Home-made tikka paneer with tumeric brinjals, chapattis and date atchar

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Ingredients

For the paneer:
4 l full-cream milk
65 ml distilled white vinegar
30 ml tikka spice mix
30 ml chat masala
90 ml olive oil
For the tumeric brinjals:
500 g baby brinjals
10 ml tumeric
sea salt, to taste
30 ml olive oil
For the chapattis:
240 g wholewheat flour
190 ml milk
30 ml canola oil
5 ml salt
For the date atchar:
30 ml canola oil
1 red onion, roughly chopped
10 ml ground coriander
10 ml ground cumin
2 red chillies, finely chopped
200 g fresh dates, seeded and roughly chopped
2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
ginger, 1 x 3cm piece, finely chopped
15 ml tamarind paste
45 ml treacle sugar
125 ml red wine vinegar
125 ml water
For the sambal, mix:
2 ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped
30 ml fresh coriander, roughly chopped
60 ml plain yoghurt
1 lemon, juiced
salt, to taste

Cooking Instructions

To make the paneer, place the milk in a large saucepan over a medium heat and add the vinegar. As the milk begins to split, remove the milk solids using a slotted spoon and divide the milk solids between 4 separate bowls lined with a muslin cloth.

Squeeze the cloth to remove any excess water and suspend over a bowl for 10 minutes before placing between 2 plates with a heavy weight on top.

Chill for 30 minutes or until firm.

Place the tikka spice and chat masala into a bowl, add the olive oil and mix to form a paste.

Skewer the paneer on a along skewer and coat with the tikka paste. Place the skewer over medium coals and cook until the paneer starts to char.

Serve the grilled tikka paneer with the turmeric brinjals, warm chappatis, spicy date atchar and sambal.

To make the turmeric brinjals, halve then score the cut side of the brinjals. Mix the turmeric, salt and olive oil and coat the brinjals. Place the brinjals on a grid over medium coals and char on both sides.

To make the chappatis, mix the wholewheat flour, milk, oil and salt in a large mixing bowl. Once a firm dough forms, divide into ping-pong-sized balls.

Roll the dough into rounds the size of a side plate on a clean, floured surface. Cook on both sides on a cast-iron grid over a high heat until charred.

To make the date atchar, heat the oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté until soft, then add the coriander and cumin. Toast the spices for 2 minutes, then add the chilli, dates, garlic and ginger.

Place the tamarind paste in a bowl with ¼ cup warm water. Mix until the paste is dissolved, then pour into the saucepan. Add the treacle sugar, red wine vinegar and water. Simmer for 10 minutes or until the dates are soft.

Cook's note: Paneer is a freshly made, unaged firm cheese. It does not melt and is perfect for the braai. Make paneer in small batches if you want it to set quicker. If you prefer making a large ball, simply cut it into thick slices and skewer before grilling.

Chat or chaat, masala is a salty masala made with black salt and mango powder. Find it at Indian spice stores.

Discover more Indian-inspired recipes here.