Grilled Paneer

A long time ago, when my kids were really young, we visited my friend Shabana, in California.  Shabana, at that time, did not spend too much time in the kitchen – everything she made was quick (she called herself the 30 second cook), but tasty.  She knew that my kids loved paneer and made this awesome grilled paneer for snack.  My kids loved it! 

Grilled Paneer

Inspired by this, I bought a table-top grill thinking that I would use it to make grilled paneer, but more importantly, would also use it to grill veggies and make fancy kebobs.  I had visions of making a killer marinade to coat the veggies and arranging them artfully on a skewer after grilling them.

This never happened.

I do make the grilled paneer regularly though.  It is a big hit with kids.  If I make it for parties, no matter how many blocks of paneer I grill, there will be none left for the adults.

The recipe is really simple and forgiving.  I just eyeball the measurements and marinate the paneer in the yogurt mixture for a while before grilling.

Here is what you need:

(makes 20 – 24 pieces)

• 1 block store-bought paneer
• ½ cup yogurt
• 1½ tsp. chili powder
• ¼ tsp. turmeric powder
• 1 tsp. dhania (coriander) powder
• 1 tsp. jeera (cumin) powder
• 1 tsp. ginger-garlic paste
• some fresh ground pepper
• ½ tsp. chat masala powder
• salt to taste
• non-stick spray

 

Here is how I made it:

1. Cut the paneer into rectangular pieces.
2. Beat the yogurt and add all the spices, including the ginger-garlic paste and salt.  Mix well
3. Add the paneer pieces to the marinade and toss, making sure that all of them are coated well.
4. Cover and let this sit for about ½ hour in the refrigerator.
5. Heat up your grill and place the pieces on the grill.  You can spray the grill surface with non-stick spray for easy clean-up, if you like.
6. Close the cover of the grill.  Check after about five minutes and flip them over if necessary.  Grilling times may vary – so check frequently and adjust the cooking time to suit your grill.
7. Repeat till all the paneer pieces are grilled.

Serve hot with pudina chutney.

Note:    

• The juices will drip – so place a tray or plate under the grill to catch the spills.
• You can also use freshly minced garlic and grated ginger instead of ginger-garlic paste.
• I sometimes add little bit of green chili chutney to the marinade.
• If you don't have a grill, you can also cook this on a tawa, with a little bit of oil.