Tandoori Paneer (Indian Cheese)
Tandoori Paneer
This dish is usually served as a starter and consists of bite size squares of Paneer (Indian cheese). It is marinated in delicious spices and cooked in a tandoor oven, it is an easy dish to make. In the pictures here, I have used a ready-made block of Paneer. Home made Paneer is softer.
Serves 4
Ingredients
- 250 gm. Paneer. You can buy ready-made from Indian grocers
- 1/2 inch piece of ginger, peeled
- 2-3 garlic cloves peeled
- Juice of 1/2 lemon
- 1/2 tsp. Garam Masala
- Salt to taste
- 1 tsp. cumin (jeera) seeds or carom (ajwain) seeds.
- 2 tbsp. oil
- Optional:
- 2 green chillies, thinly sliced
- A few very finely chopped coriander leaves
- To serve:
- Lettuce or red onion, thinly shredded.
Instructions
- Cut the cheese block into slices and then into small cubes or squares or fingers.
- Grind together ginger, garlic, and green chillies if used, with the lemon juice. Make it into a fine paste.
- Add garam masala, salt and cumin/carom seeds and oil.
- Add cheese pieces to the paste and marinate overnight, or at least for a few hours, in a fridge.
- Place on a baking dish lined with aluminium foil (it cuts down washing up!)
- Bake in a very hot oven 240°C for 10 minutes or so. It cooks very quickly so keep an eye on it. Paneer is done when it is sizzling and the edges begin to look slightly burnt/brown, like they
- have been barbecued. You may need to turn it over once during the cooking, to ensure even browning.
- Serve piping hot on a bed of thinly sliced lettuce or shredded red onions or as finger food on little tooth picks.
- If you do not have an oven, you can add marinated paneer cubes to stir fried onions and fry together in a wok. See picture 3.
Notes
- Tip from Reader Neha Sharma for making Paneer sandwich: Paneer cooks really well on a non stick tava/griddle/frying pan as well. Slice paneer thinly, just like you would slice any other type of cheese. Marinade or spice it up to taste and cook on the tava/griddle, without any oil, till they are light brown on both sides. Paneer becomes soft and melts in your mouth. Make a sandwich with paneer alone or any salad/chutneys of choice.