WOYP Day # 52 Paneer Tikka (in oven)

Paneer Tikka is a popular appetizer in Indian restaurants, often made in a large Tandoor, which is traditionally a clay oven.  A Tandoor has very high temperatures going up to almost 900 F. The intense heat, comes from a coal fire which is at the bottom. This heats the wall and insides of the oven, allowing food to cook evenly and faster too. An array of foods are cooked in the Tandoor - indian breads like Naan, Roti, a variety of tikkas including Paneer and veggies and a large variety of meats. The clay oven and coal impart a signature smoky flavor to foods cooked in the Tandoor. 

Paneer Tikka cooked in the Tandoor is done using long metal skewers. Cooking in a Tandoor is an art in itself and often there is an assigned chef or cook who is solely responsible for handling Tandoor dishes in restaurants. 

To recreate the same dish at home, neither do we have ovens that go up to 900 F nor is it feasible to have a coal fire all the time (unless you have an outdoor coal grill). So the closest in taste is baking the Paneer and veggies first and then broiling them to give them a char. 

Paneer Tikka:
You will need:

200 gms Paneer, cut into large cubes
Oil 2-3 tbsp
1/2 cup cubed Green bell pepper
1/2 cup cubed Red bell pepper
1/2 cup cubed Yellow bell pepper
1/2 cup cubed Onion

1 tsp Chaat masala
Mint chutney
Thinly sliced onions to serve

Marinade:

1/2 cup Plain yoghurt
1 tbsp Coriander powder
2 tsp Cumin powder
1 tsp Red chili powder
1/2 tsp Chaat masala
1/4 tsp Turmeric
3/4 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Kasuthi Methi (crushed)

Wooden or Metal Skewers
Foil lined baking sheet

In a medium bowl whisk together the marinade ingredients. Add the cubed paneer, bell pepper and onion. Combine well to coat evenly. Set aside for 2-3 hours or for at least an hour.

Preheat oven to 425 F.

Lightly oil a foil lined baking sheet. Skewer the paneer, bell pepper and onions alternately on the wooden or metal skewer. Place on the oiled baking sheet. Brush more oil on the paneer and veggies. 

Bake for 6 minutes and then place under broiler for 2-3 minutes. This will char the veggies and Paneer. 

Remove from the oven and rest for 3-4 minutes before lifting the skewers off the pan. If you try to remove them right out of the oven the Paneer will rip off the skewer. 


Gently slide veggies and Paneer off the skewers. Sprinkle chaat masala on top and serve with Mint chutney and thinly sliced onions. 

 Savor the soft & spicy Paneer with the crunchy broiled veggies. Yum! :)

WOYP Day #31 Sesame Scallion Fried Rice with Chili Garlic Paneer

I often make Indo-chinese food at home. We enjoy mildly seasoned simple Fried rice to full on spicy versions like this Thai Basil Fried Rice and I’m constantly looking for ways to change things up with the humble fried rice. This is a mildly seasoned version amped with the nuttiness of the sesame oil which also adds a slight hint of heat. Paired with pungent scallions, it made it a little more than simple fried rice. We had it with Chili Garlic Paneer which I intentionally made spicy so it made a good combination. 

I use Brown sugar and like how it cuts the acidity and adds a mellow after taste which makes everything more yum :D Its totally optional and can be left out. 

 
Sesame Scallion Fried Rice
You will need:
1 cup Jasmine Rice or any long grained rice like Basmati
2 tbsp Vegetable oil
1 tbsp Hot Sesame oil
2 tsp Garlic, minced
1/2 cup finely chopped Onions
1/2 cup finely chopped Green bell pepper
1/2 cup finely chopped Carrots
1/2 cup finely chopped Cabbage
1/4 cup chopped scallions (Spring onions)
Salt to taste
1/2 tsp Black Pepper powder
1 tsp White Vinegar
2 tsp Soya sauce
2 tsp Brown sugar

Cook rice as per package instructions. Spread on a plate and allow to cool. 

Heat vegetable oil and sesame oil in a wok. Add the minced garlic and sauce for a few seconds until fragrant. Add the chopped carrots and bell peppers and stir fry until done. Now add the onions and lastly the cabbage. Saute until done. Season with salt and pepper. Save a tablespoon of scallions and add the remaining. Add the cooled rice and combine with the veggies. Drizzle the vinegar, soya sauce and add the brown sugar. Combine well and cook for a few minutes on low heat until the rice is heated through, 2-3 minutes. Adjust seasoning if needed. Top with the saved scallions and serve.

