Tikka actually means small pieces, be it meat, fish , chicken or paneer (home made fresh cheese).
The traditional tikka recipes are marinated in a marinade and then skewered and cooked in a tandoor (traditional desi clay oven).
Nowadays tikkas are barbecued, or cooked in an oven , grill or just pan fried. The marinade can vary from city to city and it can be either mild or spicy.
Tofu is healthy and cholesterol free so its a good alternative to paneer. Does it taste like paneer? No… i find its texture different and not at all creamy. Its also lactose free and good for a vegan diet.
One day i shall upload a tikka recipe which is not orangish/red in color ! But as of now lets make do with what i made on New Years Eve for the family.
This makes a perfect starter or a side dish. It can be also used to stuff wraps. All we need is a bit of imagination!!
Which tofu is best? I use firm tofu (the soft silken one tends to break easily). I remove the tofu from its container and wrap it in a kitchen towel and keep it in the fridge overnight so that all the water is absorbed and the tofu gets a little more firmer making it easier to handle
INGREDIENTS:
400 grams of tofu, wrapped in a towel overnight
100 grams of thick yogurt, or soya yogurt or lactose free yogurt
1″ piece ginger
6 cloves of garlic
2 red chillies (optional)
1 tablespoon of tandoori spice powder
1 teaspoon of garam masala
3/4th teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon of chaat masala
2 tablespoons of finely chopped coriander leaves
Juice of 1 lemon
4 tablespoons of cooking oil
METHOD:
Cut the tofu into cubes. Blend the yogurt, ginger, garlic, chillies in a blender (i used my amazing bullet). Put the marinade in a bowl and add all the spices and chopped coriander to it. Pour it over the tofu and add the lemon juice. Mix gently taking care not to break the tofu. Marinate in a container overnight. Next day heat the oil in a non stick pan (i used my ceramic pan) . Put the marinated tofu cubes carefully in the pan taking care not to overlap them. Grill on one side for a minute on medium heat and then turn the cubes to grill on the other side. Serve immediately !

NITU DIDI TIP: For Jain recipe please omit the ginger garlic

Nitu Chugani©