This classic vegetarian North Indian dish made easy can be served as an appetizer or main dish. With a complex blend of spices, mixed vegetables and creamy paneer, it is an ideal dish for experts or novices alike, either to prepare to be served.
I undertook the making of this delicious North Indian vegetarian dish in response to a recipe challenge presented by a fellow blogger at Lin’s Recipes. I seldom feature Indian dishes on my blog even though I often do make them, so I was pleased to have an incentive to develop a recipe for my blog with these wonderful flavours. Thanks to Lin and also to Parul at Gharkepakwan who has graciously offered to act as judge.
I am bringing this to Fiesta Friday #112 which I am co-hosting with Natalie at Kitchen Uncorked. Feel free to drop by and and see the wonderful recipes, tips and stories contributed by a host of talented bloggers.
The title of this recipe says it all. Paneer is simply a fresh cheese, made from strained and pressed yogurt. Tikka refers to the pieces of meat or, as in this case cheese in the recipe. Masala means mixture and in this case refers to the mixture of spices used.
I based my recipe on this one, but made a few changes according to what I had on hand. For example, as I am not able to buy ready made paneer in my neighbourhood, contrary to all recommendations on any recipe for this you will find, I had to make my own. Home-made paneer tends to be too soft, and therefore is difficult to mix into the sauce and keep its integrity. However, I found that straining the yogurt, pressing it with a weight to squeeze out as much liquid as possible over a mesh strainer, and then setting it in a very low oven (170 degrees F) for about an hour was all it needed to make it firm enough to cook with. In fact, it was the best paneer I had ever had, but if you can buy it, you can skip this step altogether. I also added sumac powder, not a commonly used spice in Indian cooking but one I use regularly to add a lemony flavour and red colour. To stay with the local theme of my blog I served it with rice made with maple sap, the delicate sweetness of which complements the spiciness of the masala beautifully.
Paneer Tikka Masala
Ingredients for the Marinade
250 grams paneer, cut into cubes
2 medium sweet peppers (I used red)
1 small zucchini
5 Tbsp yogurt
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground fresh ginger
1 tsp finely grated fresh garlic
1 tsp. garam masala
1 tsp ground coriander seeds
1/4 tsp freshly ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp cornflour
oil for grilling
Ingredients for the gravy
oil for frying
1 large onion
2 Tbsp thick tomato paste (preferably home-made)
1 Tbsp grated ginger
1 Tbsp ground garlic
1 Tbsp garam masala
1 tsp chili powder
1 Tbsp sumac powder
1 tsp ground coriander
pinch of methi (dried fenugreek)
1/2 cup water or stock
Method
Mix the yogurt, spices and flour in a bowl. Cut the peppers into roughly 1 inch squares, cut the zucchini into 1/4 inch rounds and place in a casserole with the paneer. Pour over this the marinade, stir to coat and allow to sit for at least an hour or up to 24 hours.
Meanwhile, to make the gravy, chop the onion very finely. A food processor is useful for this process. Fry it gently in about 2 Tbsp of oil until it softens. Add the ginger and garlic and fry for another 2 minutes. Add the tomato paste and spices and continue to cook, stirring frequently until the mixture is quite dry and is like a thick paste which will come away from the sides of the pan. Add the water and cook a further 2 minutes, stirring to make sure it doesn’t stick. Set aside until the vegetables and paneer are ready to be added.
Place the marinated vegetables and panner on a grilling sheet and drizzle with a little oil. Place under a broiler and when they start to sizzle, turn them over and broil until they look cooked and slightly browned. The time this takes will depend on your broiler and proximity to the heat. I found it took about 5 minutes per side, but keep a close watch on it.
Mix all this with the gravy, reheat and serve it as an appetizer or a main dish with rice or flatbreads.
March 26, 2016 at 12:44 pm
Looks delicious. In the past I made paneer by separating the curds and whey. I agree, homemade is better that store purchased; just more time consuming.
LikeLike
March 26, 2016 at 12:56 pm
Thanks Frances for visiting my blog and commenting. I found that drying the paneer in a warmish oven really made a difference in being able to cook with it without it all disintegrating, and it really was delicious. Even young H who is a paneer connoisseur was impressed. Happy Easter to you and your family.
LikeLike
March 26, 2016 at 1:02 pm
Amazing! You have done an amazing job! I always make paneer at home…hate the store bought ones..you have got the perfect dark colour..lovely..thanks for participating
LikeLiked by 1 person
March 26, 2016 at 1:16 pm
Thanks Lina.
LikeLiked by 1 person
March 26, 2016 at 1:08 pm
Superb effort ☺️ looks very yummy!
LikeLiked by 1 person
March 26, 2016 at 1:14 pm
Btw I just realised you haven’t added the recipe to the list! Do it so that the others can also view it😊
LikeLike
March 26, 2016 at 1:19 pm
Sorry to be so thick, but which is the site I have to link it to?
LikeLiked by 1 person
March 26, 2016 at 1:22 pm
Just go to the post I made…click the blue thumbnail there☺ lins239.wordpress.com..the most recent post in this
LikeLike
March 26, 2016 at 2:21 pm
Got it Lina. Thanks.
