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I was delighted to discover that the south Indian blend podi – a rubble of fiery, coarsely crushed spices, which you stir into a little oil and use as a accompaniment 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 red pepper flakes instead. It’s an exceptionally great marinade for these paneer and potato skewers.

Spicy Paneer and Potato Skewers with Lime-Mint Dressing

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

Prep 10 minutes
Cook half an hour
Serves 2

14 ounces firm potatoes, cut into 4cm chunks
8 ounces paneer, cubed into 2cm cubes
1 tsp coriander seeds
Half a tsp fennel seeds
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 tsp black peppercorns
One tsp chilli flakes
One and a half teaspoon flaky sea salt, with more for serving
Two garlic pieces, peeled and grated
2½cm piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated
Forty milliliters neutral oil
One red onion, skinned and sliced into eight wedges, then cut in half horizontally

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

Boil the potatoes for about 10 minutes, then pour off the liquid and let them dry from steam for a minute. At the same time, put the paneer cubes in a container with heated water for a short while, then strain and blot dry.

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

Transfer to a large mixing bowl with the minced ginger and garlic, add the oil, then carefully mix in the paneer cubes, boiled potatoes, and onion wedges to coat. Arrange the vegetables and cheese on to barbecue sticks, then move to a sheet pan and reserve for later – if desired, you can at this stage store in the fridge the skewers.

Whisk all the ingredients for the dressing in a mixing bowl. Preheat the broiler 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 starting to char. (This may take a different amount of time depending on the intensity of your oven, so keep an eye on them, especially when cooking the first side.)

Offer the grilled sticks immediately, sprinkled with a little more salt and the dressing alongside for dipping.