Chili Garlic Paneer: 

 
You will need:

1 cup cubed Paneer
1/2 cup cubed Green bell pepper
1/2 cup cubed Red onion
6 cloves Garlic, chopped
2 tsp Sambal (adjust to taste)
Salt to taste
2 tsp Brown sugar
2 tbsp chopped Scallions
1 tbsp Vegetable oil
Water as needed.

Whisk together:
2 tbsp Ketchup
2 tsp Soya sauce
1 tsp Sriracha
1 tbsp Cornstarch

Heat oil in pan. Add the chopped and cook until fragrant, taking care not to brown it. Add the cubed bell peppers and onions. Cook for a minute until 3/4th done. Add the whisked sauce and 1/2 cup water. Combine and add more water to make a thick sauce.Stir in the cubed Paneer.  Bring to a simmering boil. Lastly stir in the sambal and turn off heat. Top with chopped scallions and serve.

WOYP Day #26 - Paneer Wraps

These healthy whole-wheat Paneer wraps are packed with flavor and are very easy to make. Was initially planning to use all-purpose flour to make kathi- like rolls and decided wheat flour would make a lighter roll and guilt free indulgence. 

You will need:

For the wraps:
2 cups Whole wheat flour
1 tsp Salt
1 tbsp oil
1.5-2 cups Warm water

For the filling:

Marinade Ingredients:
200 gms Paneer
1/4 cup yoghurt
1 tbsp Besan (gram flour)
2 tsp Ginger Garlic paste
2 tsp Coriander powder
1 tsp Cumin powder
1/2 tsp Chaat masala
1 tsp Red chili powder
1/4 tsp Turmeric
A large pinch Kasuthi methi
Salt to taste

Oil as needed
Thinly sliced onions
Thinly sliced green bell pepper
Mint chutney as needed
1 tsp Chaat masala
Plain ketchup or Spicy masala ketchup

In a medium bowl, combine the wheat flour, salt and oil. Slowly add water little at a time until everything comes together into a soft dough. It should not be sticky. Knead until smooth. Cover and set aside.

Prepare the marinade for the Paneer. Cut the Paneer into medium cubes. Whisk the yoghurt and the rest of the marinade ingredients. Add the cubed Paneer and mix gently.  Set aside for 15-20 minutes. 

Heat a pan with a tablespoon of oil. Add the cubed paneer, in a single layer and fry for a minute on each side until browned. Remove Paneer onto a plate and cook the remaining in batches.

Make the wraps - knead the dough and divide into 8 balls. Heat a pan on medium. Roll into thin rounds and toast on the pan. Cook for 30 seconds on one side and then flip to the other side. Cook for 30 seconds more. Remove from heat and apply butter on both sides.

To assemble - Spread a teaspoon of ketchup or masala chili ketchup evenly on the wrap. Place 4-5 pieces of Paneer in the centre lengthwise. Top with a few thinly sliced bell peppers and onions. Drizzle little mint chutney and a generous pinch of Chaat masala on top.

Starting from one end and roll the wrap tightly. Serve warm. 

These are good to carry on picnics or on a long journey for a quick lunch. Pack in foil or parchment paper and seal the ends, and it’s good to go!

What's on Your Plate? Day #12 Paneer Pataka Pizza

My boys and I love Pizzas and much that I like how luxurious Pizzas feel in the US (I don't think anyone has described Pizzas this way! :D) I still miss the Pizzas back home in India. The spicy flavors,topping options and the lack of loads of cheese (haha!) kinda make it special. One such is the Paneer Pataka Pizza. "Pataka" meaning fire cracker essentially relating to the 'burst' of flavors in this Pizza. The bonus with this recipe is the dough is home-made and its made with whole wheat flour so the Pizza is light, yet flavorful and makes for guilt free indulgence. 

For the Pizza dough:
You will need:

1 1/4 cups wheat flour
1 tsp Active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water + 1/4 cup water
1 tsp Sugar
1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp salt

Combine yeast and sugar in 1/4 cup warm water. Make sure it is good yeast (not expired or old). Set aside for 10 minutes. The yeast will proof and foam up. That is a good sign of active yeast.

In a medium bowl, whisk the proofed yeast, salt and olive oil. Add the wheat flour to it and 1/4 cup water, combine to form a soft dough. Transfer dough to countertop and knead for a minute or two until the dough is soft, smooth and pliable. Place in a lightly oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Allow to rise for 1.5-2 hours in a warm place.

