Paneer Tikka Masala

Paneer Tikka Masala, a creamy, rich, mildly spiced curry, and delicious in every bite. This is a very popular North Indian dish that has taken a permanent place in every Indian restaurant’s menu. And, after Kadai Paneer, I am sure this is the second most favorite and ordered dish in restaurants.

Paneer Tikka is very famous as an appetizer too. Marinated Paneer and the veggies can be grilled, baked in the oven, or can be pan-fried too. I have shared oven baked Paneer Tikka recipe earlier. You might want to check that out. 🙂 Bake the Paneer Tikka in the oven, prepare the tikka masala curry and drop the baked paneer and veggies.

Staying away from your family and the country/ place where you have grown up brings its own challenges. You have to manage everything on its own, and if you are married only you two are there for each other to support one another. It becomes even more difficult when you do not have any friends around. All the people I know here, they have kids and hence they are always busy managing them in all get-togethers, which makes us feel left out most of the time. 😦  Although, when I and the husband are together, we do not need anyone to have fun. But, when there is any special occasion, we really do miss being with our families and friends. It was Raksha Bandhan a few days back, the only day when siblings don’t fight with each other. 😛 After he tied his Rakhi, we talked with our siblings. And do you know the best part about Indian festivals? You get to eat varieties of delicious food. 😀 As it was just we two here, I decided to treat the husband with some delicious food.

I already marinate Paneer and soaked chickpeas a night before, so my work was half done. For better result, let the marinated paneer and the veggies sit in the refrigerator overnight. As I was busy enjoying my tea, he did the chopping part and later I cooked Chole, Paneer Tikka Masala, and prepared Boondi Raita for the lunch. We set the lunch table, played a Bollywood film on the Netflix and enjoyed the heavenly delicious meal. A typical of our kind of day.

Do not ask me for the recipe of Naan, as it was store bought. 😀

I am sharing a little tip with you all which might just turn right for you too. Everybody likes a smooth curry where the spices don’t come in every bite while eating the food. For that, we prefer using ground spices and paste of onion-tomato. Though I never recommend using the paste of raw onion-tomato for any curry, somehow I never get the right taste with it and it takes a lot of time to cook. Try doing it this way, half fry the onion and tomato together or until the tomatoes are a bit mushy and then grind them to a smooth paste. Use them in your curries and you will feel the difference. The curry will be more delicious and texture too will be better.

Pair it up with Butter Naan, Jeera Rice, or any other Indian flatbread, raita, some onion rings, and a toasted papad. Have a nap after the meal. Life is GOOD! 😀 As the festive season is approaching soon, do try this delicious Paneer Tikka Masala recipe and let me know how it turned out for you.

Serves 4-5

Ingredients:

For Paneer Tikka

• 14oz Paneer, cubed
• 1 Green bell pepper, cubed
• 1 Red bell pepper, cubed
• 1 Small red onion, cubed
• 1/3 Cup thick curd
• 1 Tbsp tandoori masala
• 1 Tbsp ginger-garlic paste
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1 Tsp Kashmiri red chili powder
• 1 Tsp red chili powder
• 1 Tsp mustard oil
• Required salt

For Tikka Masala

• 1 ½ Cup red onion, finely chopped
• 1 Cup tomato, roughly chopped
• 8-10 Cashew nuts
• 2 Garlic Cloves
• ½-inch ginger
• 2 Whole dry red chilies
• 1 Bay leaf
• 1-inch cinnamon sticks
• 1 Black cardamom
• 1 Tsp cumin seeds
• 2 Tsp coriander powder
• 1 ½ Tsp tandoori masala or garam masala
• 1 Tsp red chili powder
• ½ Tsp turmeric powder
• ¼ Cup half & half
• 1 Tsp dried Kasuri methi
• 2 Tbsp ghee or butter + 1tbsp ghee
• Required salt

Learn Step By Step Recipe With Pictures For Paneer Tikka Masala

Step 1- In a large mixing bowl, take all the marination ingredients except paneer and veggies, mix well using a spoon. Add paneer and cubed veggies and marinate. Cover the bowl and keep overnight in the refrigerator for better results

Step 2- Next day, take out the marinated paneer and veggies from the refrigerator. Heat oil in a skillet pan, shallow fry the paneer on medium flame until golden brown from both the sides and transfer to a plate. Shallow fry the marinated veggies on high flame for 1-2mins and remove to a plate

Step 3- Heat 2tbsp in a deep bottomed pan. Add the chopped onion, tomato, cashew nuts, garlic cloves, ginger, cumin seeds, black cardamom, cinnamon stick, bay leaf, and dry red chilies. Cook for 5mins on medium flame. Transfer to a grinder jar and grind until a smooth paste. In the same pan, heat 1tbsp ghee and pour the prepared paste

Step 4- Turn the flame to medium-low, add the ground spices and required salt. Cover and cook for 5mins on medium-low flame. Add 1 cup of warm water and cook for another 4mins with the lid covered

Step 5- Turn the flame to high, add half & half and cook for 2-3mins. Turn off the flame and add Kasuri methi, shallow fried paneer, and veggies. Give it a nice mix and leave for 10mins before serving. Serve with butter naan or any Indian flatbread