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I was delighted to discover that the South Indian spice mix podi – a rubble of fiery, roughly ground spices, which you combine with a little oil and use as a accompaniment for dosa or idli – is also known as “gunpowder” blend. That’s not a misnomer if you were using my grandmother’s personally dried peppers, but it would be charitable 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 Mint-Lime Dressing

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

Prep 10 min
Cook 30 min
Serves 2

Four hundred grams waxy potatoes, sliced into 4cm chunks
8 ounces paneer, cut into two-centimeter cubes
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
Half a tsp fennel seeds
One teaspoon cumin seeds
One tsp black peppercorns
One tsp chilli flakes
1½ tsp flaky sea salt, plus extra to serve
2 garlic pieces, peeled and grated
Two and a half centimeters piece fresh ginger, prepared and minced
Forty milliliters mild oil
One red onion, peeled and cut into eight wedges, then halved crossways

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

Boil the potatoes for about 10 minutes, then drain them and allow to air dry for a minute. At the same time, put the paneer cubes in a container with heated water for five minutes, then strain and blot dry.

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

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

Stir all the ingredients for the dressing in a container. Preheat the broiler to its top temperature, then grill the skewers for five to seven minutes 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 fierceness of your grill, so keep an eye on them, especially when cooking the first side.)

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