🔗 Share this article Rukmini Iyer's Fast and Effortless Spicy Paneer and Potato Skewers with Mint-Lime Dressing – Method One was delighted to discover that the traditional Indian spice mix podi – a rubble of fiery, roughly ground spices, which you combine with a little oil and use as a sauce for dosa or idli – is also known as “gunpowder” spice mix. This is accurate if you were using my grandmother’s homemade dried chilies, but it would be kind to say that I’m far less adventurous with chilli, so here I suggest chilli flakes instead. It’s an exceptionally great marinade for these paneer and potato skewers. Gunpowder Paneer and Potato Skewers with Mint-Lime Dressing You will need six to eight barbecue sticks (if wooden, let them sit in water for 10 minutes first). Prep a quick 10 minutes Cook half an hour Serves a couple 400g firm potatoes, sliced into 4cm chunks Two hundred twenty-five grams paneer, cut into 2cm cubes 1 teaspoon coriander seeds ½ teaspoon fennel seeds One teaspoon cumin seeds One tsp black peppercorns 1 teaspoon chilli flakes One and a half teaspoon flaky sea salt, with more for serving Two garlic pieces, prepared and minced 2½cm piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated about 3 tablespoons flavorless oil One red onion, skinned and sliced into eight wedges, then cut in half horizontally For the dressing Zest and juice from one lime, finely grated 10g fresh mint leaves, minced ½ teaspoon flaky sea salt 3.5 ounces natural yoghurt Boil the potatoes for nine minutes, then drain them and let them dry from steam 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 coriander, fennel and cumin seeds into a grinding bowl or mill, add the salt, chili flakes, and peppercorns, then crush or grind to a rough rubble. Tip into a medium-large bowl with the grated garlic and ginger, add the oil, then gently stir in the ingredients to coat. Thread the vegetables and cheese on to six to eight metal or soaked wooden skewers, then transfer to a baking sheet and set aside until needed – if you like, you can at this stage cover and refrigerate the skewers. Stir all the ingredients for the dressing in a container. 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 little more or less time depending on the intensity of your oven, so keep an eye on them, especially when cooking the first side.) Serve the skewers hot, scattered with a little more salt and the accompaniment for drizzling.