The beauty of simple ingredients, very few spices and fiery cooking method ensures this dish is world famous for its leopard-spotted char and smoky flavours.

How to make amazing paneer tikka at home

I’ve been working on this recipe for the ultimate Restaurant-Style Tandoori Paneer Tikka made without a tandoor or barbecue for SO long. You’ll notice my dreams of installing a big, badass tandoor in my garden still haven’t come to fruition.

Don’t worry though, I’ve found a great workaround. It’s a recipe that gives you restaurant or street-style flavours at home with minimal effort.

Spoiler: there’s no grill or oven involved either.

What is paneer tikka?

Juicy chunks of paneer marinated in a punchy hot and sour tandoori masala are skewered up with onion petals and pieces of pepper.

The loaded skewers are then grilled on a wire rack directly over the cooker to infuse deep, smoky flavours into the paneer and veg.

The ghee and oil combo in the marinade ensures the outside becomes freckled with the familiar scorch marks you’d expect from a restaurant or street-style tandoori dish.

How to serve Restaurant-Style Paneer Tikka

Serve it up with a pool of coriander and mint chutney, fresh salad leaves and lemon wedges. You can also toss in raw red onion slices and serve with butter naan or garlic naan for a true Punjabi-style feast.

A few tips before you make Restaurant-Style Paneer Tikka

1. Marinate!

Marinate the paneer, peppers and onions for a minimum of 30 minutes to give the ingredients time to get acquainted. If you have time, you can pop the paneer and veg in the tandoori marinade the night before. Be sure to keep it covered in the fridge.

2. Soak the paneer

Being your resident paneer fangirl, you’ll know I’m always going on about soaking shop-bought paneer for a fresh, homemade texture and taste. You can find out how I do this in the recipe below.

The basic idea is to rehydrate the paneer in boiling water to soften it up and give a brilliant-white colour that’s just like homemade. If you want to make your own paneer at home, you can find my recipe here: Homemade Paneer.

3. Crack a window open

Open all the windows in your house for good ventilation. The cooking process will create smoke which will need to escape. If you have an extractor fan, switch it on. It will make your house smell like a restaurant kitchen. Glorious!

4. Consider these alternative cooking options

If you don’t fancy cooking this over a flame, you can also place the skewers on a wire rack and cook them in an oven. Make sure it’s very hot. Traditional tandoors average 400°C heat so it needs to be hot! You can also place these on a griddle pan or on the barbecue.

5. Choose the right kind of skewers

I used flat metal skewers (be careful when turning as the handles can get really hot) but you can also use bamboo skewers. Be sure to soak them in cold water for an hour before you use them. This will stop them burning during the cooking process.

6. Kashmiri chilli powder is your friend

Most restaurants and street vendors add red food colour to their marinade for the iconic and eye-popping crimson colour. I’m no food snob and am not opposed to food colours in cooking but I just don’t find it necessary in this dish.

Kashmiri chilli powder will give you a gorgeous natural red colour with very little heat. If you can’t get hold of it, use equal parts smoky paprika and regular chilli powder in its place. I often use tomato paste for colour and tang which isn’t traditional but works a treat.

Can I veganise this Restaurant-Style Paneer Tikka?

If you’re looking for a vegan tandoori option, check out my Tandoori Tofu Tikka recipe. The marinade for that recipe packs a huge punch to really infuse the tofu with plenty of flavour.

If you prefer a milder tikka, you can easily veganize this recipe. Switch the paneer for tofu, tempeh or seitan, use all oil instead of ghee and sub in coconut yoghurt in both the tikka marinade and chutney recipes.

Watch a full step-by-step video for this Paneer Tikka recipe

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Paneer Tikka

Juicy chunks of Indian cottage cheese marinated in homemade tandoori paste and grilled until charred. Perfect with naan, roti or paratha.

