Vegetable Paneer Tikka Masala For Baisakhi Festival

There are only few days left to welcome the Sikh New Year and to celebrate Baisakhi with great pomp and show.

Each year, Baisakhi is celebrated on 13th or 14th of April, which not only denotes the beginning day of the Sikh New Year, but the Sikh Community also commemorates the formation of the Khalsa under the leadership of Guru Govind Singh.

Today, Baisakhi is celebrated with lots of fun elements. Fairs and melas are organised. And when it comes to any type of a festival in India, the cuisine definitely plays a major role.

When it comes to the Sikh or specifically Punjabi cuisine, tikka masala, kebabs, etc., are a must-prepare dish. Here is the recipe of the vegetable paneer tikka masala that you must prepare to double the joy of this Punjabi harvest festival. Take a look.

Serves - 4
Preparation Time - 1 hour
Cooking Time - 30 minutes

Ingredients:

For Tikka:

• Paneer/Cottage Cheese - 500 grams (cut into cubes)
• Bell Peppers - 1 cup (green, yellow, red and should be diced)
• Ginger-garlic Paste - 1½ tsp
• Oil - 4 tbsp
• Onion - 1 (large and chopped)
• Thick Curd - ½ cup
• Butter - 1 tbsp
• Lime Juice - ½ tsp
• Cumin Powder - ½ tsp
• Coriander Powder - ½ tsp
• Kashmiri Red Chilli Powder - 2 tsp
• Garam Masala Powder - ½ tsp
• Kasuri Methi - ½ tsp
• Salt to taste
• Turmeric Powder - ¼th tsp
• Chat Masala Powder - ½ tsp

For The Gravy:

• Onions - 2 (medium, peeled and halved, finely chopped)
• Cardamom - 1
• Tomatoes - 3 (medium-sized, finely chopped)
• Dry Red Chilli - 1
• Ginger-Garlic Paste - 1 tsp
• Cashew Nuts - 10
• Yogurt - 3 tbsp (full fat)
• Kasuri Methi - ½ tsp (crushed)
• Red Chilli Powder - ½ tsp
• Turmeric Powder - ¼th tsp
• Water as needed
• Fresh Cream - ¼th cup
• Butter - 1½ tbsp
• Sugar - 1½ tbsp
• Salt as required
• Coriander leaves for garnishing

Procedure:
1. Take a bowl and add curd, ginger-garlic paste and all other spices into it and mix well.

2. Now, add paneer cubes, bell peppers and onions.

3. Mix everything well, so that the paneer, onions and bell peppers get well coated by the mixture. Marinate the mixture overnight.

4. Now, if you want to grill, add paneer pieces, bell peppers and onions on to the skewers and grill it for 6-8 minutes to get it into a light brown shade from all sides.

5. You are ready with your paneer tikkas. This is the time to prepare the gravy.

6. Take a pan and add butter into it. Add all the spices into it and sauté well. Now, add onions into it. Fry it until brown.

7. Add tomatoes and salt and cook until the tomatoes lose their rawness. Add turmeric powder, salt, red chilli powder and garam masala powder into it and mix well.

8. Once the mixture is cooked, transfer it into the blender and blend well into a puree. Take it into the pan again, add kasuri methi and let the mixture get boiled. Add water as required. Stir when you cook the gravy.

9. Add the paneer tikkas you have already prepared and cook for a while until they get cooked completely.

10. Spread fresh cream on it and your vegetable paneer tikka is ready to be served. Transfer it into a serving bowl and garnish with chopped coriander leaves.