Paneer tikka masala

Paneer tikka masala is one of the popular restaurant style paneer recipes that goes great with basmati rice, naan, roti, plain paratha or with this jeera rice. Apart from Paneer butter masala, this paneer tikka masala is another favorite in our home. The flavor & taste of this dish is completely different from the other paneer dishes as the paneer is marinated & grilled first before adding to the gravy.

In restaurants to make paneer tikka masala, paneer is first marinated & grilled in a tandoori oven (or clay oven) which imparts a smoky flavor. Then it is added to a delicious spicy onion tomato gravy and garnished with cream. Since we don’t have such tandoori ovens at home we will have to grill the paneer either in oven or on a griddle.

In this post I have shown both the methods of grilling in the griddle on stove top & in oven. You can also grill it over direct charcoal grill and use.

You can also check this detailed post on making Paneer tikka in an oven and stove top. For the restaurant style color, I suggest using a good Kashmiri or byadgi red chilli powder.

More Paneer recipes
Matar paneer
Kadai paneer
Malai kofta
Chilli paneer
Paneer lababdar

Paneer tikka masala recipe

Paneer tikka masala

Delicious paneer tikka masala prepared in restaurant style. This North Indian paneer tikka masala is rich, flavorful and great to serve on occasions with some paratha, naan or basmati rice. 

Prep Time30 minutes

Cook Time25 minutes

Total Time55 minutes

Servings3 to 4

AuthorSwasthi

Ingredients (1 cup = 240ml )

• 200 grams paneer or 1 ½ cup paneer
• ½ cup onions (optional) cubed layers separated
• ½ cup capsicum (optional) or bell peppers (green or red)

marination for paneer tikka masala

• ½ cup greek yogurt or thick curd or hung curd (refer notes)
• 1½ tsp ginger garlic paste
• ¾ tsp chili powder
• ¾ tsp garam masala or tandoori masala
• 1/8 tsp turmeric
• salt to taste
• 1 tsp oil (optional)
• ¼ tsp kasuri methi or dried fenu greek leaves

to puree

• 12 cashew nuts (or 2 tbsp cashew paste)
• 1 ½ cup tomatoes ripe chopped or pureed
• 1 cup onions cubed (discard basal plate of the onion)

Gravy for paneer tikka masala

• 1 small bay leaf or tej patta (optional)
• 2 green cardamoms or elaichi
• 1½ tsp ginger garlic paste
• ¾ to 1 tsp red chili powder
• 1 tsp garam masala
• ¼ tsp kasuri methi
• 3 to 4 tbsp cream
• 2 tbsp coriander leaves chopped
• oil or butter as needed

How to make the recipe

Preparation for paneer tikka masala

• Firstly add thick curd, red chili powder, ginger garlic paste, garam masala, turmeric, oil, salt and kasuri methi to a bowl. 
• Mix well and check the taste. Add paneer cubes to it and marinate well. Set this aside.
• Add chopped tomatoes, cashews and onions to a blender and make a smooth puree, Set this aside. 

Making paneer tikka in oven or tawa

• You can grill in oven or fry the tikkas on stove in a tawa. If making in a oven, preheat the oven to 220 C and thread paneer & veggies to a skewer. Then grill for 8 to 10 minutes on both sides.
• To make on griddle or tawa. Heat a tbsp oil or butter in a wide pan on a high flame, drop the paneer in the tawa and toss them on a high flame till the marinade dries up and it turns golden. Over frying can make it harder and rubbery.
• Now in the same pan, place the veggies on the pan and flip to the other side till the marinade sticks up to the veggies and they look partially charred.

How to make paneer tikka masala

• Heat oil in a pan, add bay leaf and cardamom. Fry ginger garlic paste until the raw smell goes off.
• Add the onion tomato puree and cook until the mixture begins to leave the sides. 
• Next put in garam masala , chili powder and salt. Saute for 2 minute until the raw smell of chilli powder goes away.
• Pour 1 cup water , Bring it to a boil and cook on a medium flame till you see a thick gravy. Traces of oil are seen on top of the gravy at this stage. 
• Add kasuri methi and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Taste the gravy & add more salt if needed.
• Transfer paneer tikka along with veggies and cook for 2 mins on a medium heat,.
• Pour the cream & add coriander leaves. mix and off the stove.
•  Serve paneer tikka masala with roti, butter naan or veg pulao.