Course Appetizer, Main Course

Cuisine Indian

Keyword cheese, kebab, north indian, paneer, skewer, tandoori, vegetarian

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 40 minutes minutes

Servings 6

Author Sanjana

Equipment

• 6 large metal kebab skewers (if using wooden skewers, soak in cold water for 1 hour prior to skewering the paneer)

Ingredients

For the paneer & marinade:

• 400 g paneer cut into large cubes (soak in hot water for 5 minutes and drain)
• 2 bell peppers cut into large squares
• 2 red onions quartered and separated into petals
• 75 g plain yoghurt
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp ground cumin seeds
• 1 tsp ground coriander seeds
• 2 cardamom pods (seeds ground)
• 1/4 tsp ground turmeric
• 1/4 tsp black salt
• 1/2 tsp garam masala
• 1/2 tsp kasoori methi (dried fenugreek leaves)
• 1 tsp Kashmiri red chilli powder
• 1 tsp smoked paprika (optional)
• 2 tbsp chickpea flour
• 2 large cloves garlic crushed
• 2 cm piece ginger grated
• 2 tbsp sunflower, vegetable, mustard or rapeseed oil

To serve:

• 1 tbsp melted ghee for brushing on the cooked tikka
• Sliced onions and tomatoes
• Fresh coriander leaves chopped

Instructions

• Roast the chickpea flour in a dry pan until lightly toasted. Set aside.
• Whisk together all the ingredients for the marinade, including the roasted chickpea flour and except the oil.
• Heat the oil over a high heat until smoking hot. Carefully whisk this into the marinade.
  Add the paneer, peppers and onions. Mix well to coat and set aside for 30 mins (or cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days).
• Preheat the oven to 200C/400F.
• Skewer the paneer, onions and peppers on the skewers, alternating in each ingredient.
• Set a metal wire rack on top of a baking tray and arrange the skewers on top. Bake for 10 minutes if proceeding to the next step, or 15 minutes if skipping the next step.
• Optional: Once out of the oven, hold each skewer over a direct flame on your hob burner roll char the outside. Be careful not to burn yourself and open a window before you start.
• Brush the paneer tikka pieces with melted ghee and serve immediately with all the accompaniments.

Notes

This paneer tikka is excellent with naan, roti or a simple salad.

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If you like this, you’ll love my recipe for Shahi Paneer

More Chutney Recipes to pair with this Tandoori Paneer Tikka recipe

Mango, Lime & Coconut Chutney

A sweet and mild chutney packed with fruity flavours. This quick and easy mango-based chutney is made creamy with coconut milk and packs a zing with fresh lime zest.

Check out this recipe

Atomic Red Chilli Chutney

Calling all chilli lovers! This red chilli chutney is quick and easy to make and intense enough to satisfy your spice cravings. Use two or more types of chilli for both flavour and intensity. Mixing your chillies in this way will add multiple layers of flavour.

Check out this recipe

Tamarind & Date Chutney

Learn how to make sweet and sour tamarind and date chutney from scratch! No Indian chaat is complete without a drizzle of this mouth-puckering fruity chutney.

Check out this recipe

Love Sanjana

The post Restaurant-Style Paneer Tikka appeared first on Sanjana.Feasts.

“Hariyali” refers to the beautiful shamrock green colour of the marinade. My recipe puts a glut of coriander and mint to good use and the tandoori-style drumsticks pair perfectly with salad and freshly-made Indian flatbreads like naan, paratha and chapattis.

Even though the marinade is packed full of big, punchy flavours, the spicing is simple using lots of ginger, chillies and garlic. Cashews and coconut yoghurt give the super green marinade body so that it clings on the the “chicken” drumsticks with ease. Both vegetarians and meat eaters will be able to dig in to these party-ready vegan drumsticks so they’re a great option for big gatherings.

I like to keep batches of vegan seitan chicken in the freezer. I make shreds, pieces, loaves and drumsticks so I can quickly whip some out and marinate them or pop them straight into curries, stir fries and noodles.

