Achari Paneer Tikka

Achari paneer tikka is a popular and delicious starter dish served in restaurants. It is a robust variation of the classic Paneer Tikka where the cottage cheese cubes are flavored with marination of thick curd, pickling spices and seasonings. If you enjoy biting into a pickle and relishing the tangy taste of pickled lemon or mango cubes then you will definitely like this recipe. I share both the stovetop and oven cooking methods for this recipe.

Achar or pickle is a condiment that often accompanies Indian food. The spices which are used to make the achar masala is more or less the same everywhere in India. Mustard, fenugreek (methi seeds), red chili, turmeric and asafoetida (hing) are the common spices used in many pickles.

These spices flavor this achari paneer tikka too. I have also added fennel seeds, nigella seeds (kalonji) and mustard oil. You can skip kalonji if you don’t get them. Any other neutral flavored oil can also be added instead of mustard oil.

My recipe gives you a flavorful, robust and super tasty Achari Paneer Tikka and it pairs fabulously with mint chutney or coriander chutney.

Since I get a lot of queries for making tikka on stovetop, in this post I have mentioned Both stovetop and oven methods for cooking the achari paneer tikka.

You can also grill the tikka in an electric grill or barbecue grill. Even a tandoor will work.

If you like dishes made with pickling spices then I also have this delicious recipe of Achari Paneer gravy.

How to make Achari Paneer Tikka

Making Achari Marinade

1. First take the following spices in a in a dry grinder or coffee grinder or blender:

• 2 teaspoon mustard seeds (i used split mustard seeds also called as rai ka kuria)
• ¼ teaspoon fenugreek seeds
• 2 teaspoon fennel seeds
• ½ teaspoon nigella seeds
• 2 to 3 dry red chilies – deseeded and broken into small pieces

2. Grind all these spices to a fine powder. A slight semi-fine texture is also ok. This is the dry achari masala.

3. In a bowl take 7 tablespoons of hung yogurt or thick yogurt and whisk till smooth. 

To make hung yogurt, place about 1 cup curd/yogurt in a muslin cloth or a cotton napkin. Tie tightly and place on a strainer, which is kept over a bowl. Keep in the fridge till all the whey gets collected in the bowl. Here I used thick yogurt.

You can also use greek yogurt.

4. Then add the following ingredients:

• Powdered achari masala
• ½ teaspoon red chili powder or cayenne pepper
• 2 tablespoons of besan (gram flour) or cornstarch (corn flour)
• 1.5 teaspoon ginger-garlic paste
• 1 pinch asafoetida (hing) – optional
• ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder (ground turmeric)
• ½ teaspoon coriander powder (ground coriander) – optional
• ½ teaspoon dry mango powder or lime juice or – add as required for more tang if preferred
• ½ teaspoon crushed dry fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi)
• salt as required
• 1 teaspoon mustard oil, preferred or any vegetable oil

You can also use ready-made achar masala or pickle masala instead of grinding the spices. Add about 2 tablespoons of dry achar masala in the marinade.

5. Mix everything into the beaten curd. Check the taste and add more salt or other seasoning if required.

6. Then add the following ingredients:

• 1 medium-sized diced bell peppers (red or green or yellow)
• 1 medium-sized onion (halved and the layers separated)
• 250 to 300 grams of paneer cubes. Best to use soft and tender homemade paneer
• 1 medium tomato – diced (optional)

7. Gently mix the paneer cubes and veggies till they are evenly coated with the achari marinade. Cover and refrigerate for about 1 hour or overnight. You can also keep for any number of hours. I kept overnight.

8. The marinated cottage cheese cubes and veggies the next day. Gently mix again.

Grilling or Baking Method

9. Thread the veggies and paneer cubes on a bamboo skewer or metal skewer. You can also use toothpicks.

Preheat your regular oven to 200 degrees celsius/390 degrees fahrenheit, for atleast 10 minutes before you grill the tikkas.

For a regular oven, heat both the top and bottom elements and keep the pan in the center or top rack.

For a microwave oven use the convection mode and preheat at 180 degrees celsius/350 degrees fahrenheit. Cover a baking tray with an aluminum foil. Avoid butter paper like I have done as the paneer sticks to the butter paper, when grilled. I did not have aluminum foil and hence used butter paper.

10. Brush the marinated paneer with 1/2 to 1 tsp of mustard oil or any other oil.

11. Place the tray in the top rack or middle rack of a preheated oven. Keep both the top and bottom heating elements on. Grill at 200 degrees celsius for 15 to 20 minutes (depending on the oven temperatures).

