Paneer Tikka with Mango Sauce


paneer-tikka-tandoori
Tandoori Paneer Tikka - the name itself makes my mouth water!! Succulent cubes of paneer marinated and grilled or baked in a "tandoori oven", then served with grilled vegetables, is enough to tempt anyone on earth. But this time around, inspired by combining the Indian and Asian tastes in one dish, I have tried a variation which still uses a spicy yogurt marinade, but the final Paneer Tikka is then served hot, drizzled with a home-made sweet and tangy mango dressing, and serves to be a perfect side-dish to an Indian meal. Sounds inviting, right? Just wait till you've actually tasted it, maybe you wouldn't like leaving any for your guests!

I'm sending this to WYF-Side Dish event over at Simple Indian Food.

Ingredients
Fresh Paneer - cut into thick cubes
1 large bell-pepper - diced into squares
1 large red onion - diced into thick slices
Cooking Oil

Tandoori Marinade
1/4 cup yoghurt
2 tsp ginger-garlic paste
1 tsp red chilli powder or paprika
1 tbsp tamarind paste
2 tsp pickle(achaar) - optional
1 tsp salt
3 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/4 tsp orange food color(optional, I did not use it)
1 tbsp tandoori tikka masala (or garam masala)

Mango Dressing
1/4 cup mango puree
4-5 tbsp orange juice
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp lemon juice (or white wine vinegar)
2 tsp honey or sugar - if required
1/2 tsp salt
freshly ground black pepper

Method
Take the paneer cubes and add them to 1/4 cup of water along with 1/2 tsp turemric powder, 1/2 tsp salt and 1 tbsp lemon juice. Soak them for at least 10 mins.

Now take the yoghurt and pass it through a muslin cloth, removing all water content and leaving only the firm yoghurt part. Add all the Marinade ingredients to it; mix well, adjust spices according to taste and set aside.

Now add the marinade to a zip-lock bag, then add all the paneer cubes(remove from salt water) into it, shake it arund so all pices are coated with the marinade, then refrigerate it for at least 2 hours (or maximum overnight).

Baking
Preheat oven to 400 deg F. Now grease a cookie sheet with ample amount of coking oil, then place the marinated paneer pieces on the tray; remove the yogurt sticking on the pieces as it would stick on the sheet while baking.

Apply some light oil on each piece with a brush, sprinkle some more tandoori masala on top, then bake for 10-12 mins. Then flip them over, apply oil on the other side and bake again for another 10 mins (depending on yoor oven, it may take longer) Check after 15 mins to see if the pieces are cooked through evenly.

Turn oven setting to BROIL and allow it to broil for another 2 mins.

Meanwhile, take a pan, add 2 tsp oil to it, and add the cubes of onions and bell-peppers. Saute them on medium-flame till they are semi-cooked and turn glossy. Add some salt and lemon juice according to taste.

Turn off the oven and gently lift the pieces, arrange them on a serving plate. Add the sauteed bell-peppers and onions to the plate, and garnish with some Mango Dressing and chopped coriander.

Grilling or Shallow-Fry
You can cook the paneer and veggies by arranging them on a skewer and grilling it on a hot barbecue grill. Use the same procedure as above, just use grill instead of a conventional oven. Shallow-frying the paneer pieces, just like the veggies is another quick option, but you may not get the smoky, grilled look with this method. But you can choose any method depending on your convenience.

Sweet and Tangy Mango Dressing
Mix the mango puree with all the other ingredients for the dressing and blend well to form a smooth liquid sauce. If its too thick, add some more orange juice; it should be thinner than normal mango puree, but thicker than water.

Arrange the grilled paneer and vegetable on a platter. Top with some Mango Dressing and cilantro. Serve hot as an appetizer or a side dish!

We always order Tandoori Paneer Tikka in restaurants, but now that I have mastered the art of making it at home, we often enjoy it as dinner, just by itself! The addition of Mango Dressing was a winning brainwave, and the basic recipe for the sauce as well as the Tandoori Marinade can be used for any other tikka recipe.

Related Recipes:
Achari Paneer Tikka Wraps
Spicy Chilli Paneer
Savoury Paneer & Sun-dried Tomato Muffins
Restaurant-Style Paneer Butter Masala


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57 comments :

FH said...

I agree! Paneer makes everything look elegant, your's looks delish too, as usual!:)
Had a good weekend? I or we planted lot of veggies, sneezing and coughing today and got one shade darker tan too! :D
Have a great day, just started my "usual"! Got a post for AWED but haven't typed yet, will do today if I get time.

Chandani said...

mouthwatering recipe mansi..will be trying it soon!!!

Daily Meals said...

Wow! that looks lovely, Mansi!

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Kalai said...

Now that's one classy entry, Mansi! Looks wonderful. :)

Anonymous said...

that looks better than the restaurant! and I love the mango dressing!! brilliant twist..evn kids can eat it without it being too spicy for them!:)

~mallika

EC said...

Very innovative twist to the usual paneer tikka

Sagari said...

mango dressing look very tempting mansi

ranji said...

i make paneer tikka but with mango dressing is a very creative idea mansi....Thanks for sharing..will try it next time..

Uma said...

what a wonderful recipe, Mansi! Looks great. Perfect entry.

The Short (dis)Order Cook said...

