Rukmini Iyer's Quick and Effortless Spicy Paneer and Potato Skewers with Mint-Lime Dressing – Cooking Guide

I found with joy that the south Indian spice mix podi – a rough grind of fiery, roughly ground 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 homemade dried chilies, 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.

Spicy Paneer and Potato Skewers with Lime-Mint Dressing

Prepare six to eight skewers made of metal or wood (if bamboo, let them sit in water for 10 minutes first).

Prep a quick 10 minutes
Cook half an hour
Serves a couple

400g waxy potatoes, chopped into four-centimeter chunks
225g paneer, diced into 2cm cubes
One tsp coriander seeds
½ tsp fennel seeds
One tsp cumin seeds
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
One tsp chilli flakes
1½ tsp flaky sea salt, with more for serving
2 garlic pieces, skinned and shredded
1-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated
40ml flavorless oil
1 red onion, prepared and divided into eight wedges, then sliced across

For the dressing
Finely grated zest and juice of 1 lime
Ten grams fresh mint leaves, diced small
½ tsp flaky sea salt
100g natural yoghurt

Simmer the potatoes for nine minutes, then drain them and allow to air dry for a minute. Meanwhile, put the paneer cubes in a pot of hot water for five minutes, then strain and blot dry.

Pour the spice seeds into a pestle and mortar or blender, add the peppercorns, chilli flakes and sea salt, then mash or process to a rough rubble.

Place in a sizable container with the minced ginger and garlic, add the oil, then carefully mix in the ingredients to coat. Arrange the components on to the prepared skewers, then place on a tray and set aside until needed – if you like, you can at this stage store in the fridge the skewers.

Beat all the dressing components in a medium bowl. Turn on the grill to its highest setting, then bake the sticks for five to seven minutes on each side, until the paneer is crispy and the potatoes are starting to char. (This may take a little more or less 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 salt and the dressing alongside for dipping.