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Paneer Tikka: Marinating and Charring

Step 1 of 4 ·
Serves 4
· 30 minutes active, plus 30 minutes marinating total

Ingredients

· · ·

Method

  1. 1
    Score a shallow crosshatch into all faces of each paneer cube with the tip of a knife, so the marinade has grooves to grip rather than sitting on a flat, slick surface. The cuts need not be deep — they are there to open the face, not to split the block. The paneer is ready when every face carries a faint, even grid.
  2. 2
    Combine the yogurt, besan, ginger-garlic paste, ajwain, chilli, turmeric and salt in a bowl and whisk until the besan is fully dissolved and the marinade is uniformly thick, because the besan is what stiffens the yogurt and holds it against the paneer under broiler heat. It must cling to a spoon without running — a thin marinade will slide off the moment the heat strikes it, leaving the surface bare and pale rather than charred.
  3. 3
    Turn the scored paneer cubes through the marinade, pressing gently so the coating lodges into the scored grooves, and set aside for 30 minutes at room temperature so the spices have time to move into the surface of the cheese rather than sitting on top of it. The marinade should look dense and fully applied on every surface — bare patches will dry and harden rather than blister and blacken.
  4. 4
    This is where the dish lives or dies: place the coated paneer under a maximum-heat broiler on a rack set close to the element and cook for 5–7 minutes without turning, because the fierce, direct heat must blister the yogurt crust before the interior of the paneer has time to tighten and turn rubbery. Extended medium heat will desiccate the paneer entirely — the high heat must be immediate and brief. The dish is done when the exterior carries distinct blistered and charred patches, while the interior yields slightly under pressure.
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HACCP Brief — Codex Alimentarius CXC 1-1969 Paneer Tikka: Marinating and Charring
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