I have a slow oven, so it took 25 minutes for the paneer cubes to be grilled and browned at the edges. Just keep an eye when the paneer is getting grilled in the oven.

For a microwave oven in the convection mode, use 180 degrees celsius for grilling the achari paneer tikka.

Pan-Frying Method to make Achari Paneer Tikka

12. Heat about 2 to 3 teaspoon oil in a non stick pan. You can add more oil if you prefer.

Place the threaded paneer cubes with the skewers on the pan. You can also fry the marinated paneer cubes and veggies without the skewers.

13. Gently rotate the skewers, when one side is crisp and browned. Keep on rotating till all the sides are browned. Add more oil if required, while frying.

14. Fry till all the sides are golden. Pan-fry on a low flame as the marinade gets browned quickly. Keep the fried achari paneer tikka aside.

Remember not to overcook the paneer as they can become hard or dense.

15. Serve with onion slices, lemon wedges and mint chutney. Sprinkle chaat masala and lemon juice on the achari paneer tikka while serving.

You can also garnish with chopped coriander or mint leaves. In the below photo, the achari paneer tikka on the left side is pan-fried and the one on the right side is grilled.

For best taste and flavor eat them hot or warm. On reheating the paneer cubes can become chewy or dense.

More Paneer recipes

• Paneer 65
• Paneer cutlet
• Paneer Sandwich
• Malai paneer tikka
• Hariyali paneer tikka

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Achari Paneer Tikka

4.67 from 3 votes

By Dassana Amit

Achari Paneer Tikka is a popular starter dish served in restaurants. It is a variation of the classic paneer tikka where the cottage cheese cubes are flavored with a marination of pickling spices.

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Prep Time 1 hr

Cook Time 30 mins

Total Time 1 hr 30 mins

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Cuisine North Indian

Course: Snacks, Starters

Diet: Vegetarian

Difficulty Level: Moderate

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Servings 4

Units

US CustomaryMetric

Ingredients

For the pickle masala or achari masala

• ▢ 2 teaspoon split yellow mustard (rai ka kuria) or 1.5 teaspoon whole mustard seeds
• ▢ 2 teaspoon fennel seeds
• ▢ ½ teaspoon nigella seeds (kalonji)
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon fenugreek seeds (methi dana)
• ▢ 2 to 3 dry red chilies – deseeded and broken into small pieces
• ▢ as substitute for above you can also add 2 tablespoon of ready made dry achar masala or pickle mix

Other ingredients

• ▢ 250 to 300 grams Paneer (Indian cottage cheese) – sliced into cubes or squares
• ▢ 1 medium capsicum (bell pepper – red or green or yellow) – diced
• ▢ 1 medium onion – halved and the layers separated
• ▢ 1 medium tomato – diced (optional)
• ▢ 7 tablespoons Hung Curd (hung yogurt ) or thick curd (yogurt) or greek yogurt
• ▢ 2 tablespoons besan (gram flour or chickpea flour) or corn starch (corn flour)
• ▢ 4 to 5 medium garlic cloves + 1 inch ginger – about 1.5 teaspoon ginger garlic paste
• ▢ ½ teaspoon dry mango powder (amchur powder) or lime juice – add as required for more tang if preferred
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder (ground turmeric)
• ▢ ½ teaspoon coriander powder (ground coriander) – optional
• ▢ ½ teaspoon red chili powder or cayenne pepper
• ▢ ½ teaspoon crushed dry fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi)
• ▢ 1 pinch asafoetida (hing) – optional
• ▢ 1 teaspoon mustard oil, preferred or any vegetable oil
• ▢ salt as required

For garnish

• ▢ 1 small to medium onion – sliced thinly or sliced thinly into roundels
• ▢ 1 small lime or 1 lemon – sliced or quartered
• ▢ a few pinches of chaat masala powder
• ▢ 1 tablespoon chopped coriander leaves or mint leaves (optional)

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark while making the recipe

Instructions

Preparing the achari masala or pickle mix

• First take all the spices namely – mustard seeds (i used split mustard seeds), fenugreek seeds, fennel seeds, nigella seeds and dry red chilies in a dry grinder or coffee grinder or blender.
• Grind all these spices to a fine powder. A slight semi fine texture is also ok. This is the dry achari masala. Keep aside.

