Smoked Tandoori Paneer Tikka Recipe
Paneer is everyone's favourite and tandoori version of it will surely satisfy your taste buds. Do give this recipe a try for your next house party.
The Tandoori Paneer Tikka Recipe is a quintessential dish of the North Indian cuisine. Paneer or Indian Cottage cheese is flavored with a variety of spices and called by its many names like Malai Paneer Tikka, Hariyali Paneer Tikka, Tandoori Paneer Tikka, Nawabi Paneer Tikka and many more names.
With subtle color variations the above recipes are prepared in a similar way. Each chef and each region of North India brings out his or own flavors into this dish. Smoked Paneer Tikka is something I learnt many years ago from a Marwari friend, who uses the Coal Smoking Method to get the Tandoori flavor to many dishes.
Serve the Smoked Tandoori Paneer Tikka Recipe as a Party Appetizer with your meal of Dal Makhani, Paneer Butter Masala, Jeera Rice and Phulka.
If you are looking for more Appetizer Recipes, here are some:
10 M
45 M
55 M
4 Servings
Ingredients
- 300 grams Paneer (Homemade Cottage Cheese) , cut into cubes,about 1-½ inch in size
- 1 cup Pickled onions
- Oil , for tossing
- 2 Coal , for coal smoking method Ingredients To Be Mixed Into A Marinade
- 1 cup Hung Curd (Greek Yogurt)
- 3 tablespoons Gram flour (besan)
- 6 Mint Leaves (Pudina)
- 3 cloves Garlic
- 1 inch Ginger
- 1 teaspoon Fennel seeds (Saunf) , roasted ground to powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Ajwain (Carom seeds)
- 2 Saffron strands
- 1/2 teaspoon Cumin powder (Jeera)
- 1/2 teaspoon Coriander Powder (Dhania)
- 3/4 teaspoon Black pepper powder
- 3/4 teaspoon Turmeric powder (Haldi)
- 1/4 teaspoon Black Salt (Kala Namak)
- Salt , to taste
How to make Smoked Tandoori Paneer Tikka Recipe
To begin making the Smoked Tandoori Paneer Tikka Recipe, In a bowl, combine yogurt and gram flour making a smooth paste. Using a pestle and mortar, pound the ginger, garlic, and mint leaves to make a coarse paste.
Add in the fennel seeds and ajwain and pound until blended. Add this to the yogurt mixture. Add in the remaining marinade ingredients into the yogurt mixture and stir to combine well.
Place the paneer cubes in a large bowl, add in the marinade and allow it to rest covered for about half an hour to one hour or even overnight. While the paneer marination is close to over, we will now prepare for the coal smoking method.
Take a piece or two of coal (about 3 inches big) and hold it over a gas flame with the help of tongs. The coal will begin to turn red hot and also grey in about 5 minutes.
This indicates that the coal can be used for smoking. Place this hot coal inside a crack proof bowl. At this point heat a large wok or a skillet with rim that can be covered on medium heat.
Add a little oil and place a few pieces of marinated paneer along with a little of the marinade.
If you have a stove top grill or a skillet, then arrange the paneer pieces and pour a little of the marinade over each of them. Place the coal along with the bowl over the paneer.
Add a spoon of ghee or oil on the coal. It will begin to smoke. Immediately cover the pan and reduce the heat to low and let it sit for about a minute until the smoke has gone away. Open the lid and remove the coal cup.
You dish will get a smoked flavored paneer that taste just like the Tandoori Paneer Tikkas. Serve the Smoked Tandoori Paneer Tikka Recipe as a Party Appetizer with your meal of Dal Makhani, Paneer Butter Masala, Jeera Rice and Phulka.
How to make pickled onions:
