Paneer Ajwaini Tikka Food

PANEER TIKKA RECIPE (RESTAURANT STYLE)

Steps:

• Chop the paneer in square shaped cubes.
• Dice the onions and capsicum in 1 or 1.5 inches square pieces.
• In a large bowl, take the hung curd (greek yogurt) and whisk it lightly till it becomes smooth
• Add ginger-garlic paste, all the spice powders, carom seeds, black salt, regular salt, lemon juice and mustard oil.
• Mix very well. Check the taste and add more seasonings if required.
• Add the veggies and paneer to the marinade. Slowly and gently mix them with the marinade.
• Cover the bowl and marinate for at least 2 hours or more in the refrigerator.
• After 2 hours thread the paneer and veggies alternately on bamboo skewers. Soak or rinse the bamboo skewers before threading.
• Preheat the oven for 15 to 20 minutes at 230 or 240 degree celsius or 464 degrees Fahrenheit. Use only the top heating element.
• Line a baking tray with aluminium foil or parchment paper. Arrange the paneer skewers on the tray. Brush some oil on the veggies and paneer cubes all over.
• Place the tray on the top rack. Grill the paneer tikka first for 7 to 10 minutes at 230 or 240 degree celsius or or 464 degrees Fahrenheit. Then remove and turn the skewers.
• Place back on the top rack in the oven and continue to grill for 3 to 5 minutes more till the edges of the paneer are golden or slightly charred. Do not grill for a long time as then paneer cubes becomes hard.
• Since temperatures vary from oven to oven do keep a check. You can reduce or increase the time as required. Total grilling time will be 15 to 20 minutes.
• Remove from the oven and then place the paneer cubes on a serving plate. Sprinkle some chaat masala and lemon juice.
• Serve paneer tikka with mint chutney and onion rings with lemon wedges

PANEER TIKKA WITH CILANTRO MINT CHUTNEY

Steps:

• For the paneer: Whisk together the yogurt, garlic, ginger, lemon juice, oil, garam masala, smoked paprika, coriander, cumin, turmeric and cayenne pepper in a large bowl and season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Add the paneer and vegetables and carefully stir to coat. Cover and place in the fridge to marinate for 2 hours or overnight. While the paneer marinates, soak 8 bamboo skewers in water.
• For the chutney: Add the yogurt, lemon zest, lemon juice, cilantro, mint, chile, ginger, garlic and sugar in the bowl of a small food processor. Blitz to finely chop. Season with salt. Add a splash of water or more yogurt to reach a saucy consistency. Transfer the chutney to a container and store in the fridge for up to 5 days until ready to use.
• Preheat a grill to medium-high heat or broiler to high with a rack set to the top position. Thread the paneer and vegetables onto the soaked skewers. Lightly oil the grill or a large baking sheet and grill or broil for 10 to 15 minutes, turning every couple of minutes until lightly charred and the vegetables are tender.
• Serve hot with naan, cabbage and drizzled with cilantro mint chutney.

PANEER AJWAINI TIKKA (FRESH ROASTED PANEER WITH CAROM)

Steps:

• Make the paneer: Heat the milk over medium in a large, heavy-bottomed pot and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally to make sure the milk at the bottom of the pot doesn't burn. Add the vinegar and use a wooden spoon to gently stir the milk. Continue to stir very, very gently for about 30 seconds, being careful not to break the curds as they form and lowering the heat if needed to prevent milk from bubbling over. Turn off the heat and stir very slowly for another minute. Slowly pour the curds and whey into a muslin-lined large colander set in the sink and let the whey drain out, about 10 minutes.
• Run cold tap water over the curds to rinse them of any lingering vinegar flavor. When all the water has drained away, 2 to 5 minutes, bring up the corners of the cloth and twist the cheese to make a ball, gently squeezing out the extra water and whey. Lift the cloth-wrapped paneer and transfer to an 8-inch loaf pan and, keeping it in the cloth, gently press it into the pan. Rest weights, such as canned tomatoes, on top, and after 10 minutes, gently press out and pour off excess liquid. Lift out and unwrap the paneer and set on a cutting board. It should hold its form, but still feel tender. While the paneer drains, prepare the masala and onions.
• Make the masala: Lightly toast the ajwain in a dry pan for 2 minutes, then put in a small food processor or large mortar and pestle to grind it roughly. Add the chiles, ginger, garlic, besan, garam masala, salt, chile powder and turmeric. Process or pound until you get a thick paste. Then add the yogurt and mix until smooth. If the marinade is too thick to easily coat the paneer, stir in a splash or two of water.
• Make the onion: Set a rack in the center of the oven and a rack under the broiler. Heat the oven to 450 degrees. Lay the onion slices on a parchment-lined sheet pan and coat with the oil. Slice the paneer 1-inch-thick, brush each slice all over with the marinade and lay the slices over the onion in a single layer. Bake for 10 minutes, or until the edges of the paneer and marinade have started to color. While the paneer bakes, mix the amchur, remaining 1/2 teaspoon chile and the salt. Remove the paneer from the oven.
• Heat the broiler, then broil the paneer for a minute or two to brown it a little further. Lightly dust the paneer with the amchur spice mix. Serve hot with the onion from the pan, lime wedges and toasted, buttered buns.