Fried and grilled
Paneer tikka
Cubes of paneer marinated in spiced yoghurt and roasted on skewers in a tandoor with onion and pepper.
Paneer tikka is cubes of paneer marinated in yoghurt with chilli, garam masala, ginger and garlic, threaded on skewers with onion and capsicum, and roasted in a tandoor until charred at the edges. It is served with green chutney and lemon as a starter, a snack or a party dish across India.
What goes in
- Paneer640%, Large cubes.
- Hung yoghurt320%, The marinade.
- Onion and capsicum320%, On the skewers.
- Spices17%, Chilli, garam masala, ajwain.
- Ginger-garlic paste and lemon17%, Sharpness.
- Mustard oil17%, Pungency.
Rough parts by weight. The ring shows each ingredient's share of the dish.
Made step by step
Each drawing shows the operation for that step. Quantities and timings differ from house to house; this is one traditional way, in outline.
Step 1: Rest Hang yoghurt in muslin to thicken it. Step 2: Knead Mix the yoghurt with spices, ginger-garlic paste, lemon and oil. Step 3: Rest Coat the paneer and vegetables and marinate for an hour or more. Step 4: Fill Thread onto skewers, alternating paneer and vegetables. Step 5: Bake Roast in a tandoor or under a hot grill until charred at the edges. Step 6: Serve Serve with green chutney, onion rings and lemon. Finished Paneer tikka, by share.
The vegetarian tikka
Tikka means pieces, and the dish is the vegetarian counterpart of chicken tikka from the tandoor kitchens of Punjab and Delhi. It became popular in restaurants in the later twentieth century, especially at weddings and parties where vegetarian guests needed a centrepiece. Paneer suits the tandoor because it browns but does not melt or fall apart.
Marinade
The marinade is thick yoghurt, often hung to remove whey, with red chilli powder, turmeric, garam masala, ajwain, ginger, garlic, lemon juice and a little mustard oil. Some cooks add gram flour to help it cling. Paneer tikka masala, a curry, simmers the roasted pieces in a tomato gravy. At home the skewers are cooked under a grill or in a hot pan.
Where it is used
The cheeses in it
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Sources and further reading
Original text and drawings by the EveryCheese desk, written with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. The shares are a rough, illustrative ratio, not a recipe: every family and kitchen makes it differently. If we have something wrong, tell us.
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Paneer: Sonja Pauen - Stanhopea, CC BY 2.0 de, source