Traditionally, Hariyali Chicken is a mouth-watering appetiser which is popular in Northern India and is best enjoyed with red onions or kachumber (a mix of red onions and tomatoes) and chutneys. I like to top them with a handful of juicy pomegranate seeds for a burst of freshness.

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Vegan Hariyali “Chicken” Drumsticks

Hariyali refers to the beautiful shamrock green colour of the marinade. My recipe puts a glut of coriander and mint to good use and the tandoori-style drumsticks pair perfectly with salad and freshly-made Indian flatbreads like naan, paratha and chapattis.

Course Appetizer

Cuisine Indian

Keyword marinade, seitan, vegan

Prep Time 1 hour hour

Cook Time 1 hour hour 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 2 hours hours 10 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author Sanjana

Ingredients

For the vegan “chicken drumsticks”:

• 300 g extra-firm tofu drained
• 1 400 g tin haricot beans inc. the liquid from the tin (you can also use any other white beans, such as cannellini beans or butter beans)
• 150 g vital wheat gluten I buy mine on Amazon
• 150 ml cold water
• 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 2 tsp white miso paste
• 1 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 tsp fine salt
• 3 tbsp sunflower or vegetable oil

You will also need:

• 10 flat wooden lollipop sticks
• Kitchen foil

For the hariyali paste:

• 120 g fresh coriander
• 50 g fresh mint
• 2 thin green chillies
• 3 tbsp coconut yoghurt
• 8-10 cashews
• 1- inch piece ginger
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 tbsp sunflower oil
• Juice of 1/2 a lemon
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tsp agave nectar

Instructions

• In a blender, combine the tofu, haricot beans in their liquid, miso paste, soy sauce, salt, nutritional yeast, oil and water until you have a smooth paste.
• Add the vital wheat gluten to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add the tofu mixture and mix on a low speed until the two come together in the form of a dough.
• Switch the paddle attachment to a dough hook and mix on a medium/high speed for 10-12 minutes. Stay close by as the mixer may shuffle across the counter top as the dough is tough to work. You’ll also need to be very careful your mixer’s motor doesn’t burn out. This kneading of the dough is crucial in developing the gluten and proteins in the seitan and shouldn’t be skipped. The longer and harder you work it, the more fibrous and chicken-like the final product will be. I wouldn’t recommend doing it by hand as your arms might threaten to fall off. Even Arnold Schwarzenegger would struggle, seriously. Having said this, you can create seitan kneading by hand - it will not however, have a shreddable, “pulled” quality and you’ll finish up with a spongy end product instead. It’ll still taste good but probably won’t fool your meat-eating friends.
• Once your seitan has been kneaded long and hard, remove it from the mixer and divide it into 10 equal pieces. Wrap each piece around a wooden lollipop stick into a drumstick-like shape. Next, wrap each “drumstick” very tightly in 2-3 layers of heavy-duty foil, trying to maintain the shape as well as possible. You want it to be nice and compact inside to stop it expanding inside as this will promote sponginess rather than the shreddable texture we’re after. The multiple layers of foil will also stop water getting inside.
• Next, fill a pressure cooker with plenty of water (about 3/4 of the way fuland bring to a boil. Carefully drop your drumsticks into the cooker and put the lid on. Cook on a medium/high heat for 45 minutes. Once the time is up, switch off the heat and leave it to cool completely. If your pressure cooker is too small to hold all 10 drumsticks, you'll need to cook them in two batches. In any case, keep the cooking time the same.
• Once cool, remove the seitan drumsticks from the cooker and refrigerate for at least 8 hours or up to 48 hours.
• Unwrap and check out that amazing texture when you pull it apart. Your seitan is now ready to marinate.
• To make the marinade, combine all the ingredients except the coconut yoghurt in a blender and blend until completely smooth.
• Transfer to a large bowl and stir the coconut yoghurt in. This will ensure the marinade doesn’t become too runny.
• Add the cold vegan chicken drumsticks and carefully coat each one in the marinade.
• Cover with cling film and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. You can also prepare this 24 hours in advance.
• Heat a griddle pan until smoking hot. Place the vegan chicken drumsticks on the griddle pan and cook each side until you have charred grill marks all over. Serve with red onion rings and scatter with pomegranate seeds and more coriander.

