🔗 Share this article

One found with joy that the South Indian blend podi – a coarse mix of intensely spicy, coarsely crushed spices, which you mix with a little oil and use as a accompaniment for dosa or idli – is also known as “gunpowder” blend. It's aptly named if you were using my grandmother’s home-dried chillies, but it would be charitable to say that I’m far less daring with chilli, so here I suggest crushed chilies instead. It’s an remarkably tasty marinade for these paneer and potato skewers.

Gunpowder Paneer and Potato Skewers with Mint-Lime Dressing

You will need six to eight metal or wooden skewers (if made of wood, immerse them in water for 10 minutes first).

Prep a quick 10 minutes
Cook 30 minutes
Serves two people

Four hundred grams firm potatoes, sliced into four-centimeter chunks
8 ounces paneer, cut into two-centimeter cubes
1 tsp coriander seeds
½ tsp fennel seeds
One tsp cumin seeds
One tsp black peppercorns
1 tsp chilli flakes
One and a half tsp flaky sea salt, with more for serving
2 garlic cloves, peeled and grated
1-inch piece fresh ginger, skinned and shredded
40ml flavorless oil
One red onion, skinned and sliced into eight wedges, then halved crossways

For the dressing
Zest and juice from one lime, finely grated
0.35 ounces fresh mint leaves, minced
Half a tsp flaky sea salt
100g natural yoghurt

Simmer the potatoes for 9 minutes, then drain them and allow to air dry for a minute. In the interim, put the paneer cubes in a bowl of boiling water for five minutes, then remove water and dry gently.

Add the cumin, coriander, and fennel seeds into a pestle and mortar or blender, add the peppercorns, chilli flakes and sea salt, then mash or process to a chunky blend.

Transfer to a medium-large bowl with the grated garlic and ginger, add the oil, then carefully mix in the ingredients to coat. Skewer the vegetables and cheese on to barbecue sticks, then move to a sheet pan and keep ready – optionally, you can at this stage wrap and chill the skewers.

Whisk all the dressing components in a medium bowl. Preheat the broiler 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 getting slightly burnt. (This may take a variable duration depending on the fierceness of your grill, so keep an eye on them, especially when cooking the first side.)

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