Toppings:

Paneer Marinade:

1/2 cup small cubed Paneer
 2 tbsp plain yoghurt
1/2 tsp Kashmiri red chili powder
1/2 tsp Cumin powder
1 tsp Coriander powder
1/4 tsp Crushed Kasuthi methi
1/4 tsp Chaat masala
1/4 tsp Turmeric
1/2 tsp Salt

Combine the above ingredients and set aside for 30 minutes.

Pizza sauce ( marinara and tomato ketchup combined)
3/4 cup mozzarella cheese, grated
1/2 onion thinly sliced
Red/green bell peppers cut into small pieces
Red chili flakes
1/2 tsp oregano
1/4 cup canned yellow corn, drained
Olive oil as needed

Few tablespoons Semolina

Large baking sheet

Assembly: 

 

Preheat oven to 400F or 200C. 

After dough has doubled in size, punch it lightly to release air bubbles if any. Divide the dough into 4. Roll one into a thin circle and crimp the edges all around to form the side of the crust. Poke the dough in several places with a fork in several places. This is called docking the dough,it prevents the dough from puffing up while baking.

Sprinkle Semolina (Rava) on a large baking sheet. Semolina prevents the dough from sticking to the pan and also helps in yielding a crispier crust. Transfer rolled dough onto the baking sheet and then add toppings. Don’t forget this step since its a mess trying to move an assembled pizza. 

Drizzle some olive oil on the pizza base and spread evenly with the back of a spoon or a pastry brush. Add about 2-3 tablespoons of pizza sauce. Top with grated mozzarella. Add the toppings and arrange as needed - bell peppers, onions, corn and a few pieces of the marinated Paneer.  Top with more cheese and sprinkle a pinch of Oregano and chili flakes to taste.

Bake for 16-18 minutes until cheese has melted and the base is done.

Slice and serve!!

Semolina Loaf & Grilled Paneer Sandwiches

Writing on here after a long time and it feels good to be back! I hadn't stopped cooking or baking :D but my cake business has taken flight over the years which demands a lot of my time and attention. And of course my 2 cherubs are no longer cherubs but budding schoolers who keep me busy when they are home. Life is busy but plenty of fun.

In between all the madness I got a chance to bake this gorgeous Semolina loaf, made using fine Indian semolina, also called Sooji/Suji. The texture is smooth and tastes scrumptious! Nothing beats the smell of freshly baked bread and this loaf lasted about a day and half before it was all gone. I made Grilled Paneer Tikka sandwiches for lunch and everyone loved it. My older son who is not too keen on Paneer, gobbled it all up because the bread tasted so good.

Semolina comes in 3 forms, coarse, fine and very fine. Coarse semolina is used to make puddings, porridges and of course the popular South Indian breakfast Upma/Kharabath, Kesaribath & Rave rotti. I use Fine Semolina to make the outer layer for Karagadabu, Obattu (Pooran Poli). It is also used in breads, by itself or combined with Bread flour. Very fine semolina or durum flour is best in baked goods and yields a fine texture.

I'm sharing the recipe for both the Semolina bread and Grilled Paneer tikka sandwiches.

Note: If you have access to Semolina flour, do use that. I used the measured quantity of fine semolina, pulsed it a few times in the blender and then proceeded with the recipe. Plan ahead and give yourself enough time since the dough has to rise twice, once after kneading and second time after shaping the loaf.

Semolina Bread: 

Yields: One 8" loaf

Time: 8-12 minutes to need, 1.5-2 hours 1st proof, 1.5-2 hours 2nd Proof, 35-40 minutes Baking 

Ingredients: 

1.5 cups Water,tepid  (70-78F)  

1 teaspoon Instant yeast

3 1/4 cups Fine Semolina flour (or fine semolina, see note above)

1 tablespoon Granulated white sugar 

1/4 cup Extra-virgin Olive Oil 

1 1/2 teaspoons Salt

Method: 

Pour the tepid water into a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer.  Add the yeast, sugar, flour, olive oil and salt. Combine with a rubber spatula until a rough dough forms. 

Kneading:  

By hand: turn out dough onto a lightly dusted countertop(dust with semolina flour) Knead by hand lightly until the dough is smooth, shiny and elastic, about 10-12 minutes. 

By Machine: Using the dough hook on your mixer, knead on medium speed (I used speed 4 on my Kitchen Aid) until dough is smooth, shiny and elastic. About 8 minutes. 