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The post Vegan Hariyali “Chicken” Drumsticks appeared first on Sanjana.Feasts.

My tandoor obsession

Every year, ask me what I want for my birthday and you’ll get the same response each time. It’s not an expensive pair of shoes and it’s not perfume, it definitely isn’t a designer handbag or clothes. I don’t really care about those things. What I really want is my own tandoor.

But why a tandoor?

The idea of having a raging-hot pit of fiery coals in my kitchen makes me go weak at the knees. Install a beautiful granite countertop and leave just enough space for a cavernous drop into a heat-proof cylinder.

Pop in a clay oven and watch me go nuts with recipes galore. I’ll pretend I’m Sanjeev Kapoor or Cyrus Todiwala, reaching in with my gigantic asbestos hands.

What can you cook in a tandoor?

What can’t you cook in a tandoor? I would make fresh, homemade naan with charred edges and chewy middles, kebabs of all shapes and sizes and the best baked potatoes life has to offer!

Birthday week!

Well, my 28th birthday just went and sadly, I didn’t get my own tandoor. I did however, have the most wonderful birthday cake from Mr Feasts. It was the first cake he’d ever baked and he totally nailed it.

The next best thing: An oven

I’m hoping one day someone will take me up on my request for a tandoor but in the meantime, I’m getting my tandoori food fix using the trusty oven.

Whack it up as high as it will go and when it’s smoking hot, stow your food inside, closing the door swiftly. I do naans like this all the time and it works a charm.

What are Momos?

Except I didn’t make just any dumplings, I made Momos. The most delicious Indian-style dumplings filled with veggies, paneer, ginger and soy sauce.

Folding dumplings is one of the most cathartic things you can do. Little parcels, half moons, gyoza-style or tortellini style, the possibilities are endless.

I love nothing more than a ‪Saturday afternoon in with a cup of chai, a good movie and a marathon dumpling-making session. So after a long week at work, I did just that.

How to serve Vegetarian Tandoori Momos

Traditionally, Nepali Momos are served with hot tomato chutney but instead, I made my own tandoori marinade (the one I use for making my Tandoori Paneer Samosas) and covered the Momos in it before popping them into the sweltering pit of fire, a.k.a, the oven.

The Vegetarian Tandoori Momos

The pastry is of course, homemade – why not when it’s just three ingredients: flour, hot water and salt. It’s worth making your own, and so much easier when it comes to folding the Momos.

You can make them any shape you like but I thought the simple half moon was pretty.

Can I use this recipe to make regular momos?

You can skip the Tandoori paste part entirely and just straight up fry and steam them like Japanese gyozas – but where’s the fun in that?

No, I’m kidding, they’re absolutely delicious steamed too. Serve them with hot tomato and chilli chutney, adding a glug of sesame oil for good measure.

Word of warning

Once these are out of the oven, you’ll find yourself waiting to frantically get one into your mouth.

Don’t do that. If you’ve ever eaten a hot apple pie from McDonald’s and felt the sensation of the skin on the roof of your mouth being seared like a steak, you’ll know why.

Give your Vegetarian Tandoori Momos a street-style finish

Tumble the momos onto a platter or plate, cover them with sliced red onions, lemon wedges, cooling yoghurt and fresh coriander.

What’s also amazing is brushing them with butter as soon as the come out of the oven. Watch them glisten as you try your best not to go all Tasmanian Devil on them.

Serve immediately and watch them disappear faster than you can say ‘Sanjana, here’s your very own birthday tandoor.’

I can only dream.

How to make Vegetarian Tandoori Momos

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Vegetable and Paneer Tandoori Momos

These vegetable and paneer-filled dumplings are so delicious. Slather each one in Tandoori marinade and cook under intense heat for the heavenly charcoal smokiness we all know and love.

