amritsari paneer tikka recipe with step by step photos – tasty starter snack of crisp shallow fried paneer cubes. the paneer cubes are marinated in a mixture of gram flour, spices, herbs and then fried. this tikka recipe comes from the city of golden temple – amritsar in punjab. few more delicious recipes from amritsar city are amritsari chole, paneer kulcha and amritsari dal recipe.
my first acquaintance with amritsari tikka recipe was as a cooking test in my home science college. we were giving handouts of individual recipes and were paired in two for each single recipe. we had got amritsari fish for the test. while i got besan, ginger-garlic paste and spices from home, the other girl with me got fish fillets. i still remember my mom grinding ginger-garlic paste for this. about 500 grams. the entire menu that day was for some guests from outside and the college staff, who would do taste testing. the quantities were large for every one of us. we had deep fried the marinated and batter coated fish. and yes we got good feedback on the recipe.
when i moved to being a vegetarian, i started making the same recipe with paneer, potatoes and cauliflower. my folks loved these versions. sometimes i would just make with gram flour and at times i would add some curd to the marination. i always shallow fry the paneer. you can even deep fry or for health reasons bake them. but shallow fried or deep fried taste better 🙂
there are two ways to make amritsari paneer tikka. either marinate the paneer and fry. or else make a batter. dip the paneer cubes in the batter and fry. the batter version has different proportions. then it becomes more like a pakora.
this paneer tikka recipe used the first option mentioned above. mix, marinate and fry. so easy to make for kids evening snack or as a party starter. if making for a party, just increase the ingredients proportionately. you can even use the paneer tikkas as a filling in a wrap. if serving at a party, you can arrange them in skewers.
few more paneer starter recipes you can make for parties or get together are:
- paneer pakoda
- paneer popcorn (crispy paneer nuggets)
- paneer 65 recipe (a quick starter or snack recipe)
- paneer tikki
- paneer tikka
- achari paneer tikka
- hariyali paneer tikka
- paneer sandwich recipe
serve amritsari paneer tikka, sprinkled with some chaat masala powder and a mint or coriander leaves garnish. accompany tamarind chutney or a mint raita by the side. this mint chutney goes very well with this amritsari paneer tikka. though you can even use your favorite chutney. tofu can be used as a substitute for paneer.
amritsari paneer tikka
INGREDIENTS FOR amritsari paneer tikka
- 250 to 300 grams paneer (cottage cheese) - chopped in 1.5 to 2 cm cubes
- 4 tablespoon besan (gram flour)
- ¼ teaspoon ajwain (carom seeds)
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder (haldi)
- ¼ teaspoon garam masala powder
- ½ teaspoon kashmiri red chilli powder or kashmiri lal mirch powder or deghi mirch
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1.5 teaspoon ginger garlic paste OR ¾ inch ginger (about 4 to 5 grams ginger) and 4 to 5 garlic cloves (5 grams garlic without peels), crushed to a paste in mortar-pestle
- 2 tablespoons water
- salt as per taste
- 3 tablespoons oil for shallow frying
- chaat masala as required for sprinkling
- few coriander leaves and mint leaves for garnishing
HOW TO MAKE amritsari paneer tikka
preparation for amritsari paneer tikka
- slice 250 grams to 300 grams paneer in slightly thick cubes. if using frozen paneer, then just thaw it for some minutes in warm water, before slicing.
- in a mixing bowl add all ingredients except oil, paneer cubes, chaat masala, coriander and mint leaves.
- mix every thing very well with a spoon or wired whisk to a smooth batter mixture without any lumps.
- now add the paneer cubes. toss the bowl and gently mix the paneer cubes with the marinade, so that the paneer cubes do not break. you can even mix the paneer cubes gently with your hand.
- cover the bowl and allow to marinate for 30 minutes at room temperature. if keeping for longer time, then refrigerate. you can also marinate for 4 to 5 hours or overnight in fridge.
making amritsari paneer tikka
- now heat 3 table spoon oil in a thick bottomed tawa/griddle or a frying pan. when the oil becomes hot, place a small paneer piece.
- this is just to check if the paneer does not stick to the pan and the hotness of the oil. the oil has to be medium hot. do use a well seasoned pan while frying, or else the paneer cubes will stick to the pan.
- now coat the marination well on the cubes and place them on the tawa.
- when the base becomes crisp and golden, flip and fry the other side.
- flip a couple of times and fry till both sides are crisp, golden and evenly cooked. slightly thick paneer cubes do not get hard while frying and remain soft even after frying. however, don't fry for a long time, as then the paneer cubes will get dense. keep on regulating the flame from low to medium while frying.
- remove the fried paneer cubes and drain them on kitchen paper towels. fry the remaining in the same way. depending on the size of pan, you can fry all at once or in two batches.
- serve amritsari paneer tikka, sprinkled with some chaat masala powder and a mint or coriander leaves garnish. accompany mint chutney, tamarind chutney or a mint raita by the side.
RECIPE TIPS
- tofu, half boiled potatoes, blanched cauliflower can be used instead of paneer.
- you can add the spices as per your taste preferences.
- if baking then bake/grill at 180 degrees celsius in a preheated oven till the cubes become golden or slightly charred from the edges. brush some oil on the paneer cubes before baking.
how to make amritsari paneer tikka
1. slice 250 grams to 300 grams paneer in slightly thick cubes. if using frozen paneer, then just thaw it for some minutes in warm water, before slicing.
2. in a mixing bowl, take 4 tablespoon besan/gram flour.
