A grilled paneer salad recipe with paneer tikka, fresh crunchy veggies, and oil free salad dressing! This easy paneer tikka salad satisfies your cravings and is healthy enough to be considered a paneer salad for weight loss.
Heat ½ tablespoon mustard oil in a small pan until warm. Add it to 2 teaspoons of Kashmiri chili powder and mix.
Once it cools down, add 1 tablespoon yogurt, 1 teaspoon lemon juice, ½ teaspoon ground coriander, ¼ teaspoon garam masala, ¼ teaspoon chaat masala, and ½ teaspoon salt. Mix well until the spices and salt dissolve and you get the consistency of a marinade.
Marinate paneer
Slice the block of paneer into ½-inch thick slabs. (Refer to the pictures in the post above.)
Place the paneer slabs in a large bowl and add the tikka marinade. Coat the paneer slabs with the marinade on all sides. Do it gently without breaking the paneer.
Let it marinate for 30 minutes while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
Prepare mix-ins
Remove seeds from the cucumber. Remove the seeds and pulp from the tomatoes.
Thinly slice all the vegetables and roughly chop the herbs. Place them in a large bowl.
Dry-roast the cashews.
Make spicy yogurt dressing
Take 4 tablespoons yogurt, 2 teaspoons lemon juice, 1 teaspoon honey, ¼ teaspoon chaat masala, ½ teaspoon ground cumin, ½ teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper in a jar.Adjust the spices according to taste.
Shake or whisk until the dressing emulsifies and you get a creamy consistency. Add 1 or 2 tablespoons of water if it’s too thick.
Make paneer tikka on a pan
Brush a grill pan (or a regular pan) with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Heat the pan and place the marinated paneer slabs without overcrowding the pan.
Cook on medium heat for 4 to 5 minutes until browned (or charred according to your preference).
Flip and cook the other side for 3-4 minutes. Remove paneer tikka from the pan and let them rest for 5 minutes.
Slice each slab of paneer into 3 or 4 pieces. Keep aside.
How to make paneer tikka in the oven
Preheat the oven to 220°C / 430°F.
Slice the marinated paneer slabs into 1-inch by 2 -inch pieces. Thread the paneer onto skewers.
Place the skewers on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Prop them in such a way that the skewers rest on the walls of the tray and the paneer doesn't touch the bottom.
No skewers? You can place the paneer on the baking tray directly. You will have to flip them halfway through cooking.
Baste paneer with melted butter/ ghee/ olive oil. Set the oven to “broil” mode.
Cook for 9 to 10 minutes, until the paneer tikka are browned. Remove the tray from the oven and allow it to rest for 5 minutes.
Plate the paneer salad
Add half of the dressing to the sliced veggies and herbs. Toss until well combined.
Serve on individual plates. Top with paneer tikka and sprinkle toasted cashews and raisins.
Drizzle the rest of the yogurt dressing on top. Serve immediately.
Video
Notes
Oil: I use 2 types of oil for making paneer tikka. One is mustard oil which gives the characteristic tandoori flavor. The second one is olive oil (or any cooking oil) for brushing on the grill pan.
Paneer: If using store-bought fresh paneer, soak the slabs in hot water for 10 minutes and drain before marinating.
Kashmiri chili powder gives flavor and color without heat. You can use paprika (smoked paprika is even better) as a close substitute.
I prefer Japanese cucumbers since they are more crunchy and have less moisture.
Do not discard the pulp removed from the tomatoes. Store and use it for other recipes like curries and soups.
Feel free to replace cashews with any toasted nuts or seeds (walnuts, almonds, pistachios, pumpkin, sunflower, or sesame seeds). You can substitute raisins with other dry fruits like dates, cranberries, etc.)
The cooking time is based on the assumption that you do the prep work of chopping and mixing when the paneer is marinating.
Make ahead option: This paneer salad stays fresh in the fridge for about 3 days if you store the dressing separately. You can also freeze it for about 2 weeks.
Leftovers: Once you add the yogurt dressing, the salad can last only for about 2 days in the fridge. You can also freeze it if you want to store it longer. But the texture of yogurt changes when frozen. So the salad might become soggy when you thaw it.
The solution is a simple hack: thaw the salad overnight in the fridge and toss it with some croutons before serving. Croutons absorb the extra moisture and keep the salad crisp.