🔗 Share this article Rukmini Iyer's Quick and Effortless Spicy Paneer and Potato Skewers with Mint-Lime Dressing – Method One learned that the South Indian blend podi – a coarse mix of intensely spicy, crudely milled spices, which you stir into a little oil and use as a sauce for dosa or idli – is also known as “gunpowder” blend. 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 bold with chilli, so here I suggest crushed chilies instead. It’s an extraordinarily good marinade for these paneer and potato skewers. Spicy Paneer and Potato Skewers with Mint-Lime Dressing Gather six to eight skewers made of metal or wood (if bamboo, soak them in water for 10 minutes first). Prep 10 minutes Cook 30 min Serves 2 Four hundred grams starchy potatoes, cut into 1.5-inch chunks 8 ounces paneer, diced into two-centimeter cubes 1 tsp coriander seeds Half a tsp fennel seeds One tsp cumin seeds One tsp black peppercorns One teaspoon chilli flakes One and a half tsp flaky sea salt, plus extra to serve 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and grated Two and a half centimeters piece fresh ginger, skinned and shredded 40ml mild oil 1 red onion, skinned and sliced into eight wedges, then halved crossways For the dressing Finely grated zest and juice of 1 lime 10g fresh mint leaves, minced Half a tsp flaky sea salt One hundred grams natural yoghurt Cook the potatoes for 9 minutes, then pour off the liquid and let them dry from steam for a minute. In the interim, put the paneer cubes in a container with heated water for 5 minutes, then strain and blot dry. Pour the coriander, fennel and cumin seeds into a grinding bowl or mill, add the salt, chili flakes, and peppercorns, then pound or blitz to a chunky blend. 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 barbecue sticks, then transfer to a baking sheet and reserve for later – if desired, you can at this stage cover and refrigerate the skewers. Stir all the ingredients for the dressing in a container. Turn on the grill to its maximum heat, then bake the sticks for five to seven 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 heat of your broiler, so monitor closely, especially when cooking the first side.) Present the skewers warm, topped with a little more salt and the dressing alongside for dipping.