Paneer Tikka
- Mallika
- Sep 3, 2021
- 3 min read
Updated: Sep 4, 2021

Cubes of paneer( Indian Cottage cheese) and vegetables marinated in yogurt and spices, and grilled till charred to perfection, traditionally in a tandoor for authentic taste and flavour. How does it sound so far? If you're not hooked yet, how about if I say you don't need a tandoor to make it; you can easily whip this up in an oven or even on stovetop and will get the same taste! It will also take you half the time( or even less) than making chicken tikka! I'm sure you're convinced to give this popular Indian appetizer a try.
Before proceeding to the recipe, a quick background on what Paneer Tikka is: a dish where paneer cubes and vegetables, mostly peppers, onions and tomatoes, are marinated in a yogurt based marinade and then skewered for grilling in a tandoor. This vegetarian tikka version is hugely popular throughout Indian Subcontinent and now in many parts of the world, thanks to the Indian Diaspora spread all over.
Paneer Tikka
Ingredients:
Paneer - 400gm; cut in 1 inch cubes
Bell Pepper ( any colour of your choice) - 1, cut in 1 inch cubes
Red Onion - 1, cut in 1 inch squares
Gram Flour - 2 tbsp
Yogurt- 200 gm*
Ginger-Garlic Paste - 1tbsp
Mustard Oil - 1tbsp
Coriander Powder - 2 tbsp
Red Chili Powder - 1/2 tsp ( or adjust to spice level)
Kashmiri Red Chili Powder - 1 tsp
Chaat Masala - 1 tsp + 1/2 tsp
Garam Masala - 1/2 tsp
Kasuri Methi - 1 tsp , crushed
Lemon Juice - 1 tbsp + 1tbsp
Salt - to taste
Process:
Roast the gram flour in a pan in low flame until you get a roasted nutty aroma.**
Whisk the yogurt in a large bowl until lump-free. Add all the spices for marinade to the yogurt and mix well.
Add in the paneer cubes, onion and bell peppers.
Mix until all the paneer pieces and veggies are well coated with the marinade. Cover the bowl and set aside for minimum 30 minutes to 2 hours. You can keep it overnight in a refrigerator as well.
After minimum of 30 mins marination, take the paneer and veggies out of the marinade. Take a skewer*** and arrange paneer, onion and peppers on it, alternating with each other.
Oven Method:
Pre-heat the oven to 450F for 15 minutes.
Arrange the prepared skewers on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Spray with some oil or brush some melted butter over the tikkas. This will prevent the paneer and veggies from getting dried out and also to get charred evenly.
Bake at 450 F degrees for 10 minutes, flipping once in between. After 10 minutes, turn on the broil. Broil for 2 to 3 minutes until paneer cubes look a little charred.
Remove from oven. Sprinkle chaat masala and squeeze some lemon juice over the skewers. Serve immediately with cilantro mint chutney.
Stove-top Method:
Heat a grill pan and melt some butter on it.
Arrange the prepared skewers in one layer, keeping some gap in between. Cook in med-high heat for 20 minutes. Flip the skewers once after 10 minutes and brush some butter or oil to this side as well.
Remove from pan. Sprinkle chaat masala and squeeze some lemon juice over the skewers. Serve hot with mint-coriander(cilantro) chutney.
Notes:
* Yogurt needs to be thick for this recipe. Try to use Greek yogurt. If that's not available, use hung yogurt.
** Gram flour helps in holding the marinade into the paneer.
*** If you're using wooden skewers, soak them for 30 minutes in normal water. This will prevent them from burning while cooking.
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