Marinated Paneer (Tikka Style)

 

Paneer Tikka

 

Serves 4

Ingredients:-
1 packet of store bought Paneer (375g) – cut into 1.5inch cubes
1 cup of thick yogurt (drain the water by keeping the yogurt in a sieve for a little while)
1 tbsp Tandoori masala
1 tsp garam masala
Salt and black pepper to taste
2 tbsp Kasoori Methi / Dried Fenugreek leaves (roughly crush them by hand, to separate the thick dried stem bits, if any!)
Red chilli powder (optional and to taste)
2 Finely chopped Green chillis / or green chilli paste (see recipe under spice mixes)
1 tbsp ginger paste 
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 green peppers, cubed into 1.5 inch pieces
2 tbsp olive oil
2 red onions, cubed to match the size of the peppers and paneer

Method:-

1.  First prepare the marinate, by combining all the spices into the yogurt, then add the lemon juice and olive oil.

2. Blend the marinate together and pour into a large zip lock bag.

3. First add the Paneer to the marinate, mix together and then add the peppers and the onions to the bag too.

4. Zip up the bag and place in fridge for at least over night, but preferably for 24 hours.

5. Pour the contents of the bag into a large bowl, roughly mix together using your hands, but be very careful as the paneer will be very delicate and all plumped up by the marinate.

6. Either use a skewer and grill the vegetables on a BBQ or on an indoor grill.

7. I could not find any bamboo skewers at home when I made these, so I used a non-stick griddle pan that I lightly sprayed with oil and cooked them for a couple of minutes on each side, and browned the peppers and onions without letting them lose their crunch.

Paneer Tikka

Serve with a spicy mint chutney, or coriander chutney or even tamarind chutney.

Variation for kids –  I made a toasted sandwich out of these and used a Ranch dressing for my 7 year old and he adored the sandwich!

Spicy Patties / Burgers / Kebabs

I make these Patties and freeze them, uncooked, and use them as and when I need them. Freeze them with parchment paper or greaseproof paper between the patties to stop them from sticking.

Can be made with Beef, Lamb, Chicken or Pork – lean, ground meat.

Ingredients

1 lb / around 500g lean, ground meat; 1 egg; 1/2 tsp salt (to taste); 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (to taste); 3 finely chopped green chillies (to taste/ optional); 1 tbsp dried fenugreek leaves; 1 tbsp chopped coriander leaves; 1 tbsp ginger paste; 1.5tbsp chick pea flour / besan; 2 tbsp dried breadcrumbs; 1 tsp garam masala; 1 tsp cumin powder

Method:-

1. Put all the ingredients together into one bowl (see above picture); except the bread crumbs. Mix them all together and once it is thoroughly mixed, add the breadcrumbs and blend together again, using your hands. The mixture should look like this:-

2.  Using an icecream scoop, measure out the patties. Dip your hands in cold water and mould the patties into burger shapes (or even meatballs or long sausage like kebabs if you prefer).

3. Using greaseproof paper or parchment paper, cut into appropriate size squares, pile up the burgers and then put them in a freezer bag, before popping them into the freezer.

4. Cook from frozen and grill them, or cook them in the oven at 395F until cooked through or even cook them on a griddle pan.

These will last 3 months in the freezer, but they never last that long !

Serve with:-

Chutneys, salads or in a Burger bun!