Rukmini Iyer's Speedy and Easy Gunpowder Paneer and Potato Skewers with Lime-Mint Dressing – Cooking Guide

One found with joy that the South Indian seasoning podi – a rough grind of intensely spicy, crudely milled 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 home-dried chillies, but it would be kind to say that I’m far less bold with chilli, so here I suggest chilli flakes instead. It’s an remarkably tasty marinade for these paneer and potato skewers.

Gunpowder Paneer and Potato Skewers with Lime-Mint Dressing

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

Prep 10 minutes
Cook half an hour
Serves two people

14 ounces starchy potatoes, sliced into 4cm chunks
8 ounces paneer, cut into two-centimeter cubes
One teaspoon coriander seeds
½ tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
One teaspoon chilli flakes
One and a half teaspoon flaky sea salt, with more for serving
2 garlic cloves, prepared and minced
2½cm piece fresh ginger, prepared and minced
40ml mild oil
One red onion, skinned and sliced into eight wedges, then sliced across

For the dressing
Finely grated zest and juice of 1 lime
Ten grams fresh mint leaves, diced small
Half a tsp flaky sea salt
One hundred grams natural yoghurt

Boil the potatoes for about 10 minutes, then drain them and leave to steam dry for a minute. Meanwhile, put the paneer cubes in a container with heated water for 5 minutes, then strain and blot dry.

Add the cumin, coriander, and fennel seeds into a grinding bowl or mill, add the seasonings, then pound or blitz to a rough rubble.

Place in a large mixing bowl with the minced ginger and garlic, add the oil, then lightly combine with the ingredients to coat. Thread the components on to barbecue sticks, then transfer to a baking sheet and keep ready – if desired, you can at this stage wrap and chill the skewers.

Stir all the sauce elements in a container. Turn on the grill to its highest setting, then bake the sticks for a short time on each side, until the paneer is crispy and the potatoes are starting to char. (This may take a variable duration depending on the heat of your broiler, so watch carefully, especially when cooking the first side.)

Offer the grilled sticks immediately, sprinkled with a little more salt and the dressing alongside for dipping.