Hariyali Paneer Tikka

Hariyali paneer tikka is the perfect vegetarian appetizer for your spring or summer parties. The cheese just melts in your mouth and the onions and green peppers give that perfect crunch and bite. This recipe can be made in a frypan, oven, or grill.

Course Appetizer

Cuisine Indian

Keyword hariyali paneer tikka, pudina paneer tikka, vegetarian appetizer

Prep Time 35

Cook Time 10

Total Time 45

Servings skewers

Calories 175kcal

Author Saima Zaidi

Equipment

Blender
A Pyrex bowl for marination
Wooden or metal skewers
Frypan or oven or grill

Ingredients

1 tablespoon mustard oil
12 ounces paneer Indian cottage cheese
1 tbsp besan chickpea flour
1 red onion medium-sized
1 green pepper
2 cups cilantro leaves
2 cups mint leaves
4 tbsp Greek yogurt
2 tablespoon ginger root peeled and chopped roughly
4 big garlic cloves peeled and chopped roughly
4 Thai green chillies
1 teaspoon lemon juice
½ teaspoon garam masala powder
1 tsp chaat masala powder
1 tsp salt

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preparation

Take the mustard oil in a small frypan and heat it until the oil stars smoking. As it smokes, it will also change colour and become a lighter shade of yellow. Take it off the heat and allow it to cool down.
Put the paneer block in hot water for 15 minutes. Discard the water and cut the paneer into small cubes.
Take the chickpea flour in a small frypan and dry roast it on medium heat until it becomes fragrant and turns light brown in color.
Cut the onions into quarters, then separate the petals. Cut the green pepper into small cubes.
Soak the wooden skewers in water for 15 minutes.

Make the marinade

Put the cilantro and mint leaves in a blender. Add the yogurt, ginger, garlic, and green chillies. Blend until you get a thick chutney.
Add the smoked mustard oil, roasted chickpea flour, lemon juice, garam masala, chaat masala, and salt. Whisk to get a smooth marinade.

Marinate the paneer and veggies

Toss the paneer cubes, onion and green pepper in the marinade, and using a spoon or your hands, make sure that all the pieces are well-coated with the marinade.

Prepare the skewers

Put the paneer, onion, and green pepper cubes on the wooden skewers and brush a little oil on them.

Cook the paneer (Choose one method)

Oven: Grease a baking tray and place the skewers on the tray, a little apart from each other. Bake at 450 degrees Fahrenheit for about 10-12 minutes. If you want a char, switch to the broil setting on your oven (high) and allow the skewers to remain in the oven for 2-3 minutes more. As soon as you see the edges charring, remove the tray from the oven and serve hot.
Stovetop: Heat a tablespoon of cooking oil in a frypan and place the skewers in the hot oil. As one side gets browned, turn the skewers so that the other side also gets browned. Do this until all the sides are cooked.
Grill: Brush the skewers with cooking oil and place them directly on a hot grill for 2-3 minutes. Flip and repeat.

Notes

Do use mustard oil in this recipe as it really does make a difference. The paneer tastes better and the texture becomes softer.
If you decide to make your own paneer, there's no need to soak it.
While cooking the tikkas, don't cook the paneer too long, especially when pan-frying. It dries out and becomes hard and chewy. The heat has to be medium-high so that the cheese gets charred quickly.
I used green peppers in this recipe, but go ahead and make your skewers more colorful by using different coloured peppers, and even tomatoes if you want to.

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