Paneer Tikka Skewers

Ingredients

• 400 g paneer, cut into 3 cm cubes
• 200 g thick Greek yoghurt
• 2 tbsp gram flour
• 2 tbsp tandoori masala
• 15 g ginger, grated
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed
• juice of 1 lemon
• 1 green pepper, cut into squares
• 1 red onion, cut into petals
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 tsp chaat masala, to finish

Method

1. Toast the gram flour

   Dry-fry the gram flour in a small pan for a minute until it smells nutty, then whisk it into the yoghurt with the tandoori masala, ginger, garlic, lemon and salt. Raw gram flour tastes bitter and chalky, and it is what stops the marinade sliding off in the oven.

2. Marinate

   Fold the paneer through gently and leave 30 minutes. Paneer does not absorb marinade the way meat does — this is a coating, so it wants to be thick enough to cling.

   30 min

3. Thread

   Alternate paneer with pepper and onion petals. Leave a small gap between pieces so the heat reaches every face.

4. Blast

   Brush with the oil and cook at 240°C, or under a hot grill, turning once, until the coating is blistered and blackened at the tips.

   15 min

5. Finish

   Dust with chaat masala straight from the oven. It is sour and sulphurous and it is what makes the difference between paneer tikka and baked cheese.