Although I don’t have a “Tandoor” (cylindrical clay oven used for cooking & baking) at my place, the modern tandoor a.k.a oven (convection oven) works just fine to get us an equally delicious tikka. Ingredients: 500gms Paneer cut into cubes½ red capsicum cut in cubes½ green capsicum cut in cubes½ red onion cut in cubes2 tomatoes & cut in cubes (use only the sides not the pulp) Marinate:1 cup of curd1 teaspoon ginger paste1 teaspoon garlic paste¼ teaspoon turmeric1 teaspoon red chili powder1 tablespoon coriander powder1 teaspoon cumin powder½ teaspoon amchur½-1 teaspoon of garam masala1 teaspoon Tandoori masala (optional)½ teaspoon kasoori methi 1 tablespoon of lemon juicesalt & pepper to taste Other needs:Some butter/oil to baste5-6 Bamboo skewers Baking tray lined with Aluminium Foil & coated with Oil. Method: Take a cheese cloth & pour 1 cup of curd in this, tie it tight so that the water from the curd starts to drip. Hang this curd for around 2 hours or till the water has completed drained offTip:If we don’t hang the curd, the water in the curd will make the marinate runny & watery. Hung curd results in thick marinate.
In a bowl, take this hung curd & to it add all the ingredients listed under marinate to make a smooth paste. Divide this marinate into two bowls. One for paneer & other for the veggies. This helps to avoid the paneer from crumbling when we mix. Mix well so that the veggies and paneer have a good coating of the marinate. Cover & let this marinate for about 2-3 hours. More the better.
Dip the bamboo skewers in ice cold water for about 1 hour. This prevents them from burning. Preheat the oven to 375F.
Take one skewer at a time & start arranging the veggies & paneer. Start with tomato followed by green capsicum then paneer, onion & red capsicum (use any combination of your choice). Repeat this till you reach the end of skewer. Continue this process for the remaining skews & line them on a baking tray. Place the baking tray in the oven & bake for about 15-20 mins. Baste the tikka with butter intermittently to prevent it from turning hard. You know your Paneer tikka is done when the sides of paneer have turned slightly brown.
That’s it!! Our Tasty Tandoori Paneer Tikka is ready!! Serve it hot with some lemon slices & Green Chutney Enjoy, Happy Baking!!Shweta
