Tikka paneer with coriander and mint chutney recipe
Paneer is a non-melting Indian cheese that’s great for taking on flavours and cooking over a high heat, so these juicy paneer kebabs bursting with punchy Indian spices are perfect for a summer barbecue – or can be cooked in the oven when the weather isn't so nice. You can make them vegan by swapping the paneer for tofu and using dairy-free yogurt.
Tip: if using wooden skewers, be sure to soak them beforehand, so they don't burn on the barbecue.
Ingredients
For the tikka paneer- 1 tbsp gram (chickpea) flour
- 1 tbsp oil, plus extra for drizzling
- 2 tbsp tikka masala paste
- 1 tsp (heaped) Kashmiri chilli powder
- 1 x quarter tsp ground turmeric
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 x 3cm/1inch piece of fresh root ginger, peeled and grated
- 180 g Greek yogurt
- 0.5 lemon, for squeezing
- 1 red onion, peeled and cut into 3cm/1inch chunks
- 1 x 500g/18oz block paneer, cut into 3cm/1inch pieces
- 2 red peppers, de-seeded and cut into 3cm/1inch chunks
- 1 tsp chaat masala (optional)
- 1 pinch sea salt
- 1 bunch of coriander (cilantro), leaves picked (about 20g/1oz)
- 1 handful mint leaves
- 1 –2 green chillies, de-seeded and chopped
- 1 x 2cm/0.5inch piece of fresh root ginger, peeled and chopped
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 pinch salt
- 2 tbsp Greek yogurt
Details
- Cuisine: Indian
- Recipe Type: Paneer
- Difficulty: Easy
- Preparation Time: 15 mins
- Cooking Time: 25 mins
- Serves: 8
Step-by-step
- In a dry frying pan over a medium heat, toast the gram flour until lightly toasted and golden. Set aside to cool.
- In a bowl, whisk together the oil, tikka masala paste, chilli powder, turmeric, garlic, ginger, cooled gram flour and ½ teaspoon salt. Add the yoghurt and a good squeeze of lemon juice and mix well to form a wet paste consistency.
- Separate the red onion chunks into individual leaves. Add the paneer, peppers and onion pieces to the paste and toss to coat. Leave to marinate for at least 30 minutes, or longer if you have the time.
- To make the chutney, put the coriander and mint in a food processor with 1 tablespoon of water and blitz until well chopped.
- Add the chillies, ginger, lemon juice, sugar, salt and yoghurt and pulse until you get a green sauce. Put into a small bowl and chill until needed.
- Preheat the oven to 220°C/200°C fan/425°F/gas mark 7 (or preheat the barbecue to medium-high).
- Skewer the paneer, peppers and onions onto 8 skewers, alternating as you go.
- Drizzle or spray the skewers with a little oil and place on a wire rack above a baking tray. Bake in the hot oven for 12–15 minutes or until golden, turning once. You can char further under a hot grill if you like. If cooking on the barbecue or in a chargrill pan, cook on a lightly oiled grill/griddle for 8–10 minutes, turning and basting occasionally.
- Serve the kebabs sprinkled with chaat masala (if using).
This recipe is from Ainsley's Good Mood Food by Ainsley Harriott (Ebury Press, £20). Photography by Dan Jones.
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