Paneer Tikka Masala

Ingredients

• 250 g paneer
• 1 onion
• 1 capsicum
• 200 ml tomato puree
• 1 tsp red chilli powder
• 1 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• 0.5 tsp garam masala powder
• 100 ml thick yogurt
• 1 tsp fenugreek powder
• dry fenugreek leaves
• cardamom
• cumin seeds
• shaved ginger
• 20 ml garlic paste
• 1 bowl corn

Method

Marinate the paneer in marinating|yogurt and spices for at least an hour. Cube 250 g paneer and coat with half a teaspoon each of red chilli, turmeric, coriander, and garam masala powders, plus 0.5 tsp fenugreek powder and 50 ml yogurt. The yogurt is your acid — it begins to denature the paneer's proteins, softening the crumb before heat. Cube the onion and capsicum into roughly the same size as the paneer so they char evenly.

Thread paneer, onion, capsicum, and tomato onto skewers. Grill at 200°C for 12–15 minutes, rotating every 3–4 minutes. You're after a mottled golden crust with darkened edges — the surface should feel firm to the touch but the cheese still give slightly underneath. Don't crowd the tray; air needs to move around each skewer.

While the paneer grills, build the sauce through spice-blooming. Heat oil in a heavy-bottomed pan and add cardamom pods and cumin seeds. Listen for them to crack and pop — the sound tells you volatiles are releasing. After 60–90 seconds, add chopped onion and cook until translucent and just beginning to colour. Add shaved ginger and 20 ml garlic paste, stirring constantly for a minute; the raw edge in the aroma should soften and deepen. This is aromatic-vegetables|base aromatics work — the flavours now bind into fat rather than sitting sharp on your palate.

Add 200 ml tomato purée and a pinch of dry fenugreek leaves. Simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally; the purée darkens slightly and smells sweeter, less acidic. This is reduction — water evaporates and the tomato's sugars concentrate. Add 100–150 ml water, then slide in the grilled skewers. Scatter corn kernels into the sauce and simmer for 3–4 minutes until the liquid reduces again and clings to the paneer in a gloss. The sauce should coat the back of a spoon without running.

Finish with a squeeze of lemon juice — the acid cuts the richness of the paneer and rebalances the spice. Scatter fresh coriander and serve with flatbread or rice. Don't hold the dish hot for long; paneer toughens if it stews.