Finely chop bell pepper, tomatoes, onions, green chilies and coriander leaves.
Cut paneer into small cubes. Add the marinade ingredients – tandoori powder, chilli powder, oil and salt. Mix well and marinate for about 15 minutes.
TO MAKE THE TANDOORI MAYONNAISE:
In a small mixing bowl, mix mayonnaise, chaat masala powder, red chilli powder, tandoori masala powder and tomato ketchup to combine thoroughly. Adjust seasonings according to personal taste. Set aside.
TO MAKE THE CILANTRO CHUTNEY:
Make a fine paste of a handful of cilantro leaves, mint leaves, green chilies, cloves of garlic, cumin seeds and salt to taste.
Transfer to a bowl, squeeze in a splash of lemon or lime juice (about one to two teaspoons) and mix well. Set aside.
TO MAKE THE PANEER TIKKAS:
Heat a non-stick pan with about butter. Once it melts, add the marinated paneer cubes and saute on medium high heat for a few minutes, stirring often until grilled and toasted.
Remove and set aside.
TO MAKE THE SANDWICH FILLING:
In a large mixing bowl, add the vegetables along with paneer tikka pieces and cilantro.
Add prepared tandoori mayonnaise and give it a good mix. Do a taste test and add more mayo if needed.
TO MAKE THE TANDOORI PANEER TIKKA SANDWICHES:
Heat a large griddle on medium high heat.
While the pan is heating, place 2 slices of bread side by side. Smear some cilantro chutney on one slice. Top with required amount of filling, spreading to cover the slice.
Place the second slice on the filling. Press gently and butter the top bread slice..
Transfer to the heated griddle (buttered side down) and toast or grill, pressing slightly with a flat spatula or sandwich press. You can even use a sandwich maker instead.
When the bottom of the sandwich turns slightly golden brown and crisp, butter the top slice of the sandwich and turn over to grill. Press gently again.
Once both the sides are toasted and grilled to perfection (with a bit of crispiness and colour), remove from heat onto serving plate.
Cut each sandwich into 2 or 4 triangles with a super sharp knife.
Serve immediately with more tandoori mayonnaise and green chutney on the side.
Make as many sandwiches as you like (this makes 5 sandwiches) and enjoy these crispy, buttery, lip-smacking Paneer Tikka Sandwiches with Tandoori Mayonnaise along with a cup of chai/coffee or even fresh juice!
Notes
I have used whole grain bread here. You can use any favorite bread of your choice.
Adjust the amount of spices and ingredients according to your preference.
If you like cheese, you can stir in about ¼ cup of cheese (any processed cheese) into the filling mixture.
If you cannot find tandoori masala powder, you can spice up the mayo with red chilli powder, chaat masala powder, roasted cumin powder and any garam masala powder you have.
For a quicker version, instead of grilling the paneer, just stir fresh paneer cubes into the mixture.
For chicken lovers, use chicken cubes instead of paneer.
Stir in grated carrots, cabbage etc. in the filling and if you do not like paneer, just omit it to make a simple vegetable sandwich.
Enjoy!!!
