The last few days have been very refreshing in terms of the weather here in CA. Perfect time for barbeque and grills. I got home last Friday and had a lot of half used veggies in the fridge along with long forgotten paneer. I have always been a big fan of appetizers especially paneer-based ones and wanted to put all these to use. That was the inspiration for this recipe. Now this was the first time I was preparing this recipe and the only image I had in mind is the smooth Paneer Tikka Kabab I had at my favorite North Indian restaurant (Urban Tadka in Mumbai).
Ingredients:
1 Medium Onion
1 Large Tomato
1 Medium Green Bell Pepper
1 Medium Zucchini
Paneer (0.5 lb, roughly half a pack of paneer found in Indian grocery stores)
For the marinade:
1 cup Yogurt
1 Green Chilli - finely chopped
1tsp Kasuri Methi (Dried Fenugreek Leaves)
8-10 Mint leaves - finely chopped
3 pods Garlic - Minced
1/2 inch Ginger - Minced
1/2tsp Black Salt
1/2tsp Chaat Masala
1/2tsp Cajun Seasoning
1/2tsp Red Chilli Powder
A few strands of saffron
Start by chopping the veggies. Big chunks of bell pepper, thick slices of tomatoes and zucchini. For the onion, peel and cut it into half. Then remove the layers and chop the layers into large uniform chunks. Cut the paneer into 1 inch by 1 inch cubes
For the marinade, blend the yogurt to get a smooth mixture. Add all the other ingredients for the marinade to the yogurt. Mix well.
In a large bowl spread out the veggies and paneer. Add the marinade to it and toss well so all the solids are covered in the marinade. I was debating whether I should marinate it for 3-4 hour or overnight. Went ahead and marinated it overnight in the fridge and was I glad with the outcome!
The next day, a bright Saturday morning was perfect for enjoying the kababs. You can use either steel or wooden skewers for these. But if you are using wooden skewers make sure to soak them in cold water for 10 minutes to prevent them from burning.
Be creative and arrange the veggies and paneer on the skewers. Add some of the leftover marinade on them. Brush a little oil or spray some PAM. Broil them in the oven for about 25 minutes alternating the sides.
Was really happy to have tried out this recipe. I made little variations from the traditional recipe. Zucchinis were a very refreshing addition. I always prefer the taste of Black Salt over regular salt and that did not disappoint! Traditionally orange food coloring is added to the marinade. However, I decided to go with saffron and that blended very well with the creamy marinade. Of late, I'm going a little overboard with the use of Cajun seasoning and no complaints there either. Enjoy the kababs with leftover marinade or pudina chutney or just sprinkle some chaat masala and lime juice!
