All of us must have tasted paneer tikka at some time or the other. And it is quite a hit with most people as a starter. With the amount of fat paneer has, it becomes quite an indulgence for weight watchers. Tofu or bean curd is a better subsitiute for paneer. It is quite similar in texture and colour to paneer. It is supposed to be quite healthy also. So if you have tofu avialble in your supermarket, you should give it a try.
In this recipe, I have used the basic principle of marinating the Tofu as we do to paneer, along with other vegetables like capsicum and tomato. I then broiled them in my OTG till done. You can do it in the microwave or a tawa too. I used the leftover marinade as a side for dipping the tikkas in. Try it. It is really good as an evening snack or a stater. It is also a good way to get kids to eat healthy food.
Here is how I made it:
For the marinade:
Thick curd: 1/2 cup
Salt : to taste
Chilli powder : to taste
Fenugreek/dhania powder: 1 tsp
Cumin/jeera powder: 1 tsp
Garam masala powder : 1/2 tsp
Chat masala : little
Ginger garlic paste : 1 tsp
Lemon juice of half a lemon
kasuri methi : 1/2 tsp o(optional)
Coriander sprigs: a few chopped
You can vary the above ingredients according to taste.
For the tikkas:
Tofu : 200 gms or a single block as available
Capsicum: 2
Tomatoes : 2
Onion : 1 optional
Preparing the vegetables:
Cut the tofu into 1 inch blocks.
Remove the stem of the capsicum. Remove the seeds and cut into squares.
Remove the stem of the tomatoes. Cut into roundels.
If you are using onions, cut them also into roundels.
You can also use other veggies like mushrooms depending on taste.
Place all the ingredients for the marinade in a bowl and mix together. Check seasning. The measurements depend on the taste buds. So at this stage you can alter the quanities of the ingredients in the marinade depending on you taste.
Once all the ingredients are prooperly mixed, add the cut vegetables to the marinade mix well and refridgerate for 1 – 2 hours depending on time availability. More time in the fridge give a better flavour since the veggies will absorb the flavours of the mariande better if they sit in the fridge for more time. More the better :P.
Remove from fridge and bring back to room temperature.
Now the tikka pieces can be mounted on to a skewer if you have one. I simply put the pieces onto tooth picks and arranged them on a foil and then broiled them on to in a pre-heated OTG for 10 min each side.
If you are using an OTG or an oven, you would need to apply oil on each side before turning the pieces. I also occasionally drizzled the marinade onto the pieces for the flavours to soak in.
If you do not have an oven, you can shallow fry the tikkas. Just take some oil in a kadhai, drop the prepared tikkas into the hot oil and let them sear on all sides.
Place the remaining curd marinade in a cup, check seasoning and serve as a dip for the tikkas. You can also serve with tomato sauce and green chutney. Enjoy hot tikkas
Paneer tikkas:
If you cant find tofu or want to use paneer, just repeat the prcoess with paneer instead of tofu.
