Indian cooking is all about technique and science, as much as it is about love and hospitality. We love to entertain and feed our guests, and we love to do so in style. But a lot of Indian cooking is time consuming, what with a long list of ingredients to work with. Then there’s the whole cutting-chopping-dicing-juicing-marinating process to go through. The most favourite dishes in Indian cuisines, such as tikkas and biryanis, may take anywhere between a few hours to a day to fully prepare.

But as a chef, you don’t have the luxury of long wait times to dish out food that is exotic, tasty and constantly in demand. You may have set up a kitchen recently and have a lot of takeout orders. You look for ways to cut down prep and cook times in every dish, and as the chef of a high speed kitchen, you must have food products like ready marinades, sauces, purees and the like at hand always.

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Tikkas, particularly, are always in demand whether patrons dine at the restaurant or call in a meal at home. They are succulent (usually) pieces of chicken smoked and prepared using marinades of cream or curd, and a combination of spices. Tikkas are traditionally served as snacks, but some patrons like to eat them as a meal.

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But a well-made tikka goes much beyond using liberal amounts of cream, spices and the best quality of chicken or paneer – it’s more about the perfect seasoning. With the right food products at hand, you can make the best tikkas and sail through cook times by using the perfect marinades.

This is our list of 5 must-have tikkas to include on your menu:

• Malai paneer tikka: Arm yourself with a pack of malai tikka marinade and whip up a succulent plateful of paneer cubes in a creamy sauce. The marinade lends it an authentic taste of fresh cream with spices, and when you add some garam masala and other condiments, the dish is ready after about just 20 minutes in the oven.
• Malai chicken tikka: This is one of the most popular tikkas around the world. It is usually relished with tandoor roti or naan, and prepared using a combination of cream/curd, garam masala, turmeric, chilli powder, green herbs, all coating the chicken chunks. If you want to save cutting and prep times, use a malai tikka marinade and have the dish ready in 15 minutes of receiving the order.

• Spicy mutton tikka: Tender, rich pieces of mutton get a touch of spice in this creation, to make the perfect match for tandoor rotis or naan. Serve with raita and roasted papad for the perfect meal for two. 

• Chicken kali mirch tikka: A spicier cousin of the chicken malai tikka, this one uses black pepper for the ultimate spice punch. Traditionally, it is made after marinating the chicken pieces in hung curd, cream, black pepper and grated cheese for a few hours. It is then grilled and cooked in a ‘dum’ style.
• Chicken spicy tikka: Get your patrons’ taste buds tingling with this spicy tikka that is as close to fire in the mouth as you can get. For those who love spicy meat preparations, the spicy chicken tikka comes liberally cooked with chilli flakes and basted over mustard oil till dry and a bit charred.

There you have it – our reccos for the 5 must-have tikkas on your new menu. We hope you enjoy tremendous success with these recipes and all the others that you so lovingly create.

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