Once kneaded, transfer dough to a lightly oiled bowl. Cover and let rise until doubled, took about an hour and 45 minutes in my kitchen. 

Grease a loaf pan (8.5" x 4') with oil. Transfer dough onto a lightly dusted countertop and using your hand, shape the dough into a rectangle. The width of the dough should be around the size of your loaf pan. Now starting from one end, roll the dough tightly. Pinch the seams and place in greased loaf fan. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and allow to proof until the dough rises just above the rim of the pan, about 1.5-2 hours.

Preheat the oven to 375 F. Place loaf on the middle rack and bake for 35-40 minutes or until loaf pulls away from the sides of the pan. The top will be a nice even brown color. 

Remove loaf from the oven once done. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, remove and place on a cooling rack until completely cool. Loosely cover the top with a piece of aluminium foil if you want a softer crust. Slice bread once its completely cool. Store in an air-tight container or resealable plastic bag.

Grilled Paneer Tikka Sandwiches:

Serves: 6

Ingredients: 

1 cup Paneer, cubed

1/2 cup Green bell pepper, cubed

1 onion, cubed

1 Tomato, cubed

1/2 cup Thick yoghurt (curd)

1 tbsp Cooking oil (Olive oil/Vegetable oil)  

1 teaspoon Red chilli powder

2 teaspoons Corriander powder

1 teaspoon Cumin powder

1/2 tsp Amchur powder

1 tsp Garam masala

1 tbsp Cilantro, chopped

Salt to taste

12 slices Semolina bread

Mint chutney 

Mozzarella cheese, grated (optional)

Softened butter 

In a large bowl, combine the yoghurt, the spices, salt to taste. Whisk until smooth. Now add the cubed paneer, bell pepper, onions and tomato. Set aside for 10 minutes. 

Heat a wide pan, add the marinated paneer and saute for 6-8 minutes on medium heat. Stir often to prevent burning. Taste & adjust seasonings. Turn off heat and add cilantro. Cool slightly. 

Heat a grill pan on medium heat. Take 2 slices of Bread, butter one side and apply mint chutney on the buttered side. Spread a layer of the Paneer Tikka masala, top with grated cheese. 

Place the other slice on top. Spread butter on the top slice and careful flip the sandwich (butter side down) onto the heated grill pan. Using a spatula compress the sandwich, cook for 1-2 minutes until the bottom is crisp and has grill marks on it. Apply butter on the top and flip to grill the other side. 

Remove from heat, slice into triangles and serve hot with ketchup. 

These were sooo delicious, I'm glad I made a big batch of the Paneer Tikka. I see more sandwiches for lunch or dinner in the future :D If you try it, let me know!

Potato Paneer Tikkis I How to make Aloo Paneer Tikkis

Paneer is a very versatile and tasty ingredient vastly used in Indian cooking. I love Paneer and the creamy deliciousness it brings to any dish. I use them in curries, in biryanis, in sweets and now even in appetizers. You can make your own Paneer, its easy or you can use store-bought Paneer.

Either way you will have one piping hot tikki to wow your taste buds!

You will need:

Makes: 15-18 small tikkis

2 large potatoes

1 ½  cups grated Paneer

1 tbsp Corriander powder

½ tbsp Cumin powder

1 tsp Chaat masala

¼ tsp Amchur powder (dried mango powder)

½ tsp Salt (adjust to taste)

½ tsp Black pepper powder

2 tbsp Corn starch (corn flour)

3 tbsp finely chopped cilantro

Vegetable or Canola Oil for shallow frying

Cover potatoes with cold water in a large pan and set on medium high heat. Cook until fork tender – meaning a fork goes into it easily without much effort. Do not over cook them. Remove from heat, drain the water and cool completely. 

Peel and grate them into a large bowl. I prefer to grate the potatoes than mash them, it doesn’t affect the texture of the tikki as such its just my personal preference. You can mash it too.

Add the grated paneer and all the ingredients listed above except the oil. Taste to check for seasonings and adjust accordingly. Combine well and form into patties. At this point you can chill the patties for an hour or two before you cook them or you can shallow fry them right away.

Heat a wide non-stick skillet on medium heat. Pour about 3 tbsp of oil. Place 4-5 patties at a time and allow to brown and crisp up. Cook for about 2 minutes on each side and remove on paper towels to drain excess oil.

Serve hot or warm with mint chutney or ketchup. These are finger licking good so be sure to make plenty, they go fast!!