Paneer tikka

Ingredients

• 5 oz paneer (cut into roughly 1 in/2.5cm cubes)
• 1/2 onion
• 1/2 pepper (red, green or a mix of both)
• 1/4 cup Greek yogurt
• 1 tsp garlic (crushed/finely grated )
• 1 tsp ginger (finely grated)
• 1/2 tsp kashmiri chili (or sweet paprika for non-spicy)
• 1/2 tsp ground coriander
• 1/2 tsp garam masala
• 1/2 tsp chaat masala
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp turmeric
• 1/4 tsp ajwain (carom seeds, ground - optional)
• 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1/2 tbsp oil (mustard oil, if possible, otherwise vegetable oil)
• some avocado/vegetable oil spray for cooking

Instructions

1. 1

   Cut the paneer into even-sized cubes, around 1 in/2.5cm thick each way (or slightly bigger). Cut the onion and pepper into pieces roughly the same size.

2. 2

   Mix together all of the marinade ingredients - yogurt, spices, lemon juice and oil - in a medium bowl. Add the onion and pepper chunks and mix everything together. Add the cubes of paneer and carefully toss them with everything else so that all of the pieces are coated with the marinade. Spread it over the sides as needed to help them be coated relatively evenly.

3. 3

   Cover the bowl and refrigerate for around an hour, or a little longer. Meanwhile, if using wooden skewers, soak them for at least 10 minutes to help avoid them burning during cooking.

4. 4

   After marinading, thread the onion, pepper and paneer pieces onto skewers, alternating the paneer with vegetable slices in between. Leave a slight gap between all the pieces to help them cook evenly and take care not to break the paneer.

5. 5

   Preheat either a grill or the broiler (overhead grill) in the oven to a relatively high heat. Cook the skewers for around 3 - 4 minutes on each side until the marinade dries into a slight crust and gently chars. Take care not to over-cook.

6. 6

   You can serve with a little lemon and additional sprinkle of chaat masala on the side and green chutney (cilantro mint chutney) for dipping.