Easy Paneer Tikka Recipe | Grilled cottage cheese

All of us love to party whether it is an office gig or just at home. No party is complete without a great starter. One of the best paneer starters is a tandoori paneer tikka. The whole Europe is crazy about this recipe. Well you can't blame them for it. After all, India stays with you, even if you left it centuries ago. We can easily make this at home. Grilled paneer skewers just win the world over.

Vegetarians love marinated and grilled cottage cheese. Just as much as the non vegetarians love their meat. This taste of smoky cubes stays with you for long time. Grilling it in a fan forced oven at home, gives the dish a great finish. It is an easy to cook starter. You can pair it with mint chutney or tomato sauce. Serve it hot. It is kid friendly and gluten-free. You can alter the heat using the chilly in it. You can have it as a starter or as a main course dish Panir tikka masala. Just add gravy to the starter and have it with some tandoori roti. Garlic naan and rumali roti also tastes great with the curry.

Jump to:

• Benefits 
• What is the different between paneer tikka and paneer tikka masala ?
• Paneer tikka Ingredients
• Equipment
• Instructions
• How to make paneer tikka in oven
• How to make paneer tikka in air fryer
• Equipment
• Substitutions
• Variations
• Try more Indian cottage cheese recipes?
• Best Paneer Tikka recipe
• FAQs

Benefits 

• Rich source of protein
• Builds better bones and teeth
• Good source of vitamin B12,selenium,magnesium
• Maintains blood sugar levels
• Good for heart and immune system
• Aids digestion

What is the different between paneer tikka and paneer tikka masala ?

Former is the dry starter like the current recipe you are reading, however latter  is the curry version. You can just transfer the cooked cottage cheese starter to the tomato & onion curry , and you get the curry. You may refer to the recipe here.

Paneer tikka Ingredients

• Cottage cheese cubed ( Refer to our details post on making paneer at home here )
• Capsicums/ bell peppers 1 red and 1 green diced
• Onion diced/few baby onions
  For paneer tikka marination:
• curd/ dahi/ yogurt
• Ginger-garlic paste
• Turmeric
• Red chilli powder
• Cumin powder
• Lemon juice
• Chickpea flour/besan
• Salt as per taste
• Mustard oil + extra oil for brushing
• Wooden skewers soaked in water

Equipment

• Fan forced oven
• Skewers
• Whisk

Instructions

Read the steps below for the paneer tikka marination .

• Mix all marinade ingredients in a bowl.

• Whisk to a smooth mixture.

• Add the mustard oil (heated and cooled) to the marinate

• Dip cottage cheese paneer pieces & veggies in the marination paste and refrigerate overnight(min. 4 hrs)

• Marinate the paneer & veggies in the same bowl or seperately. If they are separate then its easy to choose them while adding to skewers.

How to make paneer tikka in oven

• Line up the marinated cottage cheese and veggies in wooden skewers.

• Preheat the oven at 200 degree Celsius(Fan forced) for 10 minutes

• Cook them for 8-10 minutes first(fan forced mode) and 3-4 minutes using the top grill option.(Oven broiler option)

How to make paneer tikka in air fryer

• Line up the marinated cottage cheese and veggies in wooden skewers..
• Preheat the air fryer at 200 degree Celsius for 10 minutes

• Cook paneer tikka in airfryer for 7-8 minutes first at 200C and then 2-3 minutes using the grill option.(Brush with oil once in between)

• Optionally, you may grill it over the stove top for few seconds to get the charred look.

Serve it hot with mint chutney.

Equipment

You can bake the tikka in a fan-forced oven or an air fryer. You can re-heat the tikka on a tawa if eating left overs.

Substitutions

For a vegan tikka, use extra firm tofu instead of paneer. If cottage cheese is not available you can make a halloumi version for vegetarians.  You will get similar results. For non vegetarian option, you can make chicken tikka. However, the timing of the cook will differ according to the ingredient used.

Variations

You can make a gluten-free vrat paneer tikka or falhari tikka during Hindu fasting period for a one time meal during fasting. This recipe follows all the dietary guidelines one follows during fasting. 

If you like mild spices, use the Kashmiri red chili powder while making marinade. This chili is pretty mild like paprika and also gives it a great color. Use a hotter variety if you like spicy. You can also put some black pepper if you like.

Try more Indian cottage cheese recipes?

• Paneer tikka masala recipe | Paneer tikka masala restaurant style
• Falhari tikka ( Air fry / bake in oven )
• Keto Paneer tikka | Low carb Indian food
• Paneer Butter Masala dhaba style
• Matar Paneer (In pressure cooker)

Get the grilled cottage cheese recipe here

FAQs

What are some finger licking curry recipes?

• Dal makhani
• Chana masala
• Rajma chawal
• Dal tadka

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