this recipe is for paneer tikka and not paneer tikka masala. paneer tikka is dry whereas paneer tikka masala is a gravied dish.

for newbies to indian food, paneer tikka is marinated paneer/cottage chese cubes, arranged on skewers and grilled or baked in the oven. specifically the recipe is called as tandoori paneer tikka, as the paneer is cooked in the tandoor which lends a subtle smoky charcoal flavor to the paneer. paneer tikka is usually served as a starter. other variations of this popular snack are mushroom tikka, tandoori aloo and tandoori gobi or gobi tikka.

i have made the paneer tikka in the oven and not in a tandoor… hence i am not calling it tandoori paneer tikaa ;-) even though i made it at home, the recipe was similar to the ones which is served in the restaurants. in fact it was much better than the paneer tikka served in the restaurants. to make this paneer tikka in tava, please check the notes below in the recipe section.

since diwali is just after a day, i thought of sharing this paneer tikka recipe… yes, it one of those recipes that you can make on any special or festive occasion. at my mom’s place, biryani or pulao are special recipes that are made on all festive or special occasions. and at my in law’s place it is either rajma chawal or chana