Paneer Tikka with Methi roti/paratha

There is a place in Singapore, called Little India. If you walk through it, it resembles any shopping market area from India. When I visited it for the first time, I took a lot of pictures and I was so excited to find typical Indian spices and ingredients. I loved the flower garland shops, saree shops and fresh produce shops. After years of not having easy access to Indian stuff, I went on a shopping spree and like many Indians in Singapore,now I visit this place once in 20 days or a month to re-stock. 

Look at the "flower garlands", or the man with the "newspapers and magazines".....it feels like any busy market place in India.

Well, I bought fresh paneer and fresh methi leaves(fenugreek) from one of the stalls here. I haven't seen fresh methi in years :)  I made two popular Indian recipes --> Paneer tikka masala and Methi paratha (fenugreek flat-bread)... :)

Fresh Methi leaves.... aren't they beautiful.... !

Ingredients for the paneer tikka:

• Paneer 300 gms
• Hung yogurt 1/2 cup
• Coriander/cumin powder/chili powder/salt/garam masala - about 1/2 tsp each. You can add more according to your taste
• Fresh chopped methi (fenugreek) leaves - about 2 tbsp (or you can use dried kasuri methi)
• Ginger and garlic paste - about 1/2 tsp each
• 1 tsp oil

Ingredients for the masala:

• 1 tsp each of ginger and garlic paste(I usually grate the required amount with fresh garlic cloves and ginger)
• 2 onions(one chopped finely and one in a bit bigger pieces)
• 3 tomatoes (pureed/strained and seeds removed)
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 tsp each of turmeric/coriander/cumin/salt/pepper and garam masala powders (you can add more or less according to your taste, especially the salt and garam masala)
• 1 tbsp oil
• Coriander leaves, onion slices and fresh cream to garnish(I din't have)

Ingredients for the Methi paratha:

• 2 cups atta (whole wheat flour)
• 1/2 tsp salt, coriander, cumin, garam-masala powder
• 1 cup of fresh methi leaves
• 1 tbsp garlic paste
• water and a few drops of oil to bind the dough

Recipe for the paneer tikka:

• Chop the paneer to 1 inch cubes.
• Mix it well with the hung curd.
• Add the ginger-garlic, powdered spices, salt and fresh methi leaves.
• Mix well and let the paneer marinate for about 1/2 hour.

• Pre-heat the oven to 200 degrees in a broil mode, and line a tray with a foil and grease it with a tsp of oil.
• Line all the paneer pieces on the foil and then broil them for about 15 minutes. Turn the paneer pieces halfway, so that they are evenly browned.

• Once done, keep aside and make the masala. 
• You can serve them, as they are on a skewer, garnished with onions, bell-peppers and chat masala.

Recipe for the gravy for paneer tikka:

• Heat about a tbsp oil in a skillet. Add cumin seeds, ginger garlic paste, onions, bigger onion pieces, powdered spices(except garam masala) and tomato puree in this order, stirring well after each addition.

• Once the vegetables are mushy, add paneer tikka and mix well and cook for about 2-3 minutes.

• After everything has been mixed well add about a cup of milk to make the sauce creamy. Add the milk slowly and keep the heat low, otherwise the milk might curdle.

• Serve hot with a garnish of sliced onions, coriander leaves, lemon and a spoonful of fresh cream.

Recipe for Methi paratha/methi roti (fenugreek flat-bread):

• Chop the fresh methi leaves finely. I did it in a food processor.

• Add chopped fenugreek leaves and dry spice powders and salt to the atta(whole wheat flour) and mix well with a spoon.

• Now, take about a cup of water and add it slowly to the flour-spice-fenugreek mix and mix it to a soft dough.
• Take a tsp of oil and coat the dough ball, cover it with cling wrap and keep it in the refrigerator for an hour.
• Make balls of the dough. 

• Flatten a dough-ball, and roll it to a 8-10 cm cirle.
• Heat a skillet, and cook the paratha on both sides. You can add oil or ghee to roast, or you can dry roast it too.

• Serve hot with paneer tikka masala.

Quantity:

• Paneer tikka makes 2-3 servings
• 12 parathas

Notes:

• You can use ghee/cream instead of oil/milk in the tikka for a richer taste.
• You can increase the quantity of milk and puree the tomatoes and strain them for a more liquid sauce.( I just chopped the tomatoes finely and used them seeds, skin and all)
• You can use colored bell-peppers for a attractive presentation and a different taste.