Course Appetizer, Side Dish

Cuisine Indian, Nepali

Keyword dumplings, paneer, tandoori, vegetables

Prep Time 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 55 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author Sanjana

Ingredients

For the dough:

• 200 g plain flour
• ½ tsp salt
• 120 ml boiling water just enough to bind to a firm, smooth dough

For the filling:

• 25 g salted butter
• 1 large onion finely diced
• 2 tbsp grated ginger
• 2 cloves garlic crushed
• 3 hot red birds eye chillies chopped finely
• 60 g white cabbage finely shredded
• 2 carrots grated
• 30 g frozen peas
• 30 g green beans chopped finely
• 180 g paneer crumbled or grated
• 1/4 tsp turmeric
• 2 spring onions chopped finely
• 2 tbsp light soy sauce
• 2 tsp light brown sugar
• 1 tsp Sichuan peppercorns ground
• 1 tsp toasted fennel seeds ground
• Salt to taste
• 2 tsp cornflour dissolved in 2 tsp cold water

For the tandoori paste:

• 1 tsp whole coriander seeds
• 8 black peppercorns
• 2 dried Kashmiri chillies
• 2 inches cinnamon
• 1 ½ tsp cumin seeds
• 1 star anise
• 4 cloves
• Seeds of 4 green cardamom pods
• 1 black cardamom
• 1 tsp fennel seeds
• You’ll also need:
• 1 tbsp concentrated tomato puree
• Juice of ½ lemon
• 1 tbsp yoghurt
• 2 tsp dark brown sugar
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 tsp grated ginger
• 1 tsp crushed garlic

Momos toppings:

• Fresh coriander chopped
• Plain yoghurt
• Sliced red onions

Instructions

• First, make the tandoori paste. Toast all the spices in a dry pan until aromatic. Grind them in a coffee grinder until super fine. Put half the ground spices in a jar and stow away for another day.
• With the remaining half of the masala, mix in the tomato puree, lemon juice, yoghurt, brown sugar, salt, ginger and garlic. Cover and refrigerate until needed.
• To make the filling, heat the butter in a non-stick pan. Add the chopped onion and sauté until translucent but not browned. Add in ginger, garlic and chillies, cook for a moment and then add in the rest of the ingredients, apart from the cornflour.
• Once the veggies and paneer have cooked down, about 10 minutes, add the cornflour and mix vigorously. The mixture should bind together. Turn out onto a plate to cool.
• Meanwhile, make the dough. In a bowl, mix together the flour and salt. Little by little, add in the boiling water, mixing with a spoon. Once you’ve added in almost all the water, leave it for a few moments until cool enough to handle. Try to bind, checking if the rest of the water is required. Add more water if you need to. Bind to a smooth dough, kneading for around 8 minutes.
• Allow to rest, covered for 10 minutes.
• Line a couple of baking trays with baking parchment.
• Take a grape-sized piece of dough and roll it out, 3 inches in diameter. A thin as you can. Take about 2 tsp cooled filling and place into the middle of the dough. Use your fingers to pull the dough together and pleat one side to the other, using your fingers to seal.
• There are lots of handy YouTube video around to help show you how to fold dumplings if you’re not sure. There are so many pays to do it and you don’t have to be a pro to make amazing ones. Just make sure the filling is totally sealed in. The shape is up to you.
• Repeat this process for all the dumplings. Put a movie on, make a cup of tea, enjoy the process.
• Once you have a tray or two of finished dumplings, you’re ready to cook.
• Pre-heat the oven to 220°C/430°F. Boil 150ml water in the kettle.
• Heat a large, flat bottomed pan (one that has a lid). Add 2 tsp oil. Arrange the dumplings in the pan – you may need to do this in batches. Allow for them to sizzle for a minute. Now very quickly and extremely carefully add hot water from the kettle to the pan – just a splash or two. Put the lid on and allow to steam for 3 minutes on a low heat.
• Remove the lid and place the momos back onto a baking tray. Brush them with the tandoori paste you made earlier.
• Place them in the oven for 10 minutes or until charred in places and looking delicious. You can brush them again with melted butter before you serve.
• Tumble onto a platter and garnish with chopped coriander, sliced red onion and plain yoghurt. Serve immediately.

