This Speedy and Effortless Spicy Paneer and Potato Skewers with Mint-Lime Dressing – Recipe

I was delighted to discover that the traditional Indian blend podi – a rubble of searingly hot, coarsely crushed spices, which you mix with a little oil and use as a accompaniment for dosa or idli – is also known as “gunpowder” spice mix. This is accurate if you were using my grandmother’s personally dried peppers, but it would be generous to say that I’m far less adventurous with chilli, so here I suggest chilli flakes instead. It’s an exceptionally great marinade for these paneer and potato skewers.

Gunpowder Paneer and Potato Skewers with Lime-Mint Dressing

You will need six to eight barbecue sticks (if wooden, let them sit in water for 10 minutes first).

Prep 10 min
Cook 30 minutes
Serves a couple

Four hundred grams waxy potatoes, cut into 1.5-inch chunks
8 ounces paneer, diced into 0.8-inch cubes
One tsp coriander seeds
½ tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
One teaspoon black peppercorns
One tsp chilli flakes
One and a half teaspoon flaky sea salt, plus extra to serve
2 garlic pieces, peeled and grated
1-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated
40ml mild oil
One red onion, skinned and sliced into eight wedges, then sliced across

For the dressing
Lime zest and juice, freshly prepared
Ten grams fresh mint leaves, finely chopped
½ tsp flaky sea salt
One hundred grams natural yoghurt

Cook the potatoes for 9 minutes, then drain them and leave to steam dry for a minute. At the same time, put the paneer cubes in a container with heated water for a short while, then strain and blot dry.

Pour the cumin, coriander, and fennel seeds into a grinding bowl or mill, add the seasonings, then mash or process to a rough rubble.

Tip into a sizable container with the minced ginger and garlic, add the oil, then lightly combine with the ingredients to coat. Thread the vegetables and cheese on to six to eight metal or soaked wooden skewers, then move to a sheet pan and set aside until needed – if desired, you can at this stage store in the fridge the skewers.

Stir all the ingredients for the dressing in a mixing bowl. Heat the grill to its highest setting, then bake the sticks for 5–7 minutes on each side, until the paneer is golden brown and the potatoes are beginning to blacken. (This may take a different amount of time depending on the heat of your broiler, so watch carefully, especially when cooking the first side.)

Offer the grilled sticks immediately, topped with a little more flaky salt and the accompaniment for drizzling.