Paneer Tikka | Tandoori Paneer Tikka in Tawa Recipe | Vegetarian Indian Starter Recipe

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Paneer Tikka is a spicy grilled Indian Cottage Cheese dish. It is hands down one of the most delicious Indian appetizers. Tandoori Paneer Tikka is made from chunks of Paneer which are marinated in yogurt and spices. Additionally diced onions, tomatoes and capsicum are also marinated along with the Paneer.

Make restaurant style Paneer Tikka at home with this easy recipe!

What is Paneer Tikka ?

  • It’s a famous Indian appetizer where pieces of paneer (Indian cottages cheese) and marinated with yogurt and spices and then grilled until charred.
  • Onion, bell peppers and tomatoes are also added to the marination along with paneer.
  • Once cooked, it’s served with cilantro mint chutney, onion slices and lemon wedges.

How to make paneer tikka

The process is pretty simple, you marinate the paneer with spices and yogurt, let it sit for a bit so that the flavors mix well together and then arrange the paneer cubes along with onion and peppers in a skewer and grill.

However, the taste of paneer tikka lies in its marination of course.

So to make a good paneer tikka you first need to make a very good marinade.

My marinade includes lots of spices and yogurt. You may use regular yogurt too, just make sure to strain it for 3-4 hours before using.

You really need thick yogurt to marinate the paneer cubes.

Grilling methods for paneer tikka

The authentic way of preparing this dish is to arrange the Paneer and vegetables alternately on a long wooden skewer. It is then grilled traditionally in a Tandoor (earthen oven).

Tandoor ovens are available only in restaurants, but you can use a hot grill to make this dish at home. In this recipe I have shown how to make this dish on tawa (girdle) .

Tips for making paneer tikka on tawa :

  • when you prepare paneer tikka on stove top, either use a non stick or ceramic pan or use a well seasoned tawa or griddle. even tawas on which you make dosas also work well.

  • You can used both non stick and iron tawa and both work fine. for iron tawa, just remember that the tawa has to be seasoned very well. if you make rotis or chapatis on this tawa, then the paneer cubes will get stuck.

  • For this paneer tikka recipe, i have used fresh homemade curd. Adding besan also helps in slight thickening of the marinade. if you use homemade or store brought yogurt, then ensure that the curd is thick. there should not be much whey in it. in case there is whey, then strain the yogurt in a cheesecloth for a few hours in the refrigerator, till you get thick yogurt.

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5 from 3 votes

Tandoori Paneer Tikka in Tawa Recipe | Vegetarian Indian Starter Recipe

paneer tikka is spiced marinated cottage cheese cubes that are pan-fried on a tawa or griddle.

Prep Time1 hr
Cook Time15 mins
Total Time1 hr 15 mins
Course: Appetizer, Main Course, Paneer
Cuisine: Indian
Keyword: appatizer, cottage cheese, Dhaba style Paneer, indian food, paneer tikka, restaurant style recipes, snacks, starter, tandoori paneer tikka
Author: Bhawna Maharshi

Ingredients

  • 1/2 Cup Hung Curd
  • 2 tbsp Besan roasted
  • 1 tsp Ginger Garlic Paste
  • 1/2 tsp Black Salt
  • 1/2 tsp Chaat Masala
  • 1/2 tsp Black Pepper
  • 1.5 tsp Roasted Cumin Powder
  • 2 tsp Kashmiri Red Chilli Powder
  • 1 tsp Lemon Juice
  • 1 tsp Kasoori Methi
  • 2 tbsp Mustard Oil
  • 300 grams Paneer Cubed
  • 16 pieces Bell Peppers dices
  • 16 pieces Onion dices

Instructions

preparation for paneer tikka

  • Slice the paneer into 1/4 inch squares or cubes or rectangles.

  • Rinse the veggies. halve the onion and remove each layer one by one.

  • Dice the capsicum/bell pepper into square shaped slices.

  • Keep the veggies and paneer aside.

making paneer tikka marination

  • First whisk the thick yogurt (curd) till smooth in a bowl or pan.

  • Add all the spices and herbs, besan/gram flour and salt, except oil. stir and mix well. taste the marinade and add salt it required

  • Heat up the mustard oil until it starts smoking and then add to the marinate. If the consistency is extremely thick, then a tbsp of yogurt can be added.

  • Add the diced vegetables (onion and capsicum) along with paneer slices.

  • With your hands mix very well. so that the marinade coats the paneer and veggies evenly.

  • Cover the bowl & keep the marinade in the fridge for 45 minutes to 3 hours. you can also keep overnight.

making paneer tikka on tawa

  • Take a skewer and arrange paneer, Onion and bell peppers in no particular order.
  • Make all skewers similarly.
  • heat 1 tbsp oil in a non stick pan/tawa or a well seasoned griddle. 

  • Place the skewers on hot tawa and cook evenly from all sides.
  • Alternatively cook the veggies and paneer directly on tawa . once cooked skewer them on a wooden skewer or toothpick.
  • You can also have paneer tikka straight away without skewering. sprinkle some chaat masala & lemon juice on the paneer tikka.

  • Arrange them in a serving plate and serve the paneer tikka hot or warm with pickled vinegar onions (sirke wale pyaaz), or pyaaz lachcha (onion lemon salad) or mint yogurt chutney.

Video

Notes

how to season the tawa or griddle
  • basically, seasoning means to prepare the tawa or griddle for frying/roasting, wherein you heat the griddle and then apply oil. let the oil get heated and then switch off the griddle. wipe the oil. again apply oil and let the griddle cool. store the tawa with the oil on it. you can repeat the first step twice or thrice. when you want to cook, heat the tawa and wipe off the oil. then proceed with the recipe.

Cooking with lots of love and straight from the heart.

Bhawna Maharshi

Pans n ovens

4 thoughts on “Paneer Tikka | Tandoori Paneer Tikka in Tawa Recipe | Vegetarian Indian Starter Recipe”

  1. Tithi Maharshi says:

    5 stars
    Great recipe! Both easy and delicious!!?

  2. tushar sharma says:

    Thank you pans n oven for giving me such a delicious and easy recipe, definitely I am going to try this tonight, thanks again

  3. Reshma Dang says:

    5 stars
    Very tempting and interesting?

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