India's flagship vegetarian kebab: cubes of fresh paneer cheese and peppers coated in spiced, gram-flour-thickened yogurt and charred in the tandoor. The cheese does not melt, so it takes on smoke while staying firm and creamy inside.
Also known as: panir tikka, paneer tika, paneer tikka kebab, पनीर टिक्का
Ingredients
- 400 g paneer, 3 cm cubes
- 150 g thick yogurt (hung curd)
- 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
- 2 tsp Kashmiri chili powder, 1 tsp garam masala
- 1 tsp ajwain (carom seeds), half tsp turmeric
- 1 tbsp mustard oil, juice of half a lemon, salt
- 1 green bell pepper and 1 red onion, in squares
How to make it
- 1
Whisk yogurt with all the spices, mustard oil, lemon and salt into a clinging marinade.
- 2
Fold in paneer, pepper and onion; marinate 1 h (no longer than 4 — paneer softens).
- 3
Thread alternating paneer and vegetables onto skewers.
- 4
Grill or broil at high heat 8-10 min, turning once, until the edges blacken in spots.
- 5
Finish with lemon, chaat masala and mint chutney.
Pro tip: Hung curd is non-negotiable: watery yogurt slides off and steams the paneer. Hang regular yogurt in a cloth for 30 min if you cannot buy it thick.
The story of Paneer Tikka
Paneer tikka is India's flagship vegetarian kebab and a genuine equal on a tandoori menu rather than a concession. Cubes of fresh paneer and peppers are coated in spiced, gram-flour-thickened yoghurt and charred in the tandoor, and the cheese does not melt — it takes on smoke while staying firm and creamy inside.
That non-melting property is what makes the dish possible. Paneer is an acid-set cheese with no rennet, and acid-set curds do not flow when heated the way rennet cheeses do. It is a piece of dairy chemistry that Indian cooking exploited centuries before anyone described it, and it is the reason there is no European equivalent of this dish.
The technique that defines it
The marinade must be thick enough to armour the cubes, and gram flour (besan) is what does it. Raw besan tastes chalky, so it is dry-roasted first until it smells nutty, then stirred into hung yoghurt with the spices. The result coats the paneer in a layer that chars rather than sliding off.
Paneer needs less time than meat and suffers badly from more. Six or seven minutes at high heat is enough to blister the coating; beyond that the cheese tightens and turns squeaky and rubbery. Peppers and onion on the same skewer are traditional here, unusually, because their timing happens to match.
Choosing your ingredients
Fresh, soft paneer rather than the hard vacuum-packed blocks, which turn rubbery. If only firm paneer is available, soaking the cubes in warm salted water for twenty minutes before marinating softens them noticeably. Cut into generous three-centimetre cubes; small ones dry out.
Hung yoghurt, roasted besan, Kashmiri chilli, garam masala, ginger-garlic, ajwain (carom seed) and a little mustard oil. Kasuri methi crushed in at the end. Bell peppers in three colours if you want the restaurant look, plus onion petals.
Mistakes that ruin it
Raw gram flour
It tastes chalky. Dry-roast the besan until it smells nutty before adding it to the yoghurt.
Overcooking
Paneer goes rubbery and squeaky past about seven minutes at high heat. Pull it as soon as the coating blisters.
Hard packaged paneer straight from the block
Soak it in warm salted water for twenty minutes first, or it will be tough no matter what.
Thin marinade
It slides off and burns on the tray. The besan is there to thicken it into a coating.
How it is served
With mint chutney, onion rings with chaat masala and lemon, and naan or as part of a starter platter. A squeeze of lemon at the table is essential against the richness. It is one of the few tandoori dishes that is genuinely as good at home as in a restaurant.
Questions about Paneer Tikka
Why does paneer not melt?
It is an acid-set cheese made without rennet, and acid-set curds hold their shape when heated rather than flowing. That is what makes paneer tikka possible.
Why is my paneer rubbery?
Either it was overcooked — more than about seven minutes at high heat — or it was hard packaged paneer that was not soaked in warm salted water first.
What does gram flour do in the marinade?
It thickens the yoghurt into a coating that clings to the cheese and chars. Roast it dry first or it tastes chalky.
Can I make paneer tikka in an oven?
Yes — highest heat with the grill element on, on a rack over a tray, six or seven minutes, turning once.