Not only does the dish look great, but that mango dressing looks really versatile. You could probably use it on a lot of things.

Unknown said...

Interesting combination of flavours Mansi, paneer is one thing thatis more than willing to absorb a variety of flavours...nice entry for the MM!

Deepa Kuber said...

YES U R RIGHT, PANEER IS ONE OF THE ITEMS, HOWEVER U SERVE, PEOPLE LIKE IT ANYWAY. UR DISH LOOKS GOOD.PANEER WITH MANGO DRESSING IS NEW TO ME :)SHOULD TRY THAT.

Divya said...

wow very innovative indeed .. planning a party on fri and this is surely going to be in the menu... thanks for sharing

Mansi said...

thanks folks! glad you'll liked my experiment! the mango dressing indeed added a nice sweet and zesty flavor to the dish, balancing the tikka marinade and also making the paneer softer:)

Thanks to all the food events that bring out all this creativity in our cooking!:)

Vanamala Hebbar said...

WoW...Paneer tikka !!! i will try it ASAP

Arundathi said...

that looks fabulous mansi! what a great entry! mmm i wouldnt go out to eat if i could get food like that at home!

J said...

The mango dressing seems a sure winner!

notyet100 said...

wow,..niceone..

Tee said...

WOW! This looks heavenly! Loved it a lot!!!!

kamala said...

This is awesome Mansi asusual.Bookmarked it

Anonymous said...

wow! it looks great and tempting.I have to try it soon.thanks for sharing this.

Unknown said...

the paneer looks too inviting

Richa said...

i too will say it again, will take paneer anytime ;)
lovely dish, Mansi!

Mike of Mike's Table said...

Looks excellent! I really like the mango dressing...especially now that the mangoes I'm finding around here are looking a lot better...

Anonymous said...

Heard about your blog frm a friend...Liked it very much,I have recently started my own blog..do visit and please give me your comments.

Unknown said...

lovely dish...loved the mango dressing

Anonymous said...

Looks delicious! And fancy :-) You're right, could never go wrong wiht paneer...

Lisa Turner said...

Paneer anything gets my attention. In fact, I made matar paneer yesterday. I've been quite enjoying mango lately. Gorgeous recipe! A must try.

Meeta K said...

mango chutney rules. this paneer looks incredible mansi. i love the way you have jazzed it up with the mango chutney!

Suganya said...

WOW!.... The paneer looks gorgeous... nice presentation... Different recipe.... Love it...

Namratha said...

That Mango dressing is making me drooooooooool Mansi, lip smacking good!

Jigna Desai said...

Awesome recipe... I will definetly try this weekend.
Thanks for sharing as always!

delhibelle said...

That mango sauce is such a delicious twist.
Am already counting the different ways it can be had.

test it comm said...

This sounds really good!

Anonymous said...

this sounds, quite possibly, like the best paneer ever.

Mansi said...

I'm really happy that so many of you enjoyed the mango twist! and its really the best way to enjoy the paneer tikka!:)

Anonymous said...

Great website! I love to see the range of recipes and the photos make me hungry. My favorite Indian dish is Saag Paneer- a creamed spinach with goat cheese cubes. Anyone have the recipe?

Mansi said...

Tracey - yes, I'll be posting a recipe for saag paneer soon, maybe next week....hope you enjoy all the other recipes here!:)

Cris said...

What an elegant dish... and I have garam masala now that my husband brought me some from India! :-)

Deborah Dowd said...

This looks like a wo dish so I'm collecting the ingredients and giving your recipe a try!

Mansi said...

s, Deb - please do try it out and let me know how it came out!:) I'll be happy to know reviews about this from non-indians!:)

Shifali said...

Hi,

I loved your recipe. I have just started blogging and did land on your site accidently and I must say your site is realllly coooooollllllll!!!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

awesome recipe, and a great variation! brilliant!:)

-jasleen

Lore said...

I love cottage cheese and the idea of marinating it in a spicy yoghurt blend sounds really good!
Thanks for participating.

Parita said...

Hi Mansi, what a innovative twist to paneer tikka..grt, i have recently started blogging and visited your blog regularyl now, thanks for the recipe :)

Priya said...

I am sure I will finish it up by eating...err, tasting the whole thing :)) Love the combo of flavors in this one.

Manju said...

i dont know how i did not get this in my reader!! :( and looks like ive missed a lot more of your posts!! will resubscribe to your posts.

The paneer tikka looks awesome and that mango sauce is such a new twist!

SMN said...

this is so yummy and nice twist to the regular tikka :)

Vanamala Hebbar said...

wow looks so delicious..

Mansi said...

thanks folks, we sure enjoyed the mango twist...so I'm positive you all would too!:)

Dragon said...

This sounds so delicious!

hobbycooking said...

mango sauce with paneer seems to be an unusual combination, wouldnt mind giving it a try, since it looks good ;)

EC said...

This looks absolutely stunning...thanks for the yumm yumm entry

Shveta said...

Looks great, mango dressing is a good option. I'll definitely try this.
I'm a blogger too. My site is :
http://shvetahora.wordpress.com/

Thanks,
shveta

Pooh said...

Love the dressing! Will have to try this one soon.

chef and her kitchen said...

It is looking absolutely gorgeous..loved the dressing..will give a try.