Haryali Paneer Tikka

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Haryali Paneer Tikka

Haryali Paneer Tikka is a delicious recipe of paneer, green peppers and onions marinated in spiced coriander, mint and yoghurt marinate and either grilled in the oven, tandoor or BBQ.

The word ‘hariyali’ means ‘greenery’ in Hindi language. The marinade is prepared using coriander and mint which lends a green colour to the tikkas hence the name ‘Hariyali’. ‘Tikka’ means anything that is marinated and then baked or grilled at high temperature.

Hariyali Paneer Tikka is quite a simple recipe as the most efforts are in making the marinate. This recipe is definitely high up on my BBQ list as it can hold its place amid all the chicken and meat tikka/kebabs clamouring for attention. Hariyali Paneer Tikka turns out great no matter how you cook it – in a hot oven, an outdoor grill, or in a frying pan!

Other recipes you might like to try are Tandoori Paneer Tikka, Tandoori Broccoli, Malai Broccoli, Ajwain Fish Tikka, Tandoori Soya Chaap, Tandoori Mushroom Tikka, Hariyali Chicken Tikka and Tandoori Chicken.

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Ingredients

For Marinade
1 cup plain yogurt
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon red chilli powder
1 teaspoon paneer tikka masala
1 teaspoon dry fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi)
1 tablespoon gram flour
1 tablespoon mustard oil
2 teaspoons green chilli ginger paste
1 teaspoon lime juice
1 cup coriander leaves
1 cup mint leaves
500 grams diced paneer cubes
1 cup diced green pepper
1 cup diced onions

Other Ingredients
Butter for greasing baking tray
1 teaspoon chaat masala
Juice of 1 lemon

Directions

Step-1

To prepare the marinade, place a strainer on a bowl and pour the yogurt into it. Keep this in the fridge or a cool place for 1-2 hours and let all the water drain out. You will be left with thick, hung yogurt in the cloth. 1 cup of yogurt will give ½ cup of thick yogurt. Empty the thick hung yogurt in a bowl.

Step-2

Add salt, red chilli powder, paneer tikka masala, kasuri methi, mustard oil, lime juice, ginger green chilli paste to the hung yogurt and whisk it to form a smooth consistency marinade.

Step-3

Grind the coriander leaves and mint leaves to a smooth paste and add it to the hung yogurt marinade. Whisk once again to form a smooth consistency marinade.

Step-4

Add the paneer, onions and peppers to the prepared marinade and mix to coat the paneer and vegetables. Cover and set aside for at least 3-4 hours or overnight.

Step-5

Skewer paneer cubes alternating with onions, peppers. This should make about 8-10 skewers.

Pre-heat the grill to 220 C/200 Fan /Gas mark 7. Place the skewers on a roasting tray lined with greased parchment paper and grill for 15 minutes, turning once halfway. Grill them until golden and crisp.

Sprinkle chaat masala and lemon juice.

Enjoy with onion salad, lime and green chutney.

Tips & Variations

Make sure the paneer you are using is firm and not crumbly.
You can use Greek yogurt if you are short of time to make hung yogurt.
You can use mustard oil, vegetable oil or olive oil for the marinate.
Marinate the paneer, peppers and onions for a minimum of 3-4 hours to give the ingredients time to get acquainted. If you have time, you can pop the marinated paneer in the fridge the night before. Be sure to keep it covered in the fridge. The longer the paneer is marinated, the better flavours get infused into the paneer hence this recipe needs a bit of planning.
If the paneer you have bought looks hard (sometimes the paneer bought outside India can be like hard cheese) then boil the paneer in boiling water to soften it up for 2-3 minutes before the first marinade.
If you are using wooden/bamboo skewers, then soak them in water preferably overnight or for at least 2-3 hours. This will stop them burning during the cooking process.
If you have marinated the paneer overnight in fridge, then bring it to room temperature before you skewer or else the paneer will break.
Most restaurants add green food colour to their marinade for the iconic and eye-popping green colour. I prefer not to use food colouring but if you want the iconic green colour then you can add a pinch of food colouring in the marinade.
Taste the marinade before adding the paneer to adjust the seasoning. The marinade should taste lightly spicy when tasted on its own. Paneer and vegetables will bring the heat down when mixed with marinate.
You can brush the paneer cubes with some oil while cooking to avoid them from becoming dry.
Do not overcook the paneer as they then become rubbery, dry and hard. The paneer should be soft, well-cooked but also succulent.
To panfry the Hariyali Paneer Tikka heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a frying pan/griddle pan and place the skewers in the oil. As one side gets browned, turn the skewers to cook and brown the paneer from all the sides.
For an outdoor grill- brush the skewers with some oil and place them directly on a hot grill for 2-3 minutes. Flip and repeat.