Hariyali Paneer Tikka
Paneer cubes or fingers marinated in a curd, coriander, mint, lemon, green chilli, and chaat masala mix before being grilled on a pan. Crisp on the outside and soft on the inside, this tangy and spicy Hariyali Paneer Tikka is an absolute delight as a starter.
Equipment
- Bowl
- Soup Strainer
- Grilling Pan or Non-stick Tava
- Spatula
- Grinder
Ingredients
- 200 gms Paneer or Cottage Cheese
- 1/4 Packed Cups Fresh Coriander
- 1 tbsp Fresh Mint
- 1-2 Green Chillies
- 1/2 tsp Grated Ginger
- 1 Garlic Cloves
- 3 tbsp Curd or Yogurt
- 1 tsp optional Besan or Gram Flour
- 1 tsp Chaat Masala
- 1.5 tbsp Lemon Juice
- 1 Pinch Turmeric
- Salt to Taste
- Ghee or Oil for Pan Grilling
Instructions
Making the Hung Curd
- Spoon 3 tbsp curd into a soup strainer or a tea strainer and let the whey drain for about 10 mins. I got about 1.5 tbsp of hung curd.
Alternative to Hung Curd
- Quickly drain what water you can from the curd and then add 1/4 to 1/2 tsp of besan to the curd.
Making the Marinade
- Grind 1/4 cup fresh coriander, 1 tbsp mint, 1 green chilli, 1/2 tsp ginger, 1 clove of garlic,and 1.5 tbsp of lemon juice to a smooth paste. If you do need to add some water, add as little as possible.
- Mix together the green paste, 1 tsp chaat masala, hung curd, and a pinch of turmeric. The marinade should be thick in consistency. I did not add any salt because the chaat masala is quite salty.
- If the marinade is thin or runny, add just a little besan and mix till it in. Beware of adding too much besan because then the marinade will taste of besan.
Making the Hariyali Paneer Tikka
- Cut the paneer into 1" cubes or then into fingers about 1" wide and 2" long like I did.
- Add the paneer pieces to the marinade and mix well till all paneer pieces are well coated with the marinade.
- Set aside for 30 mins. I sometimes marinate the pieces for about 1 hour. I think they taste tangier that way. :)
- Over medium flame, heat a non-stick pan or a tava.
- Grease the tava with a few drops of ghee or oil. I used ghee as it lends a wonderful flavour to the Hariyali Paneer Tikka.
- Place the marinated paneer pieces on the pan and cook till the side touching the pan is golden brown. Grill in batches so as not to crowd the pan.
- Flip the pieces over and grill the other side.
- Serve the Hariyali Paneer Tikka warm as a starter.
Notes
Ways to Use the Leftover Marinade
I mixed about 1/3 cup thinly sliced onion with the leftover marinade and served this onion with the Hariyali Paneer Tikka.
You can also lightly pan-fry the marinade-coated onion and then serve it with the grilled paneer.
You can add 1 cup chopped mushrooms or bell peppers to the marinade, and then grill those. :)
I mixed about 1/3 cup thinly sliced onion with the leftover marinade and served this onion with the Hariyali Paneer Tikka.
You can also lightly pan-fry the marinade-coated onion and then serve it with the grilled paneer.
You can add 1 cup chopped mushrooms or bell peppers to the marinade, and then grill those. :)
Nutrition
Calories: 96 kcalCarbohydrates: 7 gProtein: 9 gFat: 4 gSaturated Fat: 2 gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1 gMonounsaturated Fat: 1 gCholesterol: 14 mgSodium: 498 mgPotassium: 139 mgFiber: 1 gSugar: 4 gVitamin A: 196 IUVitamin C: 6 mgCalcium: 87 mgIron: 1 mg