Hariyali paneer tikka recipe
I've committed myself to the healthy cause this new year, and so my mind, as I was walking home from the station this evening, was whirring with potential high-protein, low-carb dinner options. I realised that it isn't easy to make a low-carb Indian meal because your staple accompaniment - rice or roti - will always let you down. And so I decided to work backward, starting with a low-carb accompaniment, and then working out what high-protein main would taste nice with it. And that's when I decided I was going to experiment with a yogurt marinated paneer tikka recipe, served on a bed of bulgar wheat with wilted spinach and onions mixed through. I was very pleased with the result. Here's my recipe for a healthy hariyali (green) paneer tikka dinner.
Serves 2
Prep Time - 30 min
Cook Time - 30 min
Total Time - 1 hr
Ingredients
Paneer - 250 g
Coriander - large handful/small bunch
Yogurt - 4 heaped tbsp
Garlic - 4 cloves
Ginger - 1 and a half inch
Green chillies - 1
Turmeric - 1 tsp
Cumin powder - 3 level tsp
Bulgar wheat - 1 cup
Onion - 1 small
Spinach - 100g
Water - 5 and a half cups
Olive oil - 2 tsp
Salt
Pepper
Instructions
Grind the peeled ginger and garlic in a blender, along with the coriander and chilli
Dice the paneer into chunky cubes
Place the paneer cubes in a large bowl, and add the blended ginger-garlic-coriander-chilli
Sprinkle the cumin powder and turmeric and mix though
Add the yogurt and mix through, ensuring all the paneer pieces are well coated
Sprinkle salt and pepper to your taste, and mix through. I used about a tsp of ground black pepper
This should be a fairly wet marinade. Add a little more yogurt if needed
Place in the fridge, while you work on the bulgar wheat
Finely chop the onion and coarsely chop the spinach
Place the bulgar wheat in a saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil
Cover the pan and simmer for 15 minutes, until the water is absorbed
In the meantime, add a tsp of olive oil to a pan
When hot, add the onions and sauté till translucent
Then add the spinach and continue to sauté, till the spinach has wilted and all the water has evaporated
Turn off the heat, cover and place aside
Pre-heat your oven to 200 degrees
Line a baking tray with tin foil and grease with a little olive oil
Line the marinated paneer cubes on it. Spoon any leftover marinade on top of the cubes
Place the tray in the middle of the oven for 10 - 15 minutes
Your bulgar wheat should have absorbed all the water by now. Take off from the heat, and place aside for 10 minutes, covered
When the paneer cubes start turning brown, they're ready to be pulled out
Fluff the wheat with a fork, sprinkle salt, and mix the onions and spinach through it gently
Serve the bulgar wheat up, with the paneer cubes on top
If it's all a bit dry for you, add a dollop of yogurt on top