make paneer recipes, Paneer Tikka Masala recipe, and Air Fryer Paneer Tikka.

What Is Paneer?

Paneer represents a variety of Indian soft cheese, which is used as a base material for the preparation of a large number of culinary dishes.

Paneer is marble white in appearance, having firm, cohesive and spongy body with a close-knit texture and a sweetish-acidic-nutty flavor.

Ingredients

• Paneer: Paneer or Indian cottage cheese is the star ingredient of this dish. One may also try Potato, Tofu or Mushroom Tikka for a vegan Tikka recipe.
• Onion: The crispy charred semi transparent onions make this Paneer Tikka a super hit in the family.
• Tomato: I love the tanginess that fresh tomatoes add to this appetizer.
• Capsicum: The green capsicum works best for this recipe. You may use any other pepper as well.
• Hung Curd: is the curd without any water. I have used homemade curd and hung it overnight to let the extra water drain from it. What is left is the creamy curd without any moisture and that helps make a crispy Paneer Tikka. You may also use Greek yogurt for this recipe.
• Gram Flour: or Besan is used for binding the paneer while marinating. I avoid the use of any cornflour or starch. One may use these too.
• Lemon Juice: The lemon juice adds the perfect citrus hint to this paneer appetizer.
• Spices: The Indian spices like Red chilly, Amchur (dry mango powder), Kasoori Methi (dried Fenugreek Leaves), Turmeric powder, Dhaniya Powder, Garm Masala make this Paneer Tikka a perfect blend of spicy and savory flavors. Being an Indian, means having natural love for the spicy food. Feel free to reduce the heat as per your taste.

Recipe Overview

An easy recipe for Paneer Tikka inspired by Siri from Fatrainbow. She has an amazing blog.

All you have to stock is curd and hang it on the kitchen shelf for 4-5 hours. It would be really creamy after that.

I had used desi ghee along with spices and hung curd to marinate the paneer cubes and vegetables like onion, tomato capsicum. No Cheese. No oils. Trust me nothing beats the taste of hung curd! After 2 hours of marination, I baked them in OTG for 10-15 min at 200 degrees.

How To Make Paneer Tikka in OTG

1. Gather your ingredients. Wash veggies under tap. Pat them dry. Take onion shells gently out and cut them in big chunks. Similarly, cut capsicum and tomato in big chunks so that they can be put on grill sticks.If you don't have grill sticks, you may just put the marinated paneer and veggies on the baking tray.

Take a large bowl and add hung curd and add all the spices.

2. Add ginger garlic paste and lemon juice. Add desi ghee and salt. Mix well and add more hung curd if need be. Can add little water if the mixture seems very thick.

3. Add Paneer cubes and vegetable in the above mixture. Mix well and coat everything nicely yet gently so that pieces are not broken. Use of hands is better. Cover it for 2 hours in refrigerator. Take 15 min before baking it. If weather is winter, you may leave it at room temperature.

Take the grill sticks and gently place the veggies and paneer cubes in desired order. I have used a baking tray as well. So place a baking paper. Coat it with little oil/ ghee and place the veggies on it. Bake for 10-15 in OTG at 200 degrees.

4. They look decently baked. Little overcooked gives a feel of Tandoori taste. I give you freedom here to decide how much you may overcook it. Not more than 20 min as Paneer would become chewy! Enjoy this paneer tikka with green chutney or your favorite dip.

Expert Tips

• Make sure to drain excess water from Paneer cubes. Take paneer out from water and let it rest for few minutes before you use it.
• Don't over bake in OTG or Paneer won't be soft and very chewy.

FAQs

Variations

• Paneer Tikka Masala: The same recipe can be used to make a semi gravy vegetable of paneer tikka masala that can be teamed with rice or paratha.
• Tawa Paneer Tikka: If you are not a fan of OTG or oven, you may make this paneer tikka on a Non-Stick flat Tawa or a grill Pan on a stove top too. It would need more oil/ ghee to make to avoid it getting stuck to the Tawa.
• Air Fryer Paneer Tikka: You may also make Paneer tikka in air fryer. It would need to be done in batches if the quantity is large.
• Try another Oil: I loved desi ghee in this recipe. You may use butter or any other vegetable oil and the same recipe would work for it.

