This Speedy and Effortless Gunpowder Paneer and Potato Skewers with Mint-Lime Dressing – Method

I learned that the south Indian blend podi – a rubble of intensely spicy, coarsely crushed spices, which you mix with a little oil and use as a dip for dosa or idli – is also known as “gunpowder” seasoning. This is accurate if you were using my grandmother’s homemade dried chilies, but it would be kind to say that I’m far less bold with chilli, so here I suggest crushed chilies instead. It’s an exceptionally great marinade for these paneer and potato skewers.

Gunpowder Paneer and Potato Skewers with Lime-Mint Dressing

Prepare six to eight skewers made of metal or wood (if bamboo, immerse them in water for 10 minutes first).

Prep 10 minutes
Cook 30 min
Serves 2

Four hundred grams starchy potatoes, sliced into four-centimeter chunks
225g paneer, cubed into 2cm cubes
One tsp coriander seeds
½ tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
One tsp black peppercorns
One tsp chilli flakes
One and a half teaspoon flaky sea salt, and additional for garnish
Two garlic cloves, prepared and minced
Two and a half centimeters piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated
40ml neutral oil
1 red onion, skinned and sliced into eight wedges, then sliced across

For the dressing
Lime zest and juice, freshly prepared
0.35 ounces fresh mint leaves, diced small
Half a teaspoon flaky sea salt
3.5 ounces natural yoghurt

Cook the potatoes for nine minutes, then pour off the liquid and let them dry from steam for a minute. Meanwhile, put the paneer cubes in a pot of hot water for 5 minutes, then strain and blot dry.

Tip the spice seeds into a grinding bowl or mill, add the seasonings, then crush or grind to a coarse mixture.

Tip into a large mixing bowl with the grated garlic and ginger, add the oil, then lightly combine with the cubed paneer, cooked potatoes and red onions to coat. Arrange the vegetables and cheese on to barbecue sticks, then move to a sheet pan and keep ready – optionally, you can at this stage store in the fridge the skewers.

Beat all the sauce elements in a medium bowl. Heat the grill to its highest setting, then bake the sticks for a short time on each side, until the paneer is golden brown and the potatoes are beginning to blacken. (This may take a variable duration depending on the intensity of your oven, so watch carefully, especially when cooking the first side.)

Serve the skewers hot, sprinkled with a little more salt and the accompaniment for drizzling.