Paneer is one of those ingredients that I can use in anything, gravies, tacos, bhurjis and tikkas. This Kesari paneer tikka is unlike any other paneer tikka you’ve had. Cubes of paneer, onion and bell peppers, marinated with fragrant saffron and cashews and then roasted in the oven to perfection.
Traditionally paneer tikka is grilled in a tandoor but when done right you can get the same amazing taste in the oven too! The ingredients in this dish are simple so the kesar (saffron) can shine. The marinade comes together with the cashew paste (in place of the traditional yogurt), saffron milk, Shan ginger garlic paste, crushed cardamom, cloves and black pepper.
This recipe is in partnership with Shan Foods Global featuring their ginger garlic paste. All opinions expressed are my own.
Kesari Paneer Tikka
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
This Kesari paneer tikka is unlike any other paneer tikka you’ve had. Cubes of paneer, onion and bell peppers, marinated with fragrant saffron and cashews and then roasted in the oven to perfection.
Author: Nisha Vedi Pawar
Cuisine: Indian
Serves: 3-4
Ingredients
- 2 heaped cups of one inch paneer cubes
- 1 tablespoon ginger-garlic paste
- 2 tablespoon raw cashews
- 1 tablespoon neutral oil
- 3 tablespoon milk
- 10-15 saffron strands
- 1 teaspoon cardamom seeds
- 1 bay leaf
- ½ teaspoon whole black peppercorns
- ½ inch cinnamon stick
- 1 green chili, slit
- 1 large onion, cut into 1 inch cubes
- 1 large bell pepper, cut into 1 inch cubes, I used mix of red, green and yellow
- 1 teaspoon salt, adjust to taste
- lemon or lime wedges to serve
- cilantro for garnish
Method
- Heat the milk until hot. Add saffron to hot milk and let bloom for 10-15 minutes.
- In a spice grinder or food processor, mix cashews, cardamom seeds, black peppercorns, bay leaf, cinnamon stick until powdered.
- Add the powdered cashew mix, saffron milk, salt, oil, ginger garlic paste and mix well. This should be a wet loose paste, if it seems too thick, add a tablespoon of water.
- Add in paneer cubes, onion and bell peppers and slit chili, mix until all the paneer pieces and veggies are well coated with the marinade.
- Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least an hour. You can marinate this overnight as well if needed.
- Once marinated, remove from refrigerator and skewer the paneer, onion and peppers, alternating with each other.
- Pre-heat oven to 450 F degrees.
- Arrange the prepared skewers on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Bake at 450 F degrees for 8 minutes, rotate and then broil for 3 minutes until paneer pieces look little charred.
- Remove from oven, squeeze lemon juice, sprinkle cilantro and serve hot.
Notes
**For nut allergies substitute the cashews for 1½ tablespoon of roasted besan (gram flour that has been dry sautéed)
Enjoy,
