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I found with joy that the South Indian blend podi – a coarse mix of intensely spicy, crudely milled spices, which you stir into a little oil and use as a sauce for dosa or idli – is also known as “gunpowder” seasoning. That’s not a misnomer if you were using my grandmother’s personally dried peppers, but it would be generous 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

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

Prep 10 min
Cook 30 min
Serves 2

400g starchy potatoes, cut into 1.5-inch chunks
225g paneer, diced into 0.8-inch cubes
One tsp coriander seeds
½ tsp fennel seeds
One teaspoon cumin seeds
One tsp black peppercorns
1 teaspoon chilli flakes
One and a half teaspoon flaky sea salt, plus extra to serve
Two garlic cloves, peeled and grated
2½cm piece fresh ginger, skinned and shredded
about 3 tablespoons mild oil
One red onion, peeled and cut into eight wedges, then sliced across

For the dressing
Finely grated zest and juice of 1 lime
10g fresh mint leaves, finely chopped
Half a tsp flaky sea salt
One hundred grams natural yoghurt

Boil the potatoes for 9 minutes, then pour off the liquid and leave to steam dry for a minute. At the same time, put the paneer cubes in a container with heated water for five minutes, then remove water and dry gently.

Tip the coriander, fennel and cumin seeds into a grinding bowl or mill, add the salt, chili flakes, and peppercorns, then pound or blitz to a coarse mixture.

Place in a sizable container with the minced ginger and garlic, add the oil, then carefully mix in the ingredients to coat. Arrange the components on to the prepared skewers, then transfer to a baking sheet and keep ready – if you like, you can at this stage wrap and chill the skewers.

Stir all the ingredients for the dressing in a mixing bowl. Turn on the grill to its top temperature, then grill the skewers for a short time on each side, until the paneer is golden brown and the potatoes are getting slightly burnt. (This may take a different amount of time depending on the fierceness of your grill, so monitor closely, especially when cooking the first side.)

Offer the grilled sticks immediately, topped with a little more flaky salt and the sauce on the side for serving.