Paneer skewers stuffed with mint and coriander chutney recipe
These grilled, stuffed paneer skewers are the perfect example of how a little char here and there can enhance your meals – even if they're meatless. From the pages of Maunika Gowardhan's latest cookbook, Tandoori Home Cooking, this spicy recipe will bring the heat of tandoori-style cooking into your own kitchen, with no tandoor oven required.
The chewy texture of paneer – a type of milk curd cheese commonly used in Indian cuisine – means it can absorb all sorts of delicious marinades and spices wonderfully. You'll be blown away by the depth of flavour you can achieve by slathering some tangy chutney onto two slices, and grilling it until it's charred and melty.
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Ingredients
- 500 g paneer
- 1 knob butter, melted
- 1 pinch chaat masala, to garnish
- 80 g mint leaves
- 20 g coriander, leaves and stems
- 2 limes, juiced
- 1 pinch salt
- 5 tbsp Greek yogurt
- 2 tbsp chickpea (gram) flour
- 2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
- 1 x 2cm thumb ginger, roughly chopped
- 2 green bird’s-eye chillies
- 1 pinch salt, to taste
Details
- Cuisine: Indian
- Recipe Type: Vegetarian
- Difficulty: Easy
- Preparation Time: 20 mins
- Cooking Time: 15 mins
- Serves: 4
Step-by-step
- Trim the edges from all sides of the block of paneer to neaten. Set aside the trimmings to add to the stuffing mixture.
- Cut the paneer into 4 equal pieces, then halve them lengthways. Set aside while you make the stuffing and marinade.
- To make the stuffing, put all the ingredients in a blender and blend to a smooth paste. The paste needs to be thick enough to stuff the paneer – so only if absolutely necessary, add 1 tablespoon of water.
- Crush or grate the paneer trimmings, add them to the stuffing and mix well.
- Spread 1 teaspoon of the mint stuffing between two layers of paneer to make a little sandwich. Set aside.
- Leave the remaining stuffing in the blender, add the Greek yogurt, chickpea flour, garlic, ginger and green chillies, and season to taste. Blend to a smooth marinade, then transfer to a large bowl.
- Heat the grill (broiler) to a high heat. Line a baking tray with foil and place a wire rack over the tray.
- Submerge the paneer sandwiches in the yogurt marinade until well coated, then place them on the wire rack. If the sandwiches come apart and the filling does not stay in place, secure them with wooden skewers or toothpicks.
- Grill on high heat for 6 minutes. Turn the paneer sandwiches over, baste with melted butter, and grill for a further 6 minutes until charred around the edges and cooked all the way through. Finish with a pinch of chaat masala.
- Serve warm with salad, and a chutney of your choice.
Recipe adapted from Tandoori Home Cooking by Maunika Gowardhan (Hardie Grant, £25). Photography by Issy Croker.
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