Making Marination

• In a bowl take hung yogurt or thick yogurt and whisk till smooth. To make hung yogurt, place the yogurt in a muslin cloth or a cotton napkin. Tie tightly and place on a strainer, which is kept over a bowl. Keep in the fridge till all the whey gets collected in the bowl. This takes about 4 to 5 hours. You can also keep overnight. Here I used thick yogurt.
• Add the powdered achari masala, red chili powder, gram flour/corn starch, ginger-garlic paste, asafoetida, coriander powder, red chili powder, dry mango powder or lime juice, crushed dry fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi), salt and mustard oil. You can also use ready made achar masala or pickle masala. Add about 2 tbsp of dry achar masala in the marinade.
• Mix everything into the beaten curd. Check the taste and add more salt or other seasoning if required.
• Add the bell peppers, onions and paneer cubes.
• Gently mix the paneer cubes and veggies till they are evenly coated with the achari marinade.
• Cover and refrigerate for about 1 hour or overnight. You can also keep for any number of hours.
• Once you remove from the the marinated cottage cheese cubes and veggies from the fridge, then gently mix again.

Grilling method for making achari paneer tikka

• Preheat your oven to 200 degrees celsius/390 degrees fahrenheit for at least 10 minutes before you grill the tikkas. 
• For a regular oven, keep both the top and bottom elements on and keep the pan in the center or top rack. For a microwave oven use the convection mode and preheat at 180 degrees celsius/350 degrees fahrenheit.
• Thread the veggies and paneer cubes on a bamboo skewer or metal skewer. You can also
• Use toothpicks.
• Cover a baking tray with an aluminium foil. Avoid butter paper like I have done as the paneer sticks to the butter paper once grilled.
• Brush the marinated paneer with ½ to 1 teaspoon of mustard oil or any other oil.
• Place the tray in a the top rack or middle rack of a preheated oven. Keep both the top and bottom heating elements on. Grill at 200 degrees celsius for 15 to 20 minutes (depending on the oven temperatures). I have a slow oven, so it took 25 mins for the paneer cubes to be grilled and browned at the edges. 
• Just keep an eye when the paneer is getting grilled in the oven. For a microwave oven in the convection mode, use 180 degrees celsius/350 degrees fahrenheit for grilling the tikka.

Pan frying or stove top method

• Heat about 2 to 3 teaspoon oil in a non stick pan. You can add more oil if you want.
• Place the threaded paneer tikka with the skewers on the pan. You can also fry the marinated paneer cubes and veggies without the skewers.
• Gently rotate the skewers, when one side is crisp and browned. Keep on rotating till all the sides are browned. Add more oil if required, while frying.
• Fry till all the sides are golden. Pan fry on a low flame as the marinade gets browned quickly. Keep the fried achari paneer tikka aside. Remember not to overcook the paneer cubes as then they can become hard or chewy.
• Serve with onion slices, lemon wedges and mint yogurt chutney. Sprinkle chaat masala and lemon juice on the achari paneer tikka while serving. You can also garnish with chopped coriander or mint leaves.

Notes

• The recipe cannot be scaled due to the complex nature of the spices in it. If you want to increase the proportion then use the method of approximation, eyeballing the ingredients while adding them.
• Use soft and tender paneer. Homemade paneer is the best.
• Try to use all the spices as listed in the recipe. Don’t reduce or increase any of the spice as it can offset the flavor balance in the dish.
• You can marinate for a minimum of 30 minutes at room temperature. If you plan to marinate for a couple of hours then keep the marination ingredients covered in a bowl in the refrigerator.

Nutrition Info Approximate values

Nutrition Facts

Achari Paneer Tikka

Amount Per Serving

Calories 278 Calories from Fat 162

% Daily Value*

Fat 18g28%

Saturated Fat 10g63%

Trans Fat 1g

Polyunsaturated Fat 1g

Monounsaturated Fat 1g

Cholesterol 43mg14%

Sodium 358mg16%

Potassium 363mg10%

Carbohydrates 18g6%

Fiber 4g17%

Sugar 6g7%

Protein 14g28%

Vitamin A 529IU11%

Vitamin B1 (Thiamine) 1mg67%

Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin) 1mg59%

Vitamin B3 (Niacin) 1mg5%

Vitamin B6 1mg50%

Vitamin B12 1µg17%

Vitamin C 48mg58%

Vitamin E 1mg7%

Vitamin K 7µg7%

Calcium 381mg38%

Vitamin B9 (Folate) 40µg10%

Iron 1mg6%

Magnesium 31mg8%

Phosphorus 96mg10%

Zinc 1mg7%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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This Achari Paneer Tikka recipe post from the blog archives (first published in October 2014) has been updated and republished on 27 June 2021.