Sheet-Pan Paneer Tikka

By Zainab Shah

Published Sept. 15, 2022

Sheet-Pan Paneer Tikka
Bryan Gardner for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne.
Total Time
25 minutes
Rating
4(1,714)
Comments
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Paneer, the slightly salty and extremely versatile South Asian cheese, is the perfect backdrop for heady masalas. In this recipe, soaking paneer in hot water for 10 minutes before cooking rehydrates it, while coating and baking it — along with bell peppers and red onion — with yogurt, ginger, garlic, oil, and spices means the paneer will be light, fluffy and flavorful every time. Basting the paneer with melted ghee toward the end of the baking process keeps it from drying out and adds nuttiness. In the end, you’ll have a one-pan meal of sweet, crunchy veggies and luxuriously spiced paneer in under 30 minutes. To make it vegan, substitute tofu for paneer (no need to soak) and skip the yogurt.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 to 6 servings
  • 1½pounds paneer (fresh or store-bought), cut into 1-inch cubes
  • 3tablespoons mustard oil or neutral oil
  • 3tablespoons full-fat Greek yogurt
  • 1tablespoon ginger paste or finely grated ginger (from about a 2 inch piece)
  • 1tablespoon garlic paste or finely grated garlic (from about 6 cloves)
  • 1tablespoon coriander powder
  • 1tablespoon garam masala
  • 1teaspoon Kashmiri or other red chile powder
  • ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
  • Salt
  • 2medium bell peppers, seeded and chopped into 1-inch pieces
  • 1medium red onion, quartered and each quarter cut into halves
  • 2tablespoons melted ghee or butter for basting
  • ½ lemon, juiced (about 4 teaspoons)
  • Roti and chutney, for serving (optional)
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)

487 calories; 40 grams fat; 19 grams saturated fat; 1 gram trans fat; 13 grams monounsaturated fat; 4 grams polyunsaturated fat; 10 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 5 grams sugars; 25 grams protein; 819 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    If using store-bought paneer, soak it in hot water for 10 minutes and drain. Arrange one oven rack in the center of the oven and a second one closest to the broiler heating element. Heat oven to 450 degrees. Line a large sheet pan with foil and brush it with 1 tablespoon oil. Set aside.

  2. Step 2

    In a large bowl, mix the rest of the oil with yogurt, ginger paste, garlic paste, coriander powder, garam masala, red chile powder, turmeric powder and 1 teaspoon salt to make the marinade.

  3. Step 3

    Add paneer, bell peppers and onion to the bowl with the marinade and mix until evenly coated. (If you have the time, marinate the paneer and vegetables for 20 minutes and up to 2 hours for even more flavor.)

  4. Step 4

    On the prepared sheet pan, evenly spread out the marinated paneer and vegetables, and bake on the middle oven rack until the paneer edges start to turn golden, about 8 minutes.

  5. Step 5

    Take the pan out of the oven and brush the paneer with melted ghee. Turn the oven to broil, place the paneer and vegetables on the top rack and broil on high until the paneer turns golden, 1 to 2 minutes. Take the paneer and vegetables out of the oven and sprinkle with lemon juice and additional salt, if desired. Serve with roti and chutney or by itself.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
1,714 user ratings
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Comments

Emma

To make paneer, https://www.indianhealthyrecipes.com/how-to-make-paneer-cubes-at-home/ is a great recipe with stepwise photos. One helpful tip is to use vinegar to curdle the milk, not lemon or yogurt. The vinegar is the most consistently acidic, so easiest for beginners to get a nice firm texture.

AM

Delicious! We only had 1lb of paneer so I added some boiled and cubed potatoes to the marinade. So good! The broil at the end really made the dish!

VP

Just tried it with tofu. Was great. Don't think the broil is required... At least not for tofu or maybe for less time. It got dry.

John M

I made this almost exactly as written and it was excellent. Unlike others, the cooking time was perfectly from my perspective. The paneer I used was something I had previously frozen, and so I didn't soak it. Leftovers will be used tonight, along with beans and some meat, to fill some burritos!

Andrea

I follow the directions except for I make twice the marinade as many have mentioned. After everything is cooked I toss it in a pan with store bought Tikka Masala sauce and serve over rice. The baked-in flavors really improve the not-from-scratch sauce and solves the dryness issue.

Somia

Like others I made it with tofu and it was really tasty and easy - used homemade yogurt so the marinade was more looser in texture for me so I had to broil at the end to get the char. I would for sure make this again and use some other vegetables - one tip is to also use crushed fenugreek leaves (indian grocery store will be your best bet) in the marinade for an authentic flavor. Next time I am going to try the air fryer to test !

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