This Quick and Easy Gunpowder Paneer and Potato Skewers with Lime-Mint Dressing – Recipe

I was delighted to discover that the south Indian blend podi – a coarse mix of fiery, roughly ground spices, which you combine with a little oil and use as a sauce for dosa or idli – is also known as “gunpowder” seasoning. This is accurate if you were using my grandmother’s personally dried peppers, but it would be kind to say that I’m far less daring with chilli, so here I suggest crushed chilies instead. It’s an extraordinarily good 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 wooden, soak them in water for 10 minutes first).

Prep 10 minutes
Cook 30 minutes
Serves two people

400g starchy potatoes, sliced into 4cm chunks
225g paneer, cubed into 2cm cubes
1 tsp coriander seeds
Half a tsp fennel seeds
One tsp cumin seeds
One teaspoon black peppercorns
1 teaspoon chilli flakes
1½ tsp flaky sea salt, with more for serving
2 garlic pieces, prepared and minced
1-inch piece fresh ginger, prepared and minced
about 3 tablespoons neutral oil
One red onion, prepared and divided into eight wedges, then halved crossways

For the dressing
Finely grated zest and juice of 1 lime
0.35 ounces fresh mint leaves, finely chopped
½ tsp flaky sea salt
100g natural yoghurt

Boil the potatoes for 9 minutes, then pour off the liquid and let them dry from steam for a minute. Meanwhile, put the paneer cubes in a container with heated water for five minutes, then remove water and dry gently.

Tip the coriander, fennel and cumin seeds into a grinding bowl or mill, add the salt, chili flakes, and peppercorns, then crush or grind to a coarse mixture.

Tip into a large mixing bowl with the grated garlic and ginger, add the oil, then gently stir in the ingredients to coat. Skewer the components on to the prepared skewers, then move to a sheet pan and set aside until needed – if you like, you can at this stage store in the fridge the skewers.

Whisk all the dressing components in a medium bowl. Preheat the broiler to its maximum heat, then cook the skewers for a short time on each side, until the paneer is browned and the potatoes are getting slightly burnt. (This may take a different amount of time depending on the intensity of your oven, so keep an eye on them, especially when cooking the first side.)

Present the skewers warm, sprinkled with a little more salt and the accompaniment for drizzling.