Given the soaring temperatures and long drawn days, it can often get taxing to figure out what to snack on to keep yourself fueled and going through the day. Well, here we have for you a literal flavour bomb which combines the rustic flavours of traditional Marathi thecha with the crumbly smoothness of good-old protein-packed paneer. What's not to love then, about these thecha paneer tikkis?
Thecha Paneer Tikkis
Ingredients: For the thecha — garlic cloves - 8 to 10, spicy green chillis - 5 to 6, raw peanuts - 1/4 cup, cumin seeds - 1tbsp, sesame seeds - 1tbsp, a pinch of salt, a handful of coriander, oil - 1tsp; For the tikki — paneer - 200gms, salt to taste, ghee for shallow frying
Method: Get your tawa hot on the stove and throw on the garlic cloves, chillis and raw peanuts. Give it a good stir till they start blistering and charring, giving out an aromatic smoky smell. Now add a drizzle of oil followed by the cumin seeds, sesame seeds and a pinch of salt. Give this a good toss. Now once your kitchen starts smelling rustic (this is actually a great rule of thumb to gauge if your core ingredients are ready to be grinded!), transfer all of it to the grinder. Let this cool down for a bit before adding a bunch of coriander and grinding it all down to NOT a paste, but an earthy, thick mix. You thecha is ready and can be devoured as is. But, if you want the tikkis, you'll have to be slightly more patient.
{{/usCountry}}Method: Get your tawa hot on the stove and throw on the garlic cloves, chillis and raw peanuts. Give it a good stir till they start blistering and charring, giving out an aromatic smoky smell. Now add a drizzle of oil followed by the cumin seeds, sesame seeds and a pinch of salt. Give this a good toss. Now once your kitchen starts smelling rustic (this is actually a great rule of thumb to gauge if your core ingredients are ready to be grinded!), transfer all of it to the grinder. Let this cool down for a bit before adding a bunch of coriander and grinding it all down to NOT a paste, but an earthy, thick mix. You thecha is ready and can be devoured as is. But, if you want the tikkis, you'll have to be slightly more patient.
{{/usCountry}}Grate your paneer into a big bowl — it is actually perfectly fine to just crumble it with your hands but grating it gives the tikkis a smoother taste — and dump the thecha into the same bowl. Add some salt and mix well. Now oil your palms and softly arrange your tikkis. Heat some ghee in a pan or on the same tawa and cook the tikkis till they get a burnt crisp on either side. Be careful while flipping them as they will remain soft throughout. Serve it hot with your favourite dip!
(recipe from Bhukkad in Town)
Additional selling point? This recipe will be done and dusted in under 30 minutes. Win-win we say!