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I learned that the South Indian spice mix podi – a rubble of fiery, crudely milled spices, which you mix with a little oil and use as a dip for dosa or idli – is also known as “gunpowder” seasoning. This is accurate if you were using my grandmother’s personally dried peppers, but it would be kind to say that I’m far less adventurous with chilli, so here I suggest red pepper flakes instead. It’s an exceptionally great marinade for these paneer and potato skewers.

Gunpowder Paneer and Potato Skewers with Lime-Mint Dressing

Gather six to eight metal or wooden skewers (if bamboo, soak them in water for 10 minutes first).

Prep 10 minutes
Cook half an hour
Serves two people

14 ounces waxy potatoes, cut into four-centimeter chunks
225g paneer, diced into 2cm cubes
One tsp coriander seeds
½ teaspoon fennel seeds
One tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp black peppercorns
1 tsp chilli flakes
1½ tsp flaky sea salt, and additional for garnish
2 garlic cloves, skinned and shredded
1-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated
Forty milliliters neutral oil
One red onion, peeled and cut into eight wedges, then cut in half horizontally

For the dressing
Finely grated zest and juice of 1 lime
0.35 ounces fresh mint leaves, minced
½ tsp flaky sea salt
One hundred grams natural yoghurt

Cook the potatoes for nine minutes, then pour off the liquid and let them dry from steam for a minute. In the interim, put the paneer cubes in a bowl of boiling water for 5 minutes, then drain and pat dry.

Tip the coriander, fennel and cumin seeds into a mortar or spice grinder, add the seasonings, then crush or grind to a chunky blend.

Place in a large mixing bowl with the minced ginger and garlic, add the oil, then carefully mix in the cubed paneer, cooked potatoes and red onions to coat. Thread the components on to barbecue sticks, then move to a sheet pan and keep ready – if you like, you can at this stage store in the fridge the skewers.

Stir all the dressing components in a container. Turn on the grill to its highest setting, then bake the sticks for 5–7 minutes on each side, until the paneer is browned and the potatoes are starting to char. (This may take a variable duration depending on the intensity of your oven, so monitor closely, especially when cooking the first side.)

Present the skewers warm, scattered with a little more salt and the accompaniment for drizzling.