Vegetable Tikka Masala

Daylight saving's here! Woohoo! It's the best. It is like waking up after a long cold dark night. I am no good in winter. I never thought I'd say this when I was in Bombay or in Florida, but I really miss the long hot humid summers. The two months of winter we had were pretty bearable. In Florida, that is. We don't actually have a winter in Bombay.

But no more whinging. Let's talk about food! Look at this delicious tikka masala! I order tikka masala pretty often when I go to Indian restaurants, so I wanted to deconstruct the recipe and cook it in the Taste Chronicles kitchen. Ingredients such as mustard oil, black salt and roasted bell pepper give it a lovely smokey flavor. Definitely worth a try!

Yield - Serves 3
Prep Time - 20 Minutes
Cook Time - 40 Minutes

Ingredients

200 g Paneer
1 Bell Pepper
1.5 Onion
6 Baby Corn (Optional)
2 Roasted Bell Peppers
2 Whole Peeled Tomatoes
2 Tablespoons Greek Yogurt
1 Teaspoon Minced Garlic
1 Teaspoon Minced Ginger
2 Tablespoons Mustard Oil
1 Tablespoon Kasoori Methi
1 Teaspoon Tandoori Chicken Masala
1 Teaspoon Garam Masala
1/2 Teaspoon Turmeric
1/2 Teaspoon Red Chili Powder
1/2 Teaspoon Black Salt
a few sprigs Cilantro
1 Tablespoon Cooking Oil
Salt

Method

Prepping veggies in nice even bits is an essential first step of this recipe. Cut the bell pepper and onions in one inch cubes. Cut the baby corn (if using) in half.

Cube the paneer.

Now prepare the marinade : In a bowl combine the yogurt, tandoori masala, red chili powder, half the turmeric and kasoori methi listed in the ingredients. Add Black salt. Add half the ginger garlic paste.

Whip it all together with Mustard oil. Mustard oil lends a unique flavor to this marinade and should not be skipped.

Combine the marinade with the cubed veggies and paneer.

Set your oven to 'broil' and grill for about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, to prepare the curry sauce, blitz together the roasted bell peppers and tomatoes. I have used canned tomatoes here and it works well in this recipe.

Finely chop the rest of the onion. Heat oil in a pan and add the cumin seeds. Add the chopped onion. Cook till it is translucent. Add the remaining ginger and garlic.