Taste sensations

Nik Sharma is a food writer, photographer and recipe developer based in LA, California. He writes regularly for the San Francisco Chronicle and is the author of two cookbooks, Season: Big Flavors, Beautiful Food and The Flavor Equation. Follow him on Instagram @abrowntable.

Paneer and beet salad with mango-lime dressing

1 HOUR 15 MINUTES + MARINATING SERVES 4 | EASY | V GF

There is a joy that I find hard to express when I eat ripe Indian mangoes – the aroma reminds me of summer holidays in Goa.

MARINADE

plain unsweetened kefir, buttermilk or yogurt 240ml
ground cumin ½ tsp
ground turmeric ½ tsp
chilli powder ½ tsp
black peppercorns ground to make ½ tsp
paneer 400g

BEETS

beetroots 4 medium (455g), ideally a mixture of red and yellow
extra-virgin olive oil 2 tbsp, plus extra for the pan

MANGO-LIME DRESSING

ripe mango 140g, diced
grapeseed oil or olive oil 60ml
kefir or buttermilk 120ml
lime juice 1½ tbsp
dijon mustard 1 tbsp
black peppercorns ground to make ¼ tsp
chilli powder ¼ tsp

TO SERVE

rocket 200g
extra-virgin olive oil 1 tbsp
black peppercorns ground to make 1 tsp
amchoor powder (dried mango powder) 2 tsp

• Whisk together the kefir, cumin, turmeric, chilli powder, black pepper and 2 tsp of salt in