🔗 Share this article

I found with joy that the traditional Indian blend podi – a rough grind of intensely spicy, coarsely crushed spices, which you combine with a little oil and use as a accompaniment for dosa or idli – is also known as “gunpowder” blend. That’s not a misnomer if you were using my grandmother’s home-dried chillies, 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.

Gunpowder Paneer and Potato Skewers with Citrus-Mint Dressing

You will need six to eight barbecue sticks (if made of wood, let them sit in water for 10 minutes first).

Prep 10 min
Cook 30 min
Serves two people

400g firm potatoes, sliced into 4cm chunks
8 ounces paneer, cubed into 2cm cubes
One tsp coriander seeds
Half a tsp fennel seeds
One tsp cumin seeds
One tsp black peppercorns
1 tsp chilli flakes
One and a half tsp flaky sea salt, and additional for garnish
Two cloves of garlic, prepared and minced
1-inch piece fresh ginger, prepared and minced
Forty milliliters neutral oil
1 red onion, prepared and divided into eight wedges, then halved crossways

For the dressing
Zest and juice from one lime, finely grated
Ten grams fresh mint leaves, diced small
½ tsp flaky sea salt
3.5 ounces natural yoghurt

Boil the potatoes for nine minutes, then remove the water and leave to steam dry for a minute. In the interim, put the paneer cubes in a pot of hot water for 5 minutes, then drain and pat dry.

Pour the cumin, coriander, and fennel seeds into a mortar or spice grinder, add the seasonings, then pound or blitz to a rough rubble.

Tip into a medium-large bowl with the shredded aromatics, add the oil, then gently stir in the paneer cubes, boiled potatoes, and onion wedges to coat. Arrange the paneer, potatoes and onions on to six to eight metal or soaked wooden skewers, then place on a tray and reserve for later – optionally, you can at this stage store in the fridge the skewers.

Whisk all the sauce elements in a mixing bowl. Heat 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.