🔗 Share this article

One found with joy that the South Indian seasoning podi – a rubble of intensely spicy, roughly ground spices, which you combine with a little oil and use as a dip 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 crushed chilies instead. It’s an remarkably tasty marinade for these paneer and potato skewers.

Spicy Paneer and Potato Skewers with Citrus-Mint Dressing

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

Prep a quick 10 minutes
Cook 30 min
Serves 2

Four hundred grams starchy potatoes, chopped into four-centimeter chunks
Two hundred twenty-five grams paneer, diced into two-centimeter cubes
1 tsp coriander seeds
Half a tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp black peppercorns
1 tsp chilli flakes
One and a half tsp flaky sea salt, and additional for garnish
2 garlic pieces, skinned and shredded
2½cm piece fresh ginger, skinned and shredded
Forty milliliters flavorless oil
1 red onion, skinned and sliced into eight wedges, then sliced across

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

Cook the potatoes for 9 minutes, then pour off the liquid and leave to steam dry for a minute. Meanwhile, put the paneer cubes in a bowl of boiling water for a short while, then remove water and dry gently.

Tip the cumin, coriander, and fennel seeds into a mortar or spice grinder, add the seasonings, then crush or grind to a coarse mixture.

Transfer to a large mixing bowl with the grated garlic and ginger, add the oil, then gently stir in the paneer cubes, boiled potatoes, and onion wedges to coat. Skewer the components on to barbecue sticks, then place on a tray and reserve for later – optionally, you can at this stage store in the fridge the skewers.

Whisk all the dressing components in a medium bowl. Heat the grill to its highest setting, then grill the skewers for 5–7 minutes on each side, until the paneer is crispy and the potatoes are starting to char. (This may take a different amount of time depending on the heat of your broiler, so watch carefully, especially when cooking the first side.)

Present the skewers warm, sprinkled with a little more salt and the sauce on the side for serving.