Usually when summer rolls around, we start cooking paneer more because grilled paneer and veggie skewers are one of my favorites things to eat. Well this year has been a toss up of weather with multiple tornado warnings (yup. In Boston!) that I’ve taken to making paneer indoors – first I tried air frying it but the outside became too dry and chewy so I’ve started making them on the stove top. My favorite way to eat these spicy, crispy paneer pieces (other than quality control while cooking!) is as little Indian fusion tacos on mini-naan.

The key to getting a good coating of flavor on the paneer is to keep rotating the paneer pieces every 5 minutes or so for the marinade to cook down and get the spicy coating sticking to the paneer pieces. I also like to keep spooning over extra marinade every time I flip the paneer to keep enhancing the flavors and spices in the dish.

To serve, I love to spread a little of my homemade cilantro chutney – red onions and lime juice are a must to cut the fat of the paneer! Hope this dish will make it into your Taco Tuesday rotation!

 

Tips & Tricks

• The flavors get better the longer you marinate the paneer, but at minimum let it go for an hour in the fridge and as long as overnight
• We pan fried the paneer in small pieces but you could easily cut bigger chunks and skewer them for a grilled version which we like to do with mushrooms and green peppers in the summer
• If you can’t find Patak’s Tikka masala paste, you can double the amount of Kitchen King Masala in the recipe and add 1-2 tsp of chili powder, crushed garlic and some coriander powder
• We opted for straight up paneer and onions – we’re kind of paneer purists, but this same marinade would work well with any veggies!

Recipe Information

• Prep time: 120 minutes
• Cook time: 20 minutes
• Yield: 3-4 entrée servings 

Ingredients

• 1 block paneer
• 2 tbsp whole milk yoghurt
• 3 tbsp buttermilk
• 2 tbsp Patak’s Tikka Masala Paste
• 1 tbsp Kitchen King Masala
• 1 tsp turmeric powder
• 2 tsp cumin powder
• Salt
• For serving: mini naan, green cilantro chutney, chopped cilantro, chopped red onion, lime

Directions

1. Cut paneer into 1 inch thick cubes 
2. In a bowl combine all the spices, yoghurt and buttermilk. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed
3. Add paneer to the marinade and stir to combine; allow to soak for at least 2 hours
4. In a large flat plan, heat 2 tsp of olive oil and spoon in paneer pieces spreading them out to allow room for cooking
5. Cook on medium heat, ever 5-7 minutes, turn paneer pieces 90 degrees and spoon extra marinade over the paneer
6. Let cook until marinade liquid soaks up and flip the paneer again 
7. Repeat the flipping and spooning over marinade until all sides of the paneer are crispy (takes about 20 min in total)
8. To serve: heat up a mini naan, spoon the paneer on it. If you have any extra yoghurt marinade spoon a little over the paneer, spread a little cilantro chutney and garnish with onion, cilantro and a squeeze of lime