Paneer Shashlik (without skewers)

Ingredients:

• 1” cubes of 250 gm paneer
• 1” cubes of 1 bell pepper (green or red)
• 1” cubes of 1 medium red onion

For the Marinade:

• 3 Tbsp – whipped plain yogurt ( I used 1% fat)
• 1 Tbsp – ground roasted cumin power
• 1 Tbsp – coriander powder
• 1tsp – garlic paste ( optional, if you like the aroma of methi to dominate , skip garlic)
• ½ tsp – ginger paste
• ¼ tsp – red chilli powder (or to taste)
• ½ tsp – turmeric powder
• 1 tsp – amchur (mango) powder
• ½ tsp – garam masala
• ¼- ½ tsp – kasuri methi or mint powder
• Salt to taste
• Oil to grease the pan

Method :

1. Mix the yogurt and all the listed spices in a bowl. Add paneer and the vegetables. Yogurt should just about coat the veggies.
2. Marinate for a couple of hours.
3. Grease the grill pan and heat it to hot.
4. Using a spatula, transfer the vegetables to the pan gently. If there is liquid at the bottom of the pan, reserve it for later.
5. Let the vegetables grill for 3-4 minutes. The yogurt will start to separate while cooking. Turn the veggies to ensure that they cooked evenly on both the sides. Press gently on the paneer and the bell pepper to ensure that they are cooked all the way through. This will also make grill marks.
6. Reduce the heat to medium.
7. The vegetables should be done in 12-15 minutes.
8. If you find that the grilled stuff is getting too dry too quickly, add a portion of the remaining liquid.

Serving options:

• Paneer Shashlik can be served hot as an entrée with roti / parantha.
• This also makes a delicious wrap filling with naan or pita bread. Serve with Tzatziki.

Tip :

After cutting the paneer, rinse paneer with cold water a couple of times. Cover it with water and microwave it for 2-3 minutes. Drain the water and rise with cold water. This removes some excess fat from the paneer and reduces the strong milky odour that packaged paneer sometimes carry.

Enjoy!!!

This is my entry for Jugalbandi's Yellow for Bri theme. More details are available below:

This is an appeal on behalf of a group of food bloggers who are friends of Briana Brownlow @ Figs With Bri.

Bri was diagnosed with breast cancer two and half years ago. A mastectomy, chemotherapy and two years of relatively good health later, the cancer is back. It has metastasized to other parts of her body. At the age of 15, Bri lost her 41-year old mother to the disease. Now, she’s waging her own war against breast cancer. More about it here.

She is going through intensive chemo and other treatments and needs to focus single-mindedly on healing and finding what treatment works best for her. Her health insurance, unfortunately, does not cover holistic alternatives which she would like to try. Bri and her husband Marc have enough on their plates right now in addition to worrying about her medical bills.

The team organising the JUNE edition of CLICK at Jugalbandi has organised a fundraiser to help Bri and her family meet her out-of-pocket medical costs for ONE YEAR.

CLICK is a monthly theme-based photography contest hosted by Jugalbandi. This month’s theme is: YELLOW for Bri

Yellow is the colour of hope. Through the work of the LiveStrong Foundation, it has also come to signify the fight against cancer.

The entries can be viewed HERE. The deadline for entries is June 30, 2008. The fundraiser will extend until July 15, 2008.

The target amount is 12,000 U.S. dollars. We appeal to our fellow bloggers and readers to help us achieve this. Bri deserves a chance to explore all options, even if her insurance company thinks otherwise.

There’s a raffle with exciting prizes on offer. After viewing the list, you may make your donation HERE or at the Chip-In button on any participating site.

Your donation can be made securely through credit card or Pay Pal and goes directly to Bri’s account.

This month’s photo contest also has some prizes. Details HERE.

You can support this campaign by donating to the fundraiser, by participating in CLICK: the photo event, and by publicising this campaign.