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I found with joy that the South Indian seasoning podi – a rough grind of fiery, crudely milled spices, which you mix with a little oil and use as a accompaniment for dosa or idli – is also known as “gunpowder” spice mix. It's aptly named if you were using my grandmother’s personally dried peppers, but it would be generous to say that I’m far less daring with chilli, so here I suggest crushed chilies instead. It’s an exceptionally great marinade for these paneer and potato skewers.

Gunpowder 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 minutes
Cook 30 minutes
Serves two people

400g firm potatoes, chopped into 1.5-inch chunks
225g paneer, cut into 2cm cubes
One tsp coriander seeds
Half a tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
One teaspoon black peppercorns
One teaspoon chilli flakes
One and a half tsp flaky sea salt, and additional for garnish
2 garlic pieces, prepared and minced
1-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated
about 3 tablespoons mild oil
1 red onion, prepared and divided into eight wedges, then sliced across

For the dressing
Lime zest and juice, freshly prepared
10g fresh mint leaves, minced
½ tsp flaky sea salt
One hundred grams natural yoghurt

Cook the potatoes for about 10 minutes, then drain them and let them dry from steam for a minute. In the interim, put the paneer cubes in a container with heated water for a short while, then remove water and dry gently.

Tip the coriander, fennel and cumin seeds into a pestle and mortar or blender, add the salt, chili flakes, and peppercorns, then pound or blitz to a rough rubble.

Place in a sizable container with the shredded aromatics, add the oil, then carefully mix in the paneer cubes, boiled potatoes, and onion wedges to coat. Skewer the components on to barbecue sticks, then transfer to a baking sheet and reserve for later – optionally, you can at this stage cover and refrigerate the skewers.

Stir all the sauce elements in a medium bowl. Heat the grill to its highest setting, then bake the sticks for five to seven minutes on each side, until the paneer is browned 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.)

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