Cubes of paneer marinated with cilantro, mint along with yogurt & spices. This Hariyali Paneer Tikka is a great vegetarian option for summer grilling & BBQ parties!
3tablespoonsyogurtplain whole milk yogurt, make sure yogurt is thick else drain for few hours and then use or use Greek yogurt
1.5teaspoonskasuri methidried fenugreek leaves
1/2teaspoongaram masala
1/2teaspooncoriander powder
1/2teaspoonchaat masala
1tablespoonmustard oil
1largeonionquartered and petals separated
2mediumpeppersmix of green and red, cut into 1 inch cubes
300gramspaneercut into big cubes
1.5tablespoonssattuor use roasted besan
Instructions
To a blender add cilantro, mint, ginger, garlic, green chili, salt and juice of 1/2 lemon (big lemon). Blend until you have a coarse paste.
Transfer this to a large bowl. To that bowl, now add yogurt. Mix until combined.Add kasuri methi, garam masala, coriander powder and chaat masala. Mix to combine.
Then add mustard oil. If you don't have mustard oil you can use any other oil but mustard oil is highly recommended here.Using a wire whisk mix until everything is well combined and you have a smooth marinade.
Add onion, peppers (I used a mix of green & red) and paneer. Using your hands, toss the paneer and veggies with the marinade until it's all well coated with it.
Now, add sattu and again using your hands mix until the paneer and veggies are well coated with the marinade. Adding sattu at the end helps in the marinade sticking to the paneer.
Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour or up to 3 to 4 hours. Meanwhile pre-heat oven to 450 F degrees.
After 1 hour, take the wooden skewers (soak them in water for 30 minutes before using in the recipe) and arrange the paneer and veggies alternating with each other on the skewers. Make all skewers similarly. you would get around 5 of these.
Place a sheet of aluminum foil on a baking sheet and spray with oil spray. Place the skewers on it and then bake in a pre-heated oven at 450 F for 10 minutes.At this point you can either broil in the oven for 2 to 3 minutes OR remove from oven after 10 minutes and char directly on heat. To char directly, place a wire roaster on direct heat (on medium-high flame) and hold the tikka over it. Char while rotating the skewer for 1-2 minutes until the paneer has nice brows spots on it. Repeat with remaining skewers.
Serve hariyali paneer tikka with cilantro chutney or mint chutney and lemon wedge on the side. You can also sprinkle some chaat masala before serving.
Notes
If using store-bought paneer, add paneer to hot water for 20 minutes and then use in the recipe. That helps is softer paneer.
Mustard oil adds a lot of flavor, it also keeps the paneer soft.
Do not over-cook the paneer else it will dry out.
If you don't have sattu, roast some besan in a pan until fragrant and then use that in the recipe.
Remember to soak your skewers in water for 20 to 30 minutes before using them. This will ensure that they don't burn while cooking.