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One was delighted to discover that the south Indian spice mix podi – a coarse mix of intensely spicy, coarsely crushed spices, which you combine with a little oil and use as a dip for dosa or idli – is also known as “gunpowder” spice mix. 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 chilli flakes instead. It’s an exceptionally great marinade for these paneer and potato skewers.

Gunpowder Paneer and Potato Skewers with Lime-Mint Dressing

You will need six to eight metal or wooden skewers (if wooden, let them sit in water for 10 minutes first).

Prep a quick 10 minutes
Cook half an hour
Serves 2

400g firm potatoes, chopped into 4cm chunks
8 ounces paneer, cubed into 2cm cubes
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
½ tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
1 tsp chilli flakes
One and a half teaspoon flaky sea salt, and additional for garnish
Two cloves of garlic, prepared and minced
Two and a half centimeters piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated
Forty milliliters mild oil
One red onion, prepared and divided into eight wedges, then halved crossways

For the dressing
Lime zest and juice, freshly prepared
0.35 ounces fresh mint leaves, finely chopped
½ tsp flaky sea salt
One hundred grams natural yoghurt

Cook the potatoes for about 10 minutes, then remove the water and leave to steam dry for a minute. At the same time, put the paneer cubes in a container with heated water for 5 minutes, then remove water and dry gently.

Tip the cumin, coriander, and fennel seeds into a grinding bowl or mill, add the peppercorns, chilli flakes and sea salt, then pound or blitz to a rough rubble.

Transfer to a large mixing bowl with the grated garlic and ginger, add the oil, then lightly combine with the paneer cubes, boiled potatoes, and onion wedges to coat. Skewer the paneer, potatoes and onions on to barbecue sticks, then transfer to a baking sheet and keep ready – if desired, you can at this stage wrap and chill the skewers.

Whisk all the sauce elements in a container. Heat the grill to its highest setting, then bake the sticks for five to seven minutes on each side, until the paneer is golden brown and the potatoes are beginning to blacken. (This may take a different amount of time depending on the heat of your broiler, so keep an eye on them, especially when cooking the first side.)

Serve the skewers hot, scattered with a little more salt and the sauce on the side for serving.