Notes

• Cook the momos immediately before serving to prevent drying.
• To freeze: Arrange the momos on a baking tray. Freeze until solid. Remove from the tray and place in freezer-safe bags or a box. They will keep well for up to 6 months. Cook from frozen.

Pin it for later! Vegetarian Tandoori Momos

If you like these, you’ll love my recipe for Paneer Tikka

Love Sanjana

The post Vegetarian Tandoori Momos appeared first on Sanjana.Feasts.

It carries the flavour of an excellent Makhani sauce, with extra tandoori tofu. Indeed, it’s a vegan take on Britain’s favourite curry.

In my book, anything served on a stick is a winner. It seals the deal if what’s on the stick is smothered in a charred tandoori paste, restaurant style.

Here’s my take on a British-‘Indian’ dish. It’s loaded with homemade tandoori spices, garlic, lemon, ground almonds and coconut cream. The best thing about it is that it’s 100% vegan.

How to make Tandoori Tofu Tikka Masala

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know it’s not an “authentic Indian recipe” and have heard far too many times, “Ask any Indian what tikka masala is and they won’t know.”. Wrong. It’s delicious and you must try it.

What type of tofu is best for Tandoori Tofu Tikka Masala?

I’ve been obsessed with tofu puffs for as long as I can remember. I like to think of them as sailboats for any sauce or spice you add. They soak in flavours like there’s no tomorrow and you don’t have to marinate them for hours.

Tofu puffs are pre-fried tofu cubes you can find in your local Chinese supermarket. If you can’t get these, substitute them for firm tofu. Drain it and pan fry it until golden.

How to cook with tofu puffs

A lot of the time, we make our weeknight stir fries in a matter of minutes and thanks to these spongy little fellas, they’re filling and seriously flavoursome.

In this recipe, tofu puffs the perfect carriers for my homemade tandoori paste and creamy vegan tikka masala sauce.

If you like a mild curry that still packs a punch in terms of being aromatic, this one’s for you.

How to make Tofu Tikka Masala

As compromised as I feel for not owning my own tandoor (I keep telling myself it will happen one day), this works just as well in the oven. Whack the temperature up as high as it goes and cook your skewers for about 8-10 minutes or until slightly they carry a slight char.

It’s also worth noting that while it’s not exactly traditional to add tomato puree to a tandoori masala paste, I do. However, if you don’t like tomatoes, go ahead and add some red food colouring. This is your dish.

What if I don’t have tofu?

If you can’t get tofu puffs (I get mine from our local Chinese supermarket), try this with regular firm tofu, cauliflower florets, baby potatoes, paneer, mushrooms, idli pieces or anything else that will hold its own on a skewer.

If you still want to use tofu but can’t get the puffed kind, try using firm tofu, weighted and pressed for a few hours to remove excess water, cubed and lightly pan-fried. I’m afraid that medium or silken tofu won’t cut it on the kebab skewer for this recipe.

What kind of skewers should I use?

I use flat metal kebab skewers. They get really hot so be careful if you’re using them too. If you only have bamboo skewers, soak them in cold water for an hour to ensure they don’t burn in the oven.

How to serve Tandoori Tofu Tikka Masala

Finally, serve with flaky paratha, rice and lime wedges. It’s also delicious with garlic and coriander naan.

Tofu Tikka Masala recipe

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Tandoori Tofu Tikka Masala (Vegan)

In my book, anything served on a stick is a winner. It seals the deal if what’s on the stick is smothered in a charred tandoori paste, restaurant style. Here’s my take on a British-‘Indian’ dish. It’s loaded with homemade tandoori spices, garlic, lemon, ground almonds and coconut cream. The best thing about it is that it’s 100% vegan. That’s got to get me extra brownie points, right?

