Paneer Tikka in Oven | Paneer Starters

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After I tried Paneer tikka(stove top method) for Paneer tikka masala I wanted to try the same in oven too as the smoky flavour was missing in stove top method. As I said earlier, stove top method of paneer tikka works best for paneer tikka masala. I referred the recipe book that came with my OTG (guess it was the first time I dusted out the manual ;)) and am totally satisfied with the results.

Paneer Tikka in Oven Recipe:

Makes 3 paneer tikka skewers

Ingredients:

• Onion - 1 cubed
• Capsicum - 1 cubed
• Tomato - 1 chopped into squares

For the marination:

• Paneer -15 medium cubes
• Hung Curd - 3 tbsp
• Chilli powder - 1 tsp
• Turmeric powder - a pinch
• Garam masala powder - 1/2 tsp
• Tandoori masala / Chat Masala powder - 1/2 tsp (optional)
• Lemon juice - 1 tsp
• Pepper powder
• Ginger garlic paste - 1/2 tbsp
• Oil - 1 tbsp

How to make hung curd:

Hang 1/4 cup curd in a muslin cloth)or any thin cloth) for an hour to make the required hung curd.

Method:

Chop capsicum, tomato and onion into medium sized squares just enough to insert into skewers. Cube the paneer and make it ready. Now mix the ingredients listed under 'for the marination' and keep aside.

Now mix paneer with the marinated ingredients and keep refrigerated for an hr. Then take it out and insert the paneer,capsicum, tomato and onion in skewers alternatively. Arrange the remaining paneer pieces on the tray itself. Brush with oil on top.

Preheat the oven at 210 deg C and arrange the paneer tikkas in the baking tray and grill the paneer tikkas for 15-18mins turning over the skewers in between for even cooking. Your paneer tikkas are ready, serve hot with green chutney and raw onions.

My Notes:

• You can even marinate capsicum,onion and tomato with the marination ingredients or just insert them raw. I usually do the paneer marination first then use the left over marination curd mix for onion-tomato-capsicum.
• You can also arrange the paneer tikkas straight on the wire rack itself but be careful with the temperature (if you are using this method) as the tikkas are exposed to the flame directly.
• You can skip tomatoes and use different color capsicums too.
• My oven has maximum temperature of 250 deg C but I was adviced by the demo person not to use the maximum temperature even if the recipe calls for it. So I lowered the temperature and grilled for an extra 5mins, the outcome was good. In microwave, you can grill it for 13-15 mins.
• Make sure the paneer pieces are firm enough to insert else it will break in between. I used Hatsun paneer which works best, milky mist is good too.

To me what I made was paneer tikka as I havent tasted paneer tikka outside though have tasted paneer tikka masala many times. So when I asked hubby regarding the taste, he said it tastes better than restaurants and that was a huge compliment for a first timer.....Yipeee!! :)