Tandoori Paneer Tikka

Simply put, pieces (tikka) of paneer (& other vegetables) are marinated in yogurt & spices and grilled traditionally in a tandoor (clay oven that reaches over 800 degrees F). For our convenience, we can  also grill paneer & veggies over stovetop or in a conventional oven.

Though the ingredients seemed to be very simple & easily available in the pantry (except my home-made tandoori masala), the combination of flavor that it develops is amazing. Using hung-curd (curd that is hung overnight to remove excess water) gives a better coating of the marinade over paneer & veggies (I just used regular yogurt). Also remember, longer the marination better the flavor. 

Speciality of this recipe is that you can simply eat it as is (or) use them in other dishes that needs tandoori paneer & vegetables like Tandoori Paneer Pizza / Paneer Tikka masala.

Basic Info
Complexity - Medium
Prep time - 3 - 5 hrs (depending on how long you are planning to marinate)
Cooking time - 45 mins - 1 hr
Serves - about 3 cups of grilled paneer and vegetables

Ingredients
Paneer - 2 cups

Bell pepper - 1 no (Medium size)

Tomato - 1 no (Large size, de-seeded)

Onion - 1 no (small size)

For the marinade

Yogurt - 1/2 cup (well beaten)

Lemon juice - 2 tbsp

Ginger - 1 inch (grated)

Garlic - 2 pods (grated)

Tandoori masala - 2 tsp

Red chilli powder - 1.5 tsp

Garam masala - 1/4 tsp

Coriander powder - 1 tsp

Kasoori methi - 2 tsp (crushed)

Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp

Salt - to taste

Method
Cut paneer into thin squares of 1 inch each. Cut onion, tomato & bell pepper into squares of about 1 inch.

Take a medium size bowl and mix all the ingredients given under "For the marinade".

To this, add paneer, bell pepper, tomato and onion. Use a spatula and gently mix the vegetables with the marinade so that each and every paneer/vegetable is evenly coated with it. Cover it and let it marinate for 1-4 hours in the refrigerator.

Soak bamboo skewers in cold water for 20-30 mins to avoid the bamboo sticks from burning. Thread paneer, bell pepper, tomato and onion in this pre-soaked bamboo skewers, repeating the sequence. 

Method 1 (stovetop): Now,  add 1-2 tsp of oil on a flat grill/pan and heat it on high. When the oil gets smoking hot, place the bamboo skewers on the pan and grill each side for about 3-5 mins until they get a nice char on all the sides. Keep rotating the sides until all the sides are evenly grilled.

Method 2 (conventional oven): Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Place the bamboo skewers in a baking tray and brush them with some oil. Let it bake for about 20 mins. Keep rotating the bamboo skewers in between and bake until paneer turns golden brown. If you bake it for too long, paneer tends to get rubbery.

Take it off the flame and let them cool a bit. 

You can serve this as an evening snack with some lemon wedges as garnish.