Paneer Tikka Couscous Salad

While this salad is healthy and filling, it’s also delicious and satisfying!

Couscous is the base with some fresh vegetables, fruits (technically, looking at you tomatoes and olives!), chickpeas and paneer tikka to round it out. The lemon mustard vinaigrette ties it all together and brings some tang to each mouthful.

One of my resolutions for this year is to eat more balanced meals. I wanted something that was easy to take with me and still filling, so I won’t be looking for a post meal snack after eating my meal. But I knew I needed a ‘favourite’ ingredient in the salad to look forward to and satisfy me.

Paneer tikka is one of my favourite things and my brother-in-law has recently been making a couscous salad with sweet potato, olives and feta cheese. So, I took some inspiration from him and made my own version of a couscous salad.

If you can’t eat onion or garlic (like my husband) just leave out the garlic in the tikka marinade.

In terms of the fresh additives to the salad, you can mix and match. If you have cherry tomatoes on hand, then they can go in instead of the tomato. Sundried tomatoes would work well in the salad as would cucumbers. I like to get some good texture from the couscous in every bite, so I try not to overdo what I add.

But mix and match with what you have on hand to get the most from this dish!

Ingredients

Paneer Tikka

½ Cup Greek yoghurt

2tbs Milk (any type)

1 tsp grated ginger

1 tsp grated garlic

1 tsp Maple Syrup

1 tsp Olive Oil

1 tsp Garam Masala

1 tsp Red Chilli Powder

1 tsp Coriander Powder

1 tsp Chaat Masala

½ tsp Cumin Powder

½ tsp carom seeds

½ tsp Dry Mango Powder

¼ tsp Turmeric Powder

300g Paneer, cut into cubes

Salt, to taste

Salad

1 can (225 g) chickpeas, drained and rinsed

½ tsp Garam Masala

1 Cup Dried Couscous

1 Cup Boiled Water

¼ Cup Kalamata olives, chopped

1 roasted capsicum, chopped

1 stalk celery, chopped small

1 tomato, chopped small OR ½ cup Cherry Tomatoes, cut in half

Salt, to taste

Optional: 1/4 Cup Coriander, finely chopped & 1/4 Cup Parsley, finely chopped

Lemon-Mustard Vinaigrette

1 tbsp. Tikka Sauce (from Paneer Tikka)

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 tbsp. lemon juice

2tbsp. Dijon mustard

1 tbsp. Maple Syrup

1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes

Salt, to taste

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Method

Paneer Tikka

1. In a small bowl, lightly whisk the yoghurt until smooth.
2. Stir in all of the other ingredients until combined into the yoghurt.
3. Add salt to taste.
4. Set aside a tablespoon of the marinade.
5. Add the cubed paneer and gently stir until the paneer cubes are coated in the marinade.
6. Cover this mix and let it rest in the fridge for an hour.
7. Preheat the oven to 200C.
8. Line a baking tray (20cm x 20cm, but any size will do) with baking paper.
9. Place the paneer cubes onto the tray and bake for 15 minutes. I find that having the paneer tikka golden works best for the recipe, however, if you prefer to have them lightly charred let them cook for a little longer.

Salad

1. Preheat the oven to to 200C. NB: You can prepare he chickpeas with the paneer tikka.
2. In a lined baking tray (20cm x 20cm, but any size will do), spread the chickpeas and add the garam masala.
3. Salt to taste and bake for 10 minutes.
4. In a glass tray, add the cup of couscous and 1 cup of boiling water.
5. Cover the tray with the cling wrap and rest for 5 minutes.
6. Remove the cling wrap and use 2 forks to break apart the couscous until fluffy.
7. Add the other salad ingredients, including the paneer and stir to combine.

Vinaigrette

1. In a small bowl add all of the dressing ingredients not including the extra virgin olive oil and salt. Lightly whisk the dressing ingredients to combine.
2. Gradually pour in the extra virgin olive oil into the dressing while whisking with a fork or small whisk until emulsified.
3. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
4. Dress the salad with the vinaigrette just before serving.