Tandoori Tofu / Paneer Chops
Marinated Tofu in Tandoori spice mix and grilled to perfection for vegetarian option on thanksgiving
Servings: 4 -6
Ingredients
- Tofu extra firm / Paneer - 14 oz / 397 gm whole block. I used Nasoya brand Tofu.
- Tandoori Spice mix - 2 tsp or to taste
- Yogurt plain and thick - 3 tbsp. You may use Greek yogurt instead.
- Ginger Garlic Paste - 1 tsp
- Corn flour or Corn Starch - 1 tsp
- Salt - 1 tsp or to taste
- Lemon juice - 1 tsp
- Butter for grilling
Garnish - Bell peppers or capsicums (colored), red onion, lemon slices and some cilantro or coriander leaves.
Instructions
Prepping the Tofu or Paneer
- Take the Tofu block out of its packaging and drain all the water. Keep it wrapped further, in few sheets of paper towels for 10-15 minutes in a strainer. It is a necessary step to ensure that the tofu is very dry before marination.
- If you are using paneer, this step may not be required unless it is fresh paneer bought from the market which is sitting in water.
- Once the Tofu or Paneer is dry, it is ready for further marination.
- Slice the block of Tofu or Paneer into 2 cm thick big slices for chops. You may slice it smaller to the desired shape.
- Set aside.
Marinating Tofu or Paneer
- Take a glass or plastic bowl with lid. Add thick yogurt (with no water content), ginger garlic paste, tandoori spice mix, corn flour /starch, lemon juice and salt to the bowl. Mix well with a fork. Corn starch keeps the marination together.
- Take 1 slice of Tofu at a time and gently coat with the marination and set aside. Coat all the Tofu slices like wise and set aside. Tofu is much softer than paneer so handle it gently.
- Add these fully coated Tofu slices back to the container in the leftover marinade. Do not toss these.
- Close the lid and let it marinade in the refrigerator for about 2 hrs at least.
Grilling the Tofu or Paneer Chops
- Heat the Electric Grill at maximum and grease it with butter on both the sides. If you are using heavy bottom hard anodized pan or flat griddle, grease it with butter too.
- Meanwhile, take out the marinated Tofu /Paneer and drain off all the extra water, if any, from the side.
- Once the grill is hot, carefully place the Tofu or Paneer chops on the hot grill. Reduce the temperature to medium heat. Press it down and grill from both the sides till it is perfectly reddish golden.
- It takes about 5 minutes from both the sides.
Serving
- Slice the bell peppers and onions into thin slices. Spread them on a serving platter. Place the beautifully grilled Tofu or Paneer Chops on it. Garnish with some cilantro or coriander leaves and thin slices of lemon.
Notes
In case, you can not find Tandoori spice blend, you may use curry powder or garam masala also.
To make it vegan, use oil instead of butter and use soy curd instead of regular yogurt. You may skip the yogurt completely and marinade directly in the spices and ginger garlic paste.
To make it vegan, use oil instead of butter and use soy curd instead of regular yogurt. You may skip the yogurt completely and marinade directly in the spices and ginger garlic paste.