Paneer Tikka Masala

I am not a big Paneer ( Cottage cheese) fan, whenever we go out at a restaurant I am the one always eating more gravy than Paneer. However, here in India Paneer is a crowd pleasure for sure and is a source of good protein as well, paneer has its presence in every household, you can find paneer paratha in breakfast, paneer kofta’s and gravies for lunch or dinner and even you can make some mouth watering desserts from it, so versatile it is.

This is a little lengthy recipe to make but the little charred taste that tikka brings really brightens up the gravy.

So lets get started, this is good to serve 2-3

Ingredients

For the Tikka

• Paneer- 250 Gms
• Capsicum – 1
• Onion – 1
• Thick Curd – 3-4 Spoon
• Salt – As per taste
• Red chili powder- Half spoon
• Turmeric Powder- 1/4 spoon
• Garam Masala- Half spoon
• Ginger – 1 small knob – grated
• Kasuri Methi – 1 spoon
• Ajwain (caraway seeds)- 1 spoon (Optional)
• Fresh Coriander – 1-2 springs- finely chopped

For Gravy

• Onion – 2
• Tomatoes – 3-4
• Green Chili – 1-2 (Depends on spice level you prefer)
• Garlic- 2-3 cloves minced
• Ginger- 1 small knob grated
• Bay leaf- 1
• Cumin seeds- half spoon
• Cumin Powder- half spoon
• Dry Mango Powder – Half spoon
• Cinnamon stick- 1
• Garam Masala- 1/4 spoon
• Red chili powder- Half spoon (you can adjust as per your spice level preference)
• Turmeric Powder – 1/4 spoon
• Fresh Cream – 2-3 spoons
• Fresh Coriander – 1 Spring
• Oil- 3-4 spoons
• Butter- 3-4 spoons

Method

For Tikka

1. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl except vegetables and paneer
2. Add in Paneer cubes gently (Take care they do not break) after paneer add in capsicum pieces and onion as well
3. Let them sit in marinade for at-least an hour (I left overnight)
4. I Made tikka on tawa, if you want you can put them on skewer and grill as well
5. Heat a pan with a little oil, put in paneer cubes one at a time (Try not to break them), let them get a little brown on one side, then turn on the other and let them get brown on the other side as well. repeat the same for capsicum and onion and once done, keep the tikka’s aside

For Gravy

1. Heat a pan with 1 spoon oil, add in ginger, green chili, garlic and onions, let them cook till onion translucent
2. Add tomatoes and let them cook till done
3. Once cool, make a smooth puree and keep aside
4. Heat a pan add in butter and the oil, when hot add in cumin seeds, bay leaf and cinnamon stick, let them simmer for 1-2 min
5. Add in the puree and all the spices except Garam Masala and give it a good mix
6. Let it cook till done, then adjust water consistency and add garam masala
7. Add in Paneer cubes and fresh cream and give it a gentle mix
8. Garnish with coriander and serve hot

CrunchNSpice

Advertisement