NUTRITION

Calories: 491kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 15g | Fat: 38g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Cholesterol: 69mg | Sodium: 787mg | Potassium: 660mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 36.2% | Vitamin C: 65.2% | Calcium: 45.1% | Iron: 16.7%

Notes

Notes on paneer tikka masala recipe
This recipe needs thick curd or greek yogurt. If you do not have thick curd then follow the below step and make it.
To make the hung curd, add around 1½ cups plain yogurt or curd to a thin muslin cloth or a clean handkerchief and tie it up. Hang it in the refrigerator for about 2 to 4 hours. Use only ½ cup of the hung yogurt.

Marination

1. Cube onions and separate the layers. Cube capsicum as well. Make sure the size of onion and capsicum cubes are almost the same as paneer. Set these aside. If you do not have hung curd, add 1.5 cups curd to a thin muslin cloth, squeeze off the excess water and use. You can also check another method i shared in the recipe card notes above.

2. Add to a bowl the following ingredients: ½ cup hung curd yogurt, 1 ½ tsp. ginger garlic paste, ¾ tsp red chili powder, ¾ garam masala, 1/8 tsp turmeric, ¼ tsp kasuri methi, 1 tsp oil and salt as needed. I also used 1 tsp lemon juice to add tang as my yogurt was very fresh. Do not use it if your tomatoes or yogurt is even slightly sour. You can add more chili powder or tandoori masala for a good color.

3. Mix everything well. I forgot to add ginger garlic at step 1 so added it here.

4. Add paneer and cubed veggies.

5. Mix everything well.

Grilling paneer

6. Option 1 – For the paneer tikka on tawa, stovetop : Heat 1 tsp oil in a wide tawa on a high flame, drop paneer cubes in the tawa.

7. Flip them to the other side and cook on a high flame till all the marinade dries up and the paneer turn golden. This takes only 2 to 3 mins. Set aside. Do not over fry them, they can turn harder.

8. In the same pan, place the veggies and cook till the marinade dries up. The veggies look partially charred. Do not overdo else they lose the crunch.

9. Option 2 – To grill tikka in oven, put them on to skewers alternately paneer, onion and capsicum. Bake in a preheated oven at 220 C for 8 to 10 minutes. you may need to adjust the timing as needed depends on the size of cubes and oven too.

10. You may need to flip the skewer and then grill again if your oven does not have a fan.

Make onion tomato puree for paneer tikka masala

11. Add 1 cup cubed onions (discard basal plate of onion to avoid bitterness), 1 ½ cup tomatoes and 10 to 12 cashews to a blender jar.

12. Make a fine puree.Set aside.

How to make paneer tikka masala

13. Heat butter or oil in a pan, add bay leaf and cardamom. Saute for 1 to 2 minutes. Add ginger garlic paste and fry until the raw smell goes off. This step is very important else the smell of garlic may not be good in the dish.

14. Pour the onion tomato puree to the pan. Be careful it will begin to splash out of the pan, you can partially cover and cook. You will be left with about 1 tbsp yogurt marinade after making tikkas. You can add that as well now if you do not like to discard it. I did not use it. Saute until it thickens and begins to leave the sides of the pan. This may take around 6 to 7 minutes.

15. Add chili powder, garam masala and salt. Saute until the smell of chili powder has gone. This may just take 1 to 2 minutes.

16. Add 1 cup water, if needed ¼ cup more to bring to a desired consistency.

17. Mix everything well and cook on a low flame until the sauce simmers well and thickens. When the gravy turns thick you will see some oil separating on top. Add kasuri methi. Continue to cook for another minute.

18. Add the grilled tikkas in the gravy. Mix and cook just for a minute. Make sure the gravy is thickened before adding paneer.

19. Pour cream and stir. Cook for just another minute or two.

Garnish with fresh coriander and green chilies. Serve paneer tikka masala hot with butter naan, roti, plain paratha or jeera rice.

Dungar for paneer tikka masala

To give a smoky flavor to the dish try using this dhungar method using charcoal. Please note that it could be dangerous doing on a gas stove. I suggest doing it out of the kitchen, using another source like a large candle. Cut a large onion to half. Remove off a few layers from the center of one half of the onion. Place it in the center of the pan. Burn a small piece of charcoal over direct fire holding it with a tong. Make sure it burns well so that it can release the smoke. Take it away from the candle – place it over the onion. Add 1/2 tsp ghee. By now it should begin to emit smoke else repeat burning the coal. Make sure charcoal is not touching the food. Cover The pan with a lid immediately. Leave it for 5 minutes.