Stories From Kitchen

Paneer comes to my rescue even as a mother. The gloomy days when you hate entering the kitchen and yet you wish to feed your child a home-cooked meal. I believe most of my fellow friends are on the same page here!

Chop onion tomato and cook in desi ghee. Add spices, salt, and grated Paneer and Bingo!!! Paneer Bhurji is ready under 5 min!

Many claim that Paneer Tikka is preferred by Vegetarians as that's a quick substitute for non-vegetarian food.

Do you agree? I dont!

I was a non-vegetarian long long back and had all that you may imagine and yet paneer was my favorite. It was a Sunday noon that I decided to be vegetarian and to date the promise is intact. And for the record, I was 14 yrs old when I made that decision.

What changed within me is surely a long post and a story for another day!

Paneer Tikka is one recipe that I had never dreamt to make ever. Maybe because I never trusted my culinary skills!

When you try it, do share your views with me!!

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More Paneer Recipes:

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Paneer Tikka Recipe {Easy Indian Starter}

Paneer Tikka is an Indian Starter made using curd-marinated Paneer cubes flavored with crispy onions, tomatoes, capsicum and Indian spices.

5 from 2 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 2 hours hrs

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Total Time 2 hours hrs 10 minutes mins

Course Appetisers, Side Dish

Cuisine Indian

Servings 4 people

Calories 144 kcal

Equipment

• OTG
• Mixing Bowls

Ingredients

  

• ½ cup hung curd
• 1 cup Paneer or 15-20 panner cubes
• ½ medium Lemon Juice
• 1 small capsicum
• 1 small tomato
• 1 large onion
• 3 teaspoon red chilli powder
• 3 teaspoon coriander powder(Dhaniya)
• 2 teaspoon Garm Masala
• 1 teaspoon Amchur (dry mango powder)
• 1 teaspoon Kasthuri Methi (Dry fenugreek leaves) optional
• 1 teaspoon ginger-garlic paste
• salt as per taste
• 1 teaspoon Desi ghee
• a pinch Haldi

Instructions

 

• Gather your ingredients. Wash veggies under tap. Pat them dry. Take onion shells gently out and cut them in big chunks. Similarly, cut capsicum and tomato in big chunks so that they can be put on grill sticks. If you dont have grill sticks, you may just put the marinated paneer and veggies on the baking tray.
• Take a large bowl and add hung curd.
• Add all the spices.
• Add ginger garlic paste.
• Add Lemon juice.
• Add desi ghee and salt.
• Mix well and add more hung curd if need be. Can add little water if the mixture seems very thick.
• Add Paneer cubes and vegetable in the above mixture.
• Mix well and coat everything nicely yet gently so that pieces are not broken. Use of hands is better. Cover it for 2 hours in refrigerator. Take 15 min before baking it. If weather is winter, you may leave it at room temperature.
• Take the grill sticks and gently place the veggies and paneer cubes in desired order. I have used a baking tray as well. So place a baking paper. Coat it with little oil/ ghee and place the veggies on it. Bake for 10-15 in OTG at 200 degrees.
• They look decently baked. Little overcooked gives a feel of Tandoor taste. I give you freedom here to decide how much you may overcook it. Not more than 20 min as Paneer would become chewy!
• Our Paneer Tikka is ready!! Enjoy with green chutney and a cup of tea!!!

Notes

Recipe Notes

• Make sure to drain excess water from Paneer cubes. Take paneer out from water and let it rest for few minutes before you use it.
• Don't over bake in OTG or Paneer won't be soft and very chewy.

Nutrition Facts
Serving size: 4-5 pieces
Servings: 5
Amount per serving
Calories	144
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 9.5g	12%
Saturated Fat 0.7g	3%
Cholesterol 3mg	1%
Sodium 41mg	2%
Total Carbohydrate 5.1g	2%
Dietary Fiber 0.7g	3%
Total Sugars 1.6g
Protein 15.3g
Vitamin D 0mcg	0%
Calcium 12mg	1%
Iron 0mg	1%
Potassium 72mg	2%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calorie a day is used for general nutrition advice.

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