Name: Hariyali Paneer Tikka
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 85 min
Yield: 2 servings
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients: 200 g Paneer, cut into large, thick cubes; ⅓ Green Bell Pepper, cut into square petals; ⅓ Onion, layers separated into squares; ⅓ cup Mint Leaves, tightly packed; ⅓ cup Coriander Leaves, tightly packed; 2¾ tbsp Spinach, blanched, squeezed dry (for intense green color); 1⅓ Green Chili Pepper, adjust to taste; ⅔ tbsp Ginger-Garlic Paste; 2 tbsp Strained Yogurt, thick yogurt; 1 tbsp Roasted Gram Flour, bhuna besan, for binding; ⅓ tsp Garam Masala; ⅓ tsp Roasted Cumin Powder; ⅔ tsp Chaat Masala, divided; ½ tsp Salt, to taste; 1 tbsp Cooking Oil, heated and cooled; ⅔ tbsp Lemon Juice; 1⅓ tbsp Butter, melted, for basting

1 hr 25 mintotal

25 min hands-on1 hr hands-off

Prep 10 min · Cook 15 min

Serves: 2
Difficulty: Medium
Spice: Medium

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Method

Make the green paste: put the mint leaves, fresh coriander, thoroughly dried blanched spinach, raw green chillies, ginger-garlic paste and lemon juice into a blender. Blend to a completely smooth, thick green paste. Do not add any water.
Make the marinade base: in a large bowl, whisk the thick hung curd until completely smooth. Fold in the green paste, then the roasted besan, garam masala, cumin powder, half the chaat masala and the salt.
Pour in the pre-heated oil. Whisk hard until it comes together into a thick, bright green marinade.
Add the paneer cubes, capsicum petals and onion squares to the green marinade. Using your hands, coat every side gently but completely. Take care not to break the paneer.
Establish an airtight environment. Command a strict 1-hour refrigeration lockdown, forcing the paneer architecture to absorb and lock in the aggressive herbal flavor profile.
Upon thermal extraction, methodically alternate the armored paneer, capsicum, and onion units onto high-gauge metal or water-saturated wooden skewers.
Ignite a professional grill pan or heavy flat tawa to a sustained medium-high thermal state. Apply a micro-thin lipid barrier across the searing plane.
Lay the skewers on the hot pan. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes, turning every couple of minutes, until the green crust is well roasted and lightly charred all over.
8–10 min
In the last 60 seconds, baste the whole thing generously with melted butter. It sends up a burst of smoke and gives the charred herbs a glossy finish.
1 min
Slide the pieces off the skewers, dust with the remaining chaat masala and serve hot.

How to tell it's done

Demand a profoundly charred, fiercely herbaceous, and micro-crispy emerald exterior that shatters gently to reveal a starkly contrasting warm, outrageously soft, and milky paneer core.

Getting it right

Tip

Chef's Tip: The clandestine integration of a minimal portion of blanched spinach into the primary mint-coriander emulsion is an elite restaurant technique. It injects a breathtaking, hyper-vibrant emerald hue that stubbornly resists thermal degradation, refusing to turn an unappetizing brown or bitter during the intense grilling phase.

What to serve it with

Serve it with laccha pyaaz (spiced onion rings), lemon wedges and a green chutney. It makes a good party starter.

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