Rukmini Iyer’s quick and easy gunpowder paneer and potato skewers with lime-mint dressing – recipe | Indian food and drink

I used to be delighted to find that the south Indian spice combine podi – a rubble of searingly scorching, roughly floor spices, which you combine with a bit oil and use as a dip for dosa or idli – is often known as “gunpowder” spice combine. That’s not a misnomer should you have been utilizing my grandmother’s home-dried chillies, however it could be charitable to say that I’m far much less adventurous with chilli, so right here I counsel chilli flakes as an alternative. It’s an awfully good marinade for these paneer and potato skewers.Gunpowder paneer and potato skewers with lime-mint dressingYou will want six to eight steel or picket skewers (if picket, soak them in water for 10 minutes first).Prep 10 minCook 30 minServes 2400g waxy potatoes, reduce into 4cm chunks225g paneer, reduce into 2cm cubes1 tsp coriander seeds½ tsp fennel seeds1 tsp cumin seeds1 tsp black peppercorns1 tsp chilli flakes1½ tsp flaky sea salt, plus additional to serve2 garlic cloves, peeled and grated2½cm piece contemporary ginger, peeled and grated40ml impartial oil1 pink onion, peeled and reduce into eight wedges, then halved crosswaysFor the dressingFinely grated zest and juice of 1 lime 10g contemporary mint leaves, finely chopped½ tsp flaky sea salt100g pure yoghurtBoil the potatoes for 9 minutes, then drain them and depart to steam dry for a minute. In the meantime, put the paneer cubes in a bowl of boiling water for 5 minutes, then drain and pat dry.Tip the coriander, fennel and cumin seeds right into a mortar or spice grinder, add the peppercorns, chilli flakes and sea salt, then pound or blitz to a tough rubble.Tip right into a medium-large bowl with the grated garlic and ginger, add the oil, then gently stir within the cubed paneer, cooked potatoes and pink onions to coat. Thread the paneer, potatoes and onions on to 6 to eight steel or soaked picket skewers, then switch to a baking sheet and put aside till wanted – should you like, you may at this stage cowl and refrigerate the skewers.Whisk all of the elements for the dressing in a medium bowl. Warmth the grill to its highest setting, then cook dinner the skewers for 5 to seven minutes on both sides, till the paneer is golden brown and the potatoes are beginning to char. (This will likely take a bit roughly time relying on the fierceness of your grill, so control them, particularly when cooking the primary aspect.)Serve the skewers scorching, scattered with a bit extra sea salt and the dressing alongside for dipping.