LikeLike
March 26, 2016 at 2:55 pm
Paneer tikka masala is one of our fav! Your dish turned out awesome and the homemade paneer looks perfect!!
LikeLike
March 26, 2016 at 3:21 pm
Thanks. It was a relief to me to discover that I could make it myself and not have it too soft and sticky. The flavour is unbeatable!
LikeLiked by 1 person
March 26, 2016 at 5:53 pm
Looks wonderful Hilda. And your home made paneer came out beautifully too. I am going to try your trick of baking it in the oven to set. very impressive dish!
LikeLike
March 26, 2016 at 6:33 pm
Looks tasty Hilda! Great job on Lin’s challenge!! 🙂
LikeLike
March 26, 2016 at 7:06 pm
Looks delicious. I love all the spices you have incorporated into this dish – yum!
LikeLiked by 1 person
March 26, 2016 at 10:32 pm
Looks lovely, Hilda. I’m familiar with all the ingredients except for methi.
LikeLiked by 1 person
March 26, 2016 at 10:54 pm
This looks truly awesome. I can get paneer around here, but this is good to know for when I move later this year to where I won’t find paneer readily..
LikeLiked by 1 person
March 26, 2016 at 11:05 pm
My mistake. I should have explained and will correct it. It is fenugreek, dried. Thanks for bringing that to my attention. Nothing like an attentive reader.
LikeLike
March 26, 2016 at 11:15 pm
tried this…so delicious
LikeLiked by 1 person
March 27, 2016 at 12:16 am
Fantastic job ! Looks incredibly delicious 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
March 27, 2016 at 8:54 am
What a lovely recipe Hilda, the tips on making homemade paneer are fab, just what I need. I love the idea of cooking rice with maple sap, what a treat. Thanks for co hosting the Fiesta party xx
LikeLiked by 1 person
March 27, 2016 at 1:14 pm
Thanks Sarah.
LikeLike
March 27, 2016 at 5:58 pm
That is one bowl of pure heaven Hilda! ❤️
LikeLiked by 1 person
March 29, 2016 at 12:22 pm
That is so nice to hear coming from you, Sonal.
LikeLiked by 1 person
March 29, 2016 at 4:39 pm
😘❤️
LikeLike
March 27, 2016 at 10:48 pm
This is really beautiful! May have to put homemade paneer on my to-do list. So inspired!
LikeLiked by 1 person
March 29, 2016 at 10:36 am
Looks awesome Hilda 🙂 I love Paneer Tikka anytime 🙂
LikeLike
March 29, 2016 at 12:37 pm
Thanks CH.
LikeLike
March 29, 2016 at 11:17 am
What a wonderful paneer dish you’ve created Hilda. Wow! I’m so impressed. Love the idea that you baked the paneer in the oven, and that gravy looks absolutely spot on! 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
March 29, 2016 at 12:21 pm
Thanks Loretta. I was thinking that if anyone wanted a saucier sauce, a little cream added at the end wouldn’t hurt.
LikeLike
March 29, 2016 at 4:27 pm
Awesome.. You made home made paneer and loved the fact broiled it. Its a perfect summer barbeque recipe. Zucchini, red bell peppers and paneer yum yum yum. Never tried sumac powder. Read about it and it seems interesting. Should give it a try.
LikeLike
March 29, 2016 at 8:19 pm
Thanks for dropping by and for commenting. One thing I love about Indian cuisine is that it can be flexible, and I can use some of my local foragings without harming the essential ingredients. I use sumac in just about everything – dressings, with bread an butter, and of course sauces. I hope you have the opportunity to give it a try some time.
LikeLike
March 30, 2016 at 4:17 am
Wow!! That looks delicious. So happy to see you trying out Indian!! I would love a plate of that right now.
LikeLike
March 31, 2016 at 10:27 am
superb recipe…my hubby is a big time paneer fan….would love to make this for him…
LikeLiked by 1 person
March 31, 2016 at 12:08 pm
Thanks. I hope he likes it.
LikeLiked by 1 person
March 31, 2016 at 9:41 pm
Wow amaxing Hilda. .. looks so delightful. ..
LikeLike
March 31, 2016 at 10:41 pm
Thanks, Chitra.
LikeLike
April 1, 2016 at 3:16 am
Hilda, I love Indian food, and this is a very delectable dish. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
April 6, 2016 at 7:25 am
Fantastic home-made dish! Yummm!
LikeLike
April 9, 2016 at 9:12 pm
I had paneer tikka for the first time at a restaurant in London and it was love at first bite.
I have never cooked it and your version looks so good. I will give it a go myself, I do prefer paneer meat! 🙂
LikeLike
September 24, 2018 at 8:27 am
Definitely it looks delicious and amazing. I bought an ready to cook homemade paneer from store since I could not make it by myself. The process to make paneer tikka is quite impressive and I literally enjoyed having it.
LikeLiked by 1 person
September 24, 2018 at 1:12 pm
Thanks. I’m glad you liked it.
LikeLike