Achari Paneer Tikka

Achari Paneer tikka is a delicious starter made with paneer (Indian Cottage Cheese) marinated in an achari (Pickle spices) marinade. The soft and juicy morsels of paneer coated with spicy and tangy masala is a delight to eat. Here is how to make it.

Achari Paneer Tikka is a kind of finger-licking starter which none of us can resist! Healthy to be eaten as a snack or an appetizer, it is just ideal for rendezvous or get-togethers.

For preparing this Paneer Tikka, firstly the paneer pieces are marinated for some time and then they are nicely grilled till they turn golden brown.

This achari paneer tikka recipe is so quick to prepare and make, that you would often find yourself including it in your barbecue menu! I have this habit of keeping ingredients ready well in advance.

So, when I have to prepare the actual dish, things become way simpler and sorted. I did the same while making this at home.

Ingredients

How to make Achari Masala at home?

Making this tangy Achari Masala is super easy and you need a few basic ingredients to make it. Check out my detailed post about achari masala here. In the meanwhile, here is a quick recipe to make it.

INGREDIENTS

• Dry red chilies- 16-18
• Coriander seeds – 2 tablespoon
• Onion seeds / Kalonji – 2 teaspoon
• Fennel seeds / Saunf – 6 tablespoon
• Mustard seeds / Rai – 6 tablespoon
• Fenugreek / Methi seeds – 2 teaspoon
• Cumin seeds – 6 tablespoon
• Salt – 4 tablespoon
• Turmeric powder – 2 tablespoon
• Asafoetida / Heeng – 1 teaspoon
• Dry mango powder  /Amchoor – 4 teaspoon

INSTRUCTIONS

• Dry roast dry red chilies, coriander seeds, onion seeds, fennel seeds, mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds and cumin till slightly browned and fragrant.
• Cool for 5 minutes.
• Blend in a blender with rest of the ingredients to make a coarse powder.
• Store in an airtight container for up to a month in a cool and dry place or refrigerate it for about 2 months.
• You can add this powder in curries, dal and can make various starters.

How to make it in oven?

To make it in an oven, pre heat the oven to 180 degrees C. Line a baking tray with aluminium foil.

Thread the marinated paneer on the skewers and arrange them on the tray. Spray or brush with oil and grill for 15-20 minutes.

Turn them over and grill for another 10 minutes. At the end, you may want to bump the heat for 5 minutes and get the tikka slightly blackened.

How to make it on tava?

To make paneer tikka on tava, heat a grill tava or a regular one and brush it with oil. Arrange the skewers on hot tava and cook on medium heat for 10 minutes on each side.

Then bump the heat to high and cook for 2 minutes on each sides until paneer is slightly blackened.

Pro Tips by Neha

Use best quality paneer to make Paneer Tikka. It will make a lot of difference.

Marinate the paneer in the marinade for at least 30 minutes.

Cook the tikka on medium low heat first so that the marinate is nicely cooked and then increase the heat and cook until it is blackened slightly on the crust.

Use hung curd only for the marinade. If the curd is not thick, it will not stick to the paneer and the taste will be compromised.

You can skip adding achari masala and just go ahead with rest of the ingredients to make regular paneer tikka. Add red chilli powder according to your taste.

Achari Masala was ready before hand. All I had to do was add this delicious Achari Masala to the marinade and Paneer Tikka got all set to get grilled!

Process

To make this delicious paneer tikka starter, first the achari masala is to be made by dry roasting all the seeds till it’s browned and gives out a lovely aroma, then all the ingredients are blended to make a course powder.

Next, all the spices and other ingredients are added so that it gives the paneer a lovely flavour, to this the paneer cubes are added and allowed to marinade.

Once the paneer tikkas has been marinated well, it’s grilled on an grill pan till it’s nicely browned on all sides. This dish tastes great with a refreshing mint yogurt dip.

If you are a big fan of mangoes like me then you may prepare Mango Mint Paneer Tikka during summer.

Its basic recipe remains same as Achari Paneer Tikka. Achari Masala used for making these tikkas completely transforms the dishes without any effort and makes them more lip-smacking.

A spoonful of Achari Masala can create magic, you see! Almost same as Paneer Tikka, Achari Paneer Tikka yet tastes more heavenly.

Without any further adieu, note down the recipe and generously serve this appetizer to your family members:

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Hara Bhara Kabab

Aloo Tikki

Achari Gobhi

Rajma Masala

Step by Step Recipe

Add Achari Masala, hung curd, ginger garlic paste, garam masala, lemon juice, 2 tablespoon mustard oil and Kashmiri red chili powder in a bowl and mix well.

Add in the paneer cubes and capsicum and coat the paneer nicely in the marinade. Cover the bowl and keep aside for at least 1 hour.

Thread the marinated paneer and capsicum pieces in wooden skewers.

Heat a grill pan and apply little oil on the pan. Grill the paneer skewers from both the sides applying little oil till nicely browned.

Serve hot with mint yogurt dip.