3. add all the spices – ¼ tsp ajwain, ¼ tsp turmeric powder, ¼ tsp garam masala powder, ½ tsp kashmiri red chilli powder or deghi mirch.
4. add 1 tsp lemon juice.
5. add 1.5 tsp ginger garlic paste. if using fresh ginger and garlic, then crush ¾ inch ginger & 4 to 5 medium garlic cloves in a mortar-pestle.
6. add salt.
7. mix every thing with a spoon or wired whisk.
8. add 2 tbsp water.
9. mix to a smooth batter mixture without any lumps.
10. add the paneer cubes.
11. toss the bowl and gently mix the paneer cubes with the marinade, so that the paneer cubes do not break. you can even mix the paneer cubes gently with your hand.
12. cover the bowl and allow to marinate for 30 minutes at room temperature. if keeping for longer time, then refrigerate. you can also marinate for 4 to 5 hours or overnight in fridge. here’s the marinated paneer after 30 minutes.
13. now heat 3 tablespoon oil in a thick bottomed tawa or frying pan. when the oil becomes hot, place a small paneer piece.
14. this is just to check if the paneer does not stick to the pan and the hotness of the oil. the oil has to be medium hot. do use a well seasoned pan while frying, or else the paneer cubes will stick to the pan.
15. now coat the marination well on the cubes and place them on the tawa.
16. when the base becomes crisp and golden, flip and fry the other side.
17. flip a couple of times and fry till both sides are crisp, golden and evenly cooked. slightly thick paneer cubes do not get hard while frying and remain soft even after frying. however, don’t fry for a long time, as then the paneer cubes will get dense. keep on regulating the flame from low to medium while frying.
18. remove the fried paneer cubes and drain them on kitchen paper towels. fry the remaining marinated paneer cubes in the same way. depending on the size of pan, you can fry all at once or in two batches.
19. serve amritsari paneer tikka, sprinkled with some chaat masala powder and a mint or coriander leaves garnish. accompany pudina chutney, tamarind chutney or a mint raita by the side.
Effortlessly amazing recipe by an amazing chef!
thank you pragya 🙏 ❤️
Awesome and fantastic testy and yummy recipes. All my favorites.
I tried all the recipes according your way. Everyone apreceated..
Thanks for the recipes. 🙏👍👌👌
Welcome Shishir. Glad to know this. Thanks for sharing positive feedback on recipes.
Hi mam,
I love all your recipes… and try to cook as well.☺
I have two requests
1 please make a separate listing under categories for dry masala like the one u made for chole etc and where u have used it, coz I believe the qty of whole spices makes a difference in each recipe.
2 can you make the weekly menu plan… Please… please… please….
Thank you
prashali, thanks a lot. i will make a separate category for dry masalas. but to write where the masala is used, is difficult. i will have to write a separate post for it. weekly menu plan is under halt as we are focussing on video recipes.
For baking, what’s the temperature we need to use and how many minutes?
nithya, i have mentioned the details in the notes section of the recipe card. here it is – bake/grill at 180 degrees celsius in a preheated oven till the cubes become golden or slightly charred from the edges. brush some oil on the paneer cubes before baking. you can remove it half way through baking, turn over and then continue to bake. exact time i will not be able to tell as each oven is different. but on an average, should take 15 to 20 minutes.
hey dasanna thank u so much for the reply,n thanks a lot for ur tips on cleaning it helped me a lot thank u so much cooking guru.
welcome anusha and thanks a lot. glad to know it helped you. i have faced this issue with cheese sandwich on occasions. all the cheese melting and falling on the grill plates. so i clean it this way.
hi dasanna,can we cook this on grill sandwich maker.
you can. but keep it open or close loosely and not tightly. i generally do not cook on sandwich maker grill as cleaning it becomes a task. if you have a nonstick grill plate, then after grilling, let it cool completely. then soak the grill in water. once the leftover marinade particles soften, the using a liquid soap and sponge, clean it and then rinse.
Amazing. I also did this with halloumi (a Greek firm cheese). A great alternative.
tikka with halloumi cheese is new to me. good to know that the recipe worked well.
All your receipes are really awesome….n Dis one made my day….yummmmyyy n delicious
thank you chanchal for your positive views 🙂
Tried this with tofu. The first attempt using the batter as a marinade was so-so – the tofu didn’t absorb enough flavor and tasted too plain inside the flavorful fried batter (this is always an issue using tofu – it has very little flavor of its own). For the second attempt I did this variation with great success:
Combine all batter ingredients minus the water, lemon juice, and gram flour with 2tbsp oil.
Heat over medium/medium-low heat until fragrant and lightly simmering.
Take off heat and add lemon juice and 1tbsp water.
Coat tofu with the mixture and let sit refrigerated overnight.
After marinating, separate the tofu.
Mix in the gram flour and enough water to make a batter (1-2 tbsp).
Proceed with the recipe as stated
One more tip with tofu: since it has no salt, if you’re not serving with chaat masala you may use a pinch of salt in the marinade
thankyou for sharing your recipe and views for tofu 🙂
It looks so yummy and easy.
thankyou priya 🙂
It looks so yummy and easy.. I will try this. 🙂
thankyou priya surely try and let us know how it was?
in which rack v shud place in oven n do v need to flip in between? also shud v place in tray or grill rack
place in the middle or top rack. yes you need to flip in between and apply oil. you can place in a tray. but cover the tray with an aluminium foil. you can also place on a grill rack.
excellent, I tried this it was yummy. thanks
thankyou urmila 🙂
hmm