What is Paneer Tikka Masala?

Paneer tikka masala is a North Indian dish of grilled paneer (Indian cheese) served in a spicy gravy known as Tikka masala. It is a vegetarian version of the world famous Chicken tikka masala. Cooking paneer tikka masala involves 2 main parts. First one is to marinate and grill the paneer tikka and second one is to make the masala gravy. Traditionally tikkas are grilled in a Tandoor, a cylindrical clay oven which cooks the foods with the heat generated by wood fire. This method of cooking imparts a delicious smoky flavor to the grilled foods. Indian homes do not have Tandoors so these are limited to restaurants, dhabas and eateries. Indians love the tandoori dishes for their unique flavor and these are the most ordered in any Indian restaurant. However we can make most of these at home, actually with better results. Since we don’t have tandoor at home, we grill the tikkas either on a griddle/tawa or in the oven or in air fryer.

My Recipe

Making paneer tikka masala is easy but it is not a fast recipe because it takes some time for you to marinate and grill the paneer. Next make the gravy and then finish the dish. If you are an experienced cook and can multi-task between the grilling and making the tikka masala you will finish the dish fast. But if you are a newbie you can make the gravy ahead and refrigerate. Simply grill the tikkas & reheat the tikka masala on the day you intend to serve it. This recipe is vegetarian and gluten-free. To make it vegan you can substitute paneer with tofu and use any vegan yogurt. You may also skip the cream and use more cashews or almonds to compensate for the creaminess. For a nut-free option, you can leave out the cashews completely but you will miss the creamy texture in your tikka masala. So the better option is to substitute cashews with more heavy cream as mentioned in the recipe notes. In India a lot of people use poppy seeds or magaz seeds as a substitute for cashews you may try that as well. More Paneer recipesPaneer butter masalaPaneer MakhaniMatar paneerPalak paneerKadai paneerMalai koftaChilli paneer

How to Make Paneer Tikka Masala (Stepwise Photos)

Preparation

Marinade

  1. To a mixing bowl, add the following ingredients:

½ cup greek yogurt (hung curd, refer notes)1 teaspoon ginger garlic paste¼ to ½ teaspoon red chili powder½ teaspoon garam masala1/8 teaspoon turmeric¼ teaspoon kasuri methi1 teaspoon oil ¼ teaspoon salt1 teaspoon lemon juice (optional)

  1. Use thick yogurt or hung curd here. If you only have homemade yogurt, then add 1 cup homemade yogurt to a thin muslin or cheese cloth. Squeeze off the excess whey and hang it for few hours. Mix everything well. The consistency of the marinade has to be thick as seen in the picture below. (I forgot to add ginger garlic at step 1 so added it here.)
  2. Add cubed paneer to the prepared marinade. Optional – Dice half small onion to 4 pieces & separate the layers. Dice half small bell pepper as well. Make sure the size of onion and bell pepper are almost the same as paneer. Crunchy onions and bell peppers impart a great texture and aroma to the final dish.
  3. Mix everything well. Rest aside in the fridge until the tikka masala gravy is ready.

Make gravy

  1. Add 1 tbsp oil to a pan. Next add 1 cup chopped onions and saute them until transparent or light golden. Then add 1½ cup chopped tomatoes and 14 cashews. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon sugar, ¼ teaspoon salt and roast all of these until mushy and soft. You can also cover and cook.
  2. Then add all the spice powders mentioned below

1/8 teaspoon turmeric¾ to 1 teaspoon garam masala ¾ to 1 teaspoon red chilli powder

  1. Saute for 1 to 2 minutes until it turns aromatic. Turn off the stove, when you begin to get a nice smell of the masala.
  2. Cool this completely and add to a blender jar. Pour ¾ cup water. To cut down the cooling time, you can also pour ice cold water to the jar and then add the mixture. But ensure it is not hot.
  3. Blend it to a puree. If you prefer a smooth curry, pass it through a sieve/ filter.

Make Paneer Tikka Masala Gravy

  1. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a pan. Optional – You can add any whole spices if you have – 2 cardamom, 1 small cinnamon piece or even 2 cloves.
  2. When the spices begin to sizzle, add 1½ teaspoon ginger garlic paste. Saute on a low heat for 1 to 2 minutes, until it turns aromatic & the raw smell goes off.
  3. Pour the onion tomato puree to the pan. Be careful it will begin to splash out of the pan, you can partially cover and cook. To adjust the color you can add more red chilli powder at this stage. I did not use more.
  4. Pour ½ to ¾ cup water to bring to a desired consistency. Mix everything well and cook on a low flame until the sauce simmers well and thickens.
  5. When the gravy is done, it turns thick & you will see some specks of oil separating on top of the gravy. Add kasuri methi (optional). Continue to cook for another minute. Taste test and add more salt if needed. Set this aside.

Grill paneer

  1. You can grill the paneer while your gravy is simmering. Option 1 – For the paneer tikka on stovetop : Heat 1 tsp oil in a wide pan on a medium high flame, place the paneer cubes coated with the marinade in the pan.
  2. Flip them to the other side and cook on a high flame till all the marinade dries up and the paneer turn golden. This takes only 2 to 3 mins. Set aside. Do not over fry them, as the paneer turns hard. Optional if using veggies – In the same pan, Coat the veggies with the marinade and place them on the griddle. Cook till the marinade dries up. The veggies should look partially charred. Do not overdo else they lose the crunch.
  3. Option 2 – If you have an air fryer you can also grill these in the air fryer at 390 F or 200 C for 5 mins. Brush them with the leftover marinade and then air fry for another 2 mins. The timings vary if lesser skewers are placed. Reduce the total time to 5 mins for 3 to 4 skewers. Also space them apart slightly so they don’t stick.
  4. Option 3 – To grill tikka in oven, put them on to skewers alternately paneer, onion and capsicum. Bake in a preheated oven at 430 F or 220 C for 8 to 10 minutes. you may need to adjust the timing as needed. It depends on the size of cubes and oven too.
  5. You may need to flip the skewer and then grill again if your oven does not have a fan.
  6. Add the grilled tikkas to the gravy. Gently mix. Make sure the gravy is thickened before adding paneer.
  7. Pour 3 tablespoons cream and stir. Garnish with fresh chopped coriander leaves and slit green chilies. Serve paneer tikka masala hot with butter naan, roti, plain paratha or jeera rice.

Dungar (Smoking The Dish)

To give a smoky flavor to the dish try following this dhungar method using charcoal. Please note that it could be dangerous doing on a gas stove. I suggest doing it out of the kitchen, using another source like a large candle.

Place a steel bowl in your curry so it is not immersed in the curry.Burn a small piece of natural wood charcoal over direct fire holding it with a tong until red hot. Make sure it burns well so that it can release the smoke. Take it away from the candle – place it inside the bowl. Add 1/2 tsp ghee or oil. Immediately it begins to emit smoke. Make sure charcoal is not touching the food. Cover the pan with a lid immediately. Leave it for 5 to 6 minutes. This infuses a smoky flavor to your dish.

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