Introduction to Paneer Tikka Skewers:

By now my love for Indian street food is no secret. And paneer tikka skewers is one of my favorites! For those of you haven’t tried paneer it’s basically a really firm cheese that doesn’t melt when you hold it. It’s a pretty good source of protein too so it makes a great meat substitute.

Because it holds it shape well, sort of like halloumi, it’s perfect to add to these skewers along with your veggies. I like to add onions and bell peppers to my skewers too.

On the side, I serve it with a delicious cilantro yogurt chutney and spicy homemade pickled onions. You can’t skip these! They are a critical part of this dish and you can’t make paneer tikka without them.

Breakdown of the Ingredients:

Paneer

While this list of ingredients may seem a little intimidating, it’s really not! Essentially, you’re just going to coat your paneer in a thick yogurt and chickpea flour batter with spices. It’s much easier to season and fry the paneer with this batter. I like to add a lot of seasoning here but if you don’t have a few of these spices it won’t be a make or break difference.

I end up drowning the paneer in chutney and pickled onions any ways so it really doesn’t matter all that much! I’d say the ajwain, cumin, turmeric, garam masala, and kashmiri are the most critical.

Paneer
Oil
Besan (chickpea flour)
Ajwain
Salt
Kashmiri mirch
Yogurt
Cumin
Garam masala
Turmeric
Coriander powder
Amchur powder
Smoked paprika
Garlic powder

Veggies

You can really use whatever veggies you like here but traditionally I’ve seen this made with bell peppers and onions. However, feel free to switch it up and use what you like. I think eggplant and zucchini would compliment this dish really well.

Red bell pepper
Red onions

Chutney

You can’t have paneer tikka without a cilantro-mint chutney! I always have a fresh batch of this in my fridge. It goes great not only with this recipe but can also be used as a sandwich spread or dip generally.

This is also probably the most adjustable part of this whole recipe. You can skip the mint if need be and adjust the quantity of basically all of your greens and spices to your taste. I also like to use a combination of lemon or lime juice and yogurt. However, you can just use one or the other.

You can also switch up the type of green chillies you use as well. I typically grab jalapeno but serrano works well too for example.

Yogurt
Cilantro
Mint
Salt
Cumin powder
Amchur
Garlic powder
Ginger powder
Jalapeno
Fresh lime juice

Spicy pickled onions

I’m not sure how I even came up with this component of the recipe but it’s inspired by the street style onions I’ve seen in a lot desi street food recipes on Instagram and Pinterest. This ends up being a mix between a traditional pickled onion and achar because of the oil and it’s absolutely amazing! So, if you don’t have the patience to wait for onions to pickle overnight, you need to try this version!

Chaat masala adds the perfect amount of saltiness and tanginess, and can be adjusted to your preference. The spice comes from the kashmiri mirch which is a milder form of regular chili powder that has a bolder and brighter tone.

Oil
Red onion
Lime
Chaat masala
Kashmiri mirch

Process, Keys to Success, and Assembly:

Paneer

Heat up 1 tbsp of oil and add in besan and ajwain and cook until golden brown.
In a bowl add besan mixture, yogurt, and all spices.
Chop paneer into cubes and veggies and coat well in marinade. Let marinate for 30 minutes.
Pop in your paneer and veggies into the air fryer at 400 degrees for about 15 minutes.

Chutney

Simply blend all ingredients in a food processor until smooth! This is probably the simplest part of the recipe.
PRO TIP: If you hate cleaning out your blender, (I sure do), just rinse your blender out with water, add back some more water along with dish soap, and then blend! That’s right, blend up that soap and water to give your blender the perfect self-clean!

Pickled Onions

Stir fry onions in oil on low-medium heat until translucent.
Add in lime juice and the onions should turn bright pink! Make sure to use a lot of lime juice for this.
Add in spices and cook on low heat until all lime juice has absorbed.

Assembly

Assemble paneer, bell peppers, and onions on skewers and serve with chutney and pickled onions. All you have to do is poke each ingredient in the center with the skewers.