Paneer Tikka - Oven roasted Cottage cheese with onions and bell peppers

When guests come over,we often wonder what type of snacks to serve.All those chips and salads are boring.This is when the tiny portions called appetizers come to our rescue.All these little starters are always a hit in any party.

Cheese and crackers have become common and Paneer has a very unique taste which makes it delicious to eat it with or without cooking.This is a healthier version of appetizer as it doesn't involve frying.

In this recipe , Paneer is baked / grilled inside the oven.You get a crispy outer layer and moist chewy layer inside.If you do not have an oven, you can follow these steps and fry them in oil for about 2-3 mins on each side.

 Paneer or Indian cottage cheese is really easy to make and they are insanely delicious.You can buy them in blocks in any Indian store or you can make it at home.


To prepare paneer, 

• Boil  milk for about 5-6 mins.
• Add some lemon juice while they are hot.
• The milk will start curdling.
• The curds are drained in muslin or cheesecloth and the excess water is pressed out. 
• The paneer is then  placed in cold water for about an hour to get the right texture.
• They are then pressed in a container to get the desired shape and then cut into pieces.

( Freshly cut paneer )

In this recipe, I have used the store bought Paneer.The milk used is the full fat milk.

Preparation time : 10 min

Marination time : 30 min to 1 hr

Cooking time : 10-12 min

Makes : 30 - 35 pieces

Ingredients

• Indian Cottage Cheese / paneer - 200 gms
• Onion - 1 large
• Green bell pepper - 1 large
• Oil - 1/2 tblsp

For the marinade

• 1 cup fresh thick yogurt 
• Ginger garlic paste - 2 tblsp
• Red chili powder - 1 tblsp or more if you want it spicy
• Coriander powder - 1/2 tblsp
• Cumin powder - 1/4 tblsp
• Kastoori methi / dried fenugreek leaves - 1 tblsp
• Turmeric powder - 1/4 tblsp
• Garam masala - 1 tblsp
• Salt - 1/2 tblsp or as required.

( Spices used for the marinade )

Method

Place the paneer on a paper towel and squeeze all the excess water.Cut the paneer into small cubes as shown in the picture.

( Paneer cut into cubes )

Cut the onion and bell peppers into thin cubes approximately the size of paneer cubes.

Take the large bowl and whisk the yogurt until no lumps are formed.Add all the rest of the ingredients mentioned above for the marinade and mix well .

(Spices mixed in yogurt )

Now add the paneer,onions and bell peppers into the yogurt mixture and gently toss them so that each piece is well coated with the yogurt mixture.Let them marinade for about an hour or more in the fridge so that the paneer absorbs all the flavors.

( Paneer,onion,bell pepper marinated in a spicy yogurt mixture )

Take a toothpick and arrange the paneer,onion and bell pepper .Repeat the same for all the remaining pieces.

Pre-heat your oven to 300 F or 150 C .Arrange a aluminium foil or any baking tray.Spray lightly using a cooking spray or add the 1/2 tblsp of oil.Arrange the toothpicks leaving a gap in between.

( Paneer grilled in an oven )

Bake them for 10 -12 mins until they are crisp on both sides.Using the oven mitts take the foil/tray out carefully and let it rest for 2 mins.Then gently remove the toothpicks from the foil.

If you do not have an oven, you can fry them in oil for about 2-3 mins on each side.

( Grilled paneer served as appetizer )

Serve hot as an appetizer.Do let me know how it turns out :)

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