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Toasts & sandwiches · 25 minutes

Tandoori Paneer Wrap with Mint Chutney

A 10-minute yogurt marinade and a ripping-hot skillet give paneer the charred, smoky edges of a tandoor without one.

Prep
15 min
Cook
10 min
Total
25 min
Serves
2
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VegetarianEgg-freeStovetopBlender

Paneer is made for this. It doesn’t melt, so you can sear it hard in a hot pan until the spiced yogurt coating blackens in spots and tastes like it came out of a tandoor. Ten minutes of marinating is enough because the flavor lives in the crust, not deep inside the cheese.

The rest is about contrast: pink pickled onions that are sharp and crunchy after 10 minutes in lime and salt, and a fresh green chutney of mint, cilantro, chili and lime blitzed with a spoonful of yogurt. Roll it all up in warm roti or a flour tortilla and you have a properly filling lunch.

The recipe

Tandoori Paneer Wrap with Mint Chutney

Prep 15 min · Cook 10 min · Total 25 min · Serves 2

Ingredients

Tap to tick off as you go.

For the paneer

For the pickled onions

For the mint chutney

For the wraps

Method

  1. Step 1: Marinate the paneer

    Stir the yogurt, garam masala, chili powder, cumin, turmeric, ginger, garlic and salt in a bowl. Add the paneer and turn gently to coat. Leave for 10 minutes.

  2. Step 2: Pickle the onions

    Toss the onion with the lime juice and salt, scrunching it with your fingers for a few seconds. Set aside; it will turn pink and soften while you work.

  3. Step 3: Blend the chutney

    Blend the mint, cilantro, chili, yogurt, lime juice and salt with 1–2 tbsp water until smooth and spoonable. Taste for salt and lime.

  4. Step 4: Sear the paneer

    Heat the oil in a nonstick or cast-iron skillet over medium-high. Add the paneer in a single layer and cook for 2 minutes per side, turning with tongs, until charred in spots on all sides. Don’t move it too soon or the coating sticks.

  5. Step 5: Warm and roll

    Warm the roti in a dry skillet for 20–30 seconds per side. Spread each with chutney, then add lettuce, paneer and pickled onions. Roll up tightly, folding in the bottom, and cut in half.

Good to know

  • Pat the paneer dry before marinating. Wet paneer dilutes the yogurt and the coating slides off in the pan.
  • Thick Greek yogurt clings better but can scorch; if your pan is very hot, use regular whole-milk yogurt or loosen the Greek with a splash of water.
  • Leftover chutney keeps for 3 days in the fridge. A squeeze of lime on top stops it from darkening.

Swaps

Paneer
Extra-firm tofu, pressed and cut the same way; with plant yogurt it makes the wrap vegan
Roti
Corn tortillas or a lettuce wrap to make it gluten-free (check your garam masala too)
Mint chutney
Store-bought green chutney or a quick raita of yogurt, cucumber and mint

Questions people ask

Can you make tandoori paneer without an oven?

Yes. A very hot cast-iron or nonstick skillet chars the yogurt coating in about 2 minutes per side, which gives the smoky flavor a tandoor would.

How long should paneer marinate?

Ten minutes is enough for a flavorful crust, since paneer doesn’t absorb much marinade. You can leave it up to overnight in the fridge for a deeper flavor.

Is paneer vegetarian?

Yes. Paneer is set with acid like lemon juice or vinegar rather than rennet, so it’s always vegetarian.

Get the red onion, mint and cilantro from a farmer.

This recipe is only as good as what goes in it. Find a farmers market or CSA farm near you, or get a produce box delivered when there’s no market this week.

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