Lamb Tikka Recipe

Simply put, lamb tikka is pieces of lamb that have been marinated in a spiced yoghurt marinade and cooked at high heat on skewers.
Generally speaking, the best lamb tikka comes from Punjabi restaurants but most restaurants offer this starter and is a delicious appetiser to any meal, in India. It refers to any type of meat, so you can easily make chicken tikka, beef tikka and much more.

A lot of restaurants and takeaways now use commercial Pataks pastes, most of the spices listed below are replaced with a tablespoon of tandoori paste and a teaspoon of Kashmiri masala and added to the yoghurt to create the marinade. Unfortunately, this is becoming more and more common as time and cost pressures hit the industry. 

Ingredients

500g diced lamb
4 tablespoons garlic and ginger paste
2 teaspoons chilli powder
½ teaspoon salt (or to taste)
1 teaspoon garam masala
1 teaspoon cumin powder
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 teaspoon coriander powder
1 teaspoon methi (dried fenugreek leaves)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
3 tablespoons Greek yoghurt
1 teaspoon mint sauce
1 tablespoon of lemon juice

 

Method

Add all except the meat into a bowl and mix well into a paste.

Add the meat and mix to cover all the lamb in the marinade and cover it with cling film or a tight-fitting lid and place in the fridge overnight or longer, you can leave it in the refrigerator for up to 72 hours but a minimum of 12 hours to allow the marinade to work into the lamb.

Place the lamb pieces onto skewers and get your heat source ready. 

Grill

Heat your grill to its highest setting and place the skewers near the top, Turn as required but around every 2 minutes should be fine. You should get it to the point where any thin edges start to catch. Any juices dripping should also be clear and free from any blood. 

Barbeque 

This is the preferred method of cooking but both methods produce fantastic results. Barbecuing the meat will add a smokey flavour to the Tikka but the cooking technique is very much the same as under the grill. Remember to turn to prevent 1 side from burning and make sure any juices are running clear before serving. 

Air Fryer

You can, of course, use an air fryer when making these, heat should be set to 200c and cook for 10 minutes then turn and cook for a further 10 mins. Air frying holds the juices more than the grill method and prevents the meat from drying out. If using chicken reduce the cooking time to 8 minutes per side but a little experimenting should be done to find the correct times with your brand of the air fryer.