Tandoori Paneer / Paneer Tikka

This is an excellent recipe for your next barbecue party. Last week we went to BBQ with my husband's friends and I had made tandoori paneer. There were 18 people and I took 5 pounds of marinated paneer. These soft, juicy chunks of paneer along with grilled vegetables make a mouthwatering appetizer for any occasion. Paneer should be marinated for around 2-4 hours and should not be marinated for long like chicken or other meat.

Ingredients
500 gms paneer
1 1/2 cup curd or yogurt
1/2 cup milk
2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon pepper powder
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon garam masala
2 teaspoon MDH tandoori masala
1 teaspoon chat masala powder
1/2 teaspoon coriander powder
1 teaspoon finely chopped ginger
1/2 teaspoon finely chopped garlic
1/2 teaspoon sugar
4 teaspoon finely chopped cilantro or coriander leaves
lemon juice for taste
salt for taste
oil for grilling

1 capsicum
2 tomatoes
1 big onion
Skewers for grilling

Method
Cut the paneer and the vegetables into big cubes.


You can use the chili powder and coriander powder available in the market. I roasted 7 Byadgi chillis (these are not spicy, but provide a rich red color) and powdered them in my coffee bean grinder. I use this grinder to grind all my spices and it takes just 2-3 minutes to grind the them into a very fine powder. If the chili powder from 7 byadgi chilies is not enough to provide a spicy flavor, then add the normal chili powder to make it spicy as per your taste.

Mix curd, milk and all the powders, ginger, garlic, coriander leaves and lemon juice to make the marinate. Adjust salt in the marinate so that it will suffice for the bland paneer and vegetables.


In a big bowl, add the panner, vegetables and the marinate. Coat the paneer and vegetables well with the marinate.

Let the paneer marinate for 3-4 hours. The paneer can be grilled on a barbecue grill or in a regular oven. Soak the skewers in warm water for around 20-30 minutes, so that they don't char on the grill. Place the paneer and the vegetables on the skewers and and brush them with cooking oil or cooking spray. Grill the panner till brown on all sides. Enjoy the chat-pata tandoori paneer with mint chutney.

Preparation time: 30-40 minutes excluding the marination time
Serves: 4-5