Thomasina Miers’ recipe for lime pickle paneer kebabs with green bean, chickpea and mango salad | The new flexitarian

I love a kitchen hack: something clever, easy and delicious, such as using shop-bought lime pickle as a quick marinade for paneer. Here, I’ve then grilled the marinated paneer and paired it with a tempting mango and green bean salad for a simple, summery feast.

Lime pickle paneer kebabs with green bean, chickpea and mango salad

A handful of earthy spices balance the bright flavours of mango and lime in the ochre-stained salad. You will need some wooden or metal skewers for the kebabs.

Prep 20 min
Marinate 3 hr +
Cook 10 min
Serves 4

For the salad
300g green beans
1 mango, peeled, stoned and flesh cut into small cubes
1 green chilli, finely diced
2 banana shallots, peeled and finely diced
3 tsp garam masala
2 tsp nigella seeds
225g cooked chickpeas
5 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp turmeric
1 small bunch coriander
Juice and zest of 1 lime

For the paneer
3 tbsp lime pickle
200g Greek yoghurt
Salt and black pepper
450g paneer, cut into 3-4 cm squares
1 green pepper, stem, seeds and pith removed, flesh cut into 3-4cm pieces
150g cherry tomatoes

For the paneer, roughly chop the lime pickle, then put it into a small bowl with the yoghurt. Mix well and season, then add the paneer, green pepper and tomatoes. You can do this ahead and leave it to marinate in the fridge, covered, for a few hours or even overnight.

To make the salad, bring a medium pan of water to a boil and blanch the green beans for three to four minutes, until just tender. Drain immediately and refresh in cold water to stop them cooking any further. Tip into a salad bowl with the diced mango, chilli, shallots, two teaspoons of the garam masala and all but a sprinkle of the nigella seeds.

Rinse the chickpeas, rub them with a kitchen towel to get rid of most of their skins, then dry them thoroughly. Toss in a tablespoon of vegetable oil, the rest of the garam masala and the turmeric, and season generously. Put a frying pan on a high heat, pour in two tablespoons of oil and saute the chickpeas for five to six minutes, until golden. Tip out on to a plate lined with kitchen paper.

Thread the paneer, peppers and tomatoes on to the skewers, and heat a griddle pan or light the barbecue. Griddle or grill the kebabs on all sides until they look deliciously caramelised.

Toss the chickpeas into the green bean salad with most of the coriander and squeeze over the lime. Serve with the paneer kebabs, all scattered with a final flourish of nigella seeds and coriander, and eat at once.

The simple flex

For a vegan option, griddle aubergine with the green peppers and tomatoes, cooking them more slowly than you would the paneer, so it cooks through. Toss cashew nuts into the mango salad for an extra boost of protein.