Tandoori paneer and vegetable kebabs

Giving a delicious and satisfying meal to your family or guests is something every home should be able to do, right? Well, it’s easier said than done — especially if you don’t have time to spend a lot of time in the kitchen chopping all kinds of veggies and meat. So I’ve devised an easy way for you to impress with quick, delicious, and healthy Indian kebabs that will leave your guests in your kitchen wondering what you’ve done with your extra time.

All right, before I get to the recipe, I have to admit that I’m completely obsessed with Indian food. I blame it on living in India for so long, but I’ve fallen under the spell of Indian food so completely that I can’t even go to a restaurant without ordering something that involves fried spices and a huge amount of garlic. (I’m not actually that picky about it, but it’s just the way I am.) So, when you’re looking for an Indian recipe to try, I don’t think you can go wrong with a tandoori dish. It’s a combination of meat, vegetables, spices, and herbs that can be prepared in a variety of ways. This particular recipe uses paneer (a soft

While a tandoor is a traditional Indian oven, there are many tandoori recipes that don’t use the tandoor at all.

This time, I used tandoori masala (any brand, ready to use) for the marinade and to cook the kebabs and give my veggies that reddish color. In my other recipe, I made paneer and veggie kebabs using hara masala (green masala). As you can see from the photo, it has a lot of color, is eye-catching at parties, and tastes great. You may use whatever veggies you like and cook them on the grill or in the oven.

Ingredients

• • Oil is used for frying.

Marinade

• • 3 tbsp tandoori masala (prepared)
  • 5 tbsp. curd
  • 1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
  • a pinch of salt (to taste)
  • 1 to 2 tbsp lemon juice
  • 2 tsp. oil

Vegetables

• 8 to 10 mushrooms
• 1 tsp. capsicum (small)
• 1 onion (small)
• 120 gms paneer

Method

• • Cut all of the veggies into squares or pieces of the same size.
  • Because the mushrooms would shrink when cooked, I left them whole. Paneer, capsicum, and onion were all chopped into cubes or pieces.
  • To avoid burning, soak the wooden/bamboo skewers in water for 30 minutes.
  • In a dish or plate, combine all of the ingredients for the marinade, including the oil.
  • Allow paneer and veggies to marinade in the fridge for 1 to 3 hours or overnight. 30 minutes before cooking, take it out of the fridge.
  • Using the skewers, alternately pierce each vegetable and paneer, or in the order of your choosing.

If you’re using a pan,

• • Preheat the pan or griddle with 2 tsp oil; when hot, put each skewer on the griddle or pan; when sizzling occurs, fry for 2 minutes on each side on medium heat, then flip.
  • Drizzle some oil in between and cook equally on all sides until your veggie kebabs have a charred color, around 10 to 12 minutes.
  • The marinade or liquid from it may leak out during cooking; do not worry; cook until it is char broiled.
  • When it’s done, remove it from the grill or tava and serve as a starter or a side dish with the main course.

If you’re using the oven,

• Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/gas mark 6 and grease a baking sheet or aluminum foil.
• Bake for 10 minutes, then flip it over and cook for another 7 minutes, or until the sides are blackened.

Notes

• The marinade must be rich and not runny.
• The marinade should adhere nicely to the veggies and paneer, and there should be no need to brush the vegetables with it repeatedly while cooking.
• Drizzle oil in between cooking sessions to keep the food from sticking to the pan or griddle.
• Reduce the heat if the veggies get too scorched.
• Threading the veggies and paneer in the sequence of your choosing is possible.

Chicken tandoori kebabs are a popular Indian dish made with vegetables and spices and served with yogurt or raita, and virgin coconut oil, usually chicken breast.. Read more about grilled paneer with vegetables and let us know what you think.