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I found with joy that the South Indian spice mix podi – a coarse mix of searingly hot, crudely milled spices, which you combine with a little oil and use as a sauce for dosa or idli – is also known as “gunpowder” blend. That’s not a misnomer if you were using my grandmother’s home-dried chillies, but it would be generous to say that I’m far less daring with chilli, so here I suggest chilli flakes instead. It’s an extraordinarily good marinade for these paneer and potato skewers.

Spicy Paneer and Potato Skewers with Mint-Lime Dressing

Prepare six to eight barbecue sticks (if bamboo, let them sit in water for 10 minutes first).

Prep 10 min
Cook 30 minutes
Serves 2

14 ounces starchy potatoes, sliced into 1.5-inch chunks
Two hundred twenty-five grams paneer, diced into two-centimeter cubes
1 tsp coriander seeds
½ tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
One teaspoon chilli flakes
1½ teaspoon flaky sea salt, plus extra to serve
2 garlic cloves, peeled and grated
1-inch piece fresh ginger, prepared and minced
Forty milliliters neutral oil
1 red onion, peeled and cut into eight wedges, then halved crossways

For the dressing
Lime zest and juice, freshly prepared
Ten grams fresh mint leaves, minced
Half a teaspoon flaky sea salt
3.5 ounces natural yoghurt

Boil the potatoes for about 10 minutes, then drain them and leave to steam dry for a minute. In the interim, put the paneer cubes in a pot of hot water for a short while, then remove water and dry gently.

Add the coriander, fennel and cumin seeds into a grinding bowl or mill, add the salt, chili flakes, and peppercorns, then mash or process to a coarse mixture.

Place in a large mixing bowl with the grated garlic and ginger, add the oil, then carefully mix in the cubed paneer, cooked potatoes and red onions to coat. Thread the paneer, potatoes and onions on to barbecue sticks, then place on a tray and reserve for later – if desired, you can at this stage cover and refrigerate the skewers.

Beat all the sauce elements in a container. Heat the grill to its highest setting, then bake the sticks for a short time on each side, until the paneer is crispy 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.)

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