Course Main Course

Cuisine Indian

Keyword curry, north indian, tandoori, tofu, vegan

Prep Time 35 minutes minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 15 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author Sanjana

Ingredients

• 300 g tofu puffs (I get mine from my local Chinese supermarket)
• Fresh coriander chopped, to garnish
• Lime or lemon wedges to garnish
• Paratha or naan to serve
• Basmati rice to serve

For the homemade tandoori paste:

• 1 tsp whole coriander seeds
• 6 black peppercorns
• 2 dried red chillies or fresh if you like
• 2 inch stick cinnamon
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 star anise
• 4 cloves
• Seeds of 4 green cardamom pods
• 1 black cardamom optional
• 1 tsp fennel seeds
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 2 tbsp concentrated tomato puree
• 2 tbsp coconut cream
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp lemon juice

For the sauce:

• 1 tbsp oil
• 4 cloves fresh garlic chopped
• 1 tbsp grated ginger
• 3 red chillies chopped (or to taste)
• 1 tbsp concentrated tomato puree
• 400 g passata
• 1 tbsp ground coriander
• 1/2 tbsp ground cumin
• 2 tsp garam masala
• 2 tbsp ground almonds
• 2 tsp ground green cardamom seeds
• 2 tsp ground fennel seeds
• 400 ml coconut milk
• 1 tsp kasoori methi optional
• 2 tbsp light brown sugar
• Salt to taste

Instructions

• To make the tandoori paste, heat a dry frying pan until hot. Add all the spices apart from the coconut cream, lemon juice, salt and concentrated tomato puree. Toast until aromatic, a couple of minutes but don’t leave it unattended because it can burn very easily.
• Place all the spices in a high-powered blender or coffee grinder. I use my NutriBullet. Once ground to a fine powder, stir in the lemon juice, coconut cream, tomato puree and salt.
• Add the tofu puffs to the paste and give them a good mix, taking care not to break the tofu pieces up. Set aside while you make the vegan tikka masala sauce.
• Pre-heat the oven to 200°C.
• To make the vegan tikka masala sauce, heat the oil in a medium, non-stick pan. Add the garlic, ginger and chillies. Sauté for a few moments before adding the concentrated tomato puree. Cook for 5 minutes on a medium heat, stirring all the time. Add the passata, followed by the rest of the ingredients. Give it a good whisk, cover and cook on a low heat for 20-30 minutes, stirring often.
• Lightly grease a non-stick oven tray. Skewer the tofu pieces onto your kebab sticks. Arrange on the baking tray and pop into the oven for 8-10 minutes, turning them halfway to ensure even browning. Remove from the oven.
• Serve immediately, bringing the kebabs and sauce to the table, letting everyone mix their own sauce and tofu pieces for a bit of fun and drama. Garnish with chopped coriander, lime or lemon wedges and extra coconut cream. Serve with jalebi paratha or garlic and coriander naan and rice.

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If you like this, you’ll love my recipe for Kadai Tofu & Vegetables

Love Sanjana

The post Tandoori Tofu Tikka Masala appeared first on Sanjana.Feasts.

Attention all paneer lovers! There’s nothing more satisfying than taking a big bite out of a crispy, spicy samosa with a fabulous filling. Whether it’s soft potato and pea, hearty mung daal or juicy tandoori paneer, these little triangles of heaven are an iconic element of Indian cuisine.

Let’s be honest, making samosas from scratch is a labour of love and well worth the effort once you’re finally able to take a spicy bite. My advice? Enlist the help of a slave to help with the rolling and folding.

I love nothing more than fresh samosa pastry made with chapatti dough. The hearty texture of homemade dough surpasses unsatisfying filo pastry samosas by a mile. Reminiscent of the samosas made by street vendors in the heart of Mumbai, and the kind Indian mothers make for their families, the roti dough pastry gives you that warm, fuzzy feeling inside.

A good tandoori paste is deeply aromatic, hot and sour. The combination of Kashmiri chillies, cloves, cinnamon, cardamom and peppercorns makes this paste intensely flavourful and perfect for adding rich flavour to paneer. I make my own at home using my recipe below, however, you can buy it if you’re short of time. I won’t lie, shop-bought won’t be as good.

I use concentrated tomato puree to give my tandoori paste a rich red colour and also to add some of that traditional sourness which characterises good tandoori masala. Not a drop of food colour in sight.

You can also make these using fresh, homemade paneer but to be honest, I didn’t have the patience to press it long enough for it to be sliceable. Another thing worth mentioning is that traditionally, tandoori paste has yogurt in it to tenderise the paneer. Instead of doing that for this recipe, I add some cottage cheese to give it that yoghurt flavour and help bind the filling together (because of the little nuggets of cheese).

A handful of chopped spring onions and coriander gives the filling a hint of green colour and a burst of fresh flavour.

I serve these with sweet and sour tamarind chutney to cut through the richness of the paneer filling. My recipe for the chutney takes just 10 minutes and is delicious will lots of Indian starters. I’ll post a recipe for the chutney later this week. For now, here’s my recipe for the samosas.

Tandoori Paneer Samosas
(Makes 16)

Ingredients

For the tandoori paste:
1 tsp whole coriander seeds
8 black peppercorns
2 dried Kashmiri chillies
2 inches cinnamon
1 ½ tsp cumin seeds
1 star anise
4 cloves
Seeds of 4 green cardamom pods
1 black cardamom
1 tsp fennel seeds

3 tbsp concentrated tomato puree
Juice of 1 lemon
1 tbsp dark brown sugar
1 ½ tsp salt
2 tbsp ginger, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced

To cook the filling:
1 tbsp oil
2 small onions, minced very finely
475g firm paneer, cut into 1/2cm pieces (I did it in rough pieces of various shapes for a more interesting texture than just cubed)
3 tbsp low-fat cottage cheese
150ml water

5 spring onions, chopped finely
Handful fresh coriander, chopped finely

For the pastry:
320g flour
160ml cold water
5 tbsp oil
½ tsp salt

Method

1. Toast the dry spices in a dry pan until lightly aromatic. Tip into a pestle and mortar and grind to a very fine powder. Mix in the tomato puree, lemon juice, sugar, salt, ginger and garlic.

2. To make the filling: heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan and add the onions. Cook on a medium heat for five minutes. Add the tandoori paste and 150ml hot water. Cook through for 15 minutes, stirring all the time. If the mixture becomes dry, add a splash more water and continue to cook.

3. Add the cubed paneer and cottage cheese. Continue to cook for 5 minutes. Allow to cool and then stir through chopped spring onions and coriander. Set aside.

4. To make the pastry: in a large bowl, mix together the ingredients for the dough. Knead until firm and non-sticky.

5. Get to work rolling out and lightly cooking your fresh pastry sheets (I rolled mine to around 4 inches- step 2). Use my step by step below as a guide. I cook my pastry sheets on a dry frying pan (step 7) making sure they do not brown. You just want them sealed enough so that you can work with them.

6. Sandwiching two circles of dough together with oil and flour and lightly rolling over the top of them (steps 3, 4, 5 and 6) makes the pastry thinner and the whole process a little quicker. When they are cooked, carefully peel them away from each other (step 8), then half the circles into semi-circles (step 9). Wrap these in a tea towel until you need to use them to prevent them drying out.

7. Next, in a small bowl, make a sticky paste from flour and cold water. You will need this to seal the edges of the samosas when you fold them.

8. See my tutorial for folding samosas from homemade pastry below. Ensure the filling is cool before filling the samosas.

9. Heat enough oil in a deep pan to deep fry the samosas on a medium heat until they are golden brown all over. Place on kitchen paper to drain away any excess oil.

Serve with Tamarind Chutney and lemon wedges.

Love Sanjana

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