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One found with joy that the South Indian blend podi – a coarse mix of searingly hot, crudely milled spices, which you combine with a little oil and use as a accompaniment for dosa or idli – is also known as “gunpowder” seasoning. This is accurate if you were using my grandmother’s personally dried peppers, but it would be charitable to say that I’m far less daring with chilli, so here I suggest chilli flakes instead. It’s an exceptionally great marinade for these paneer and potato skewers.

Spicy Paneer and Potato Skewers with Lime-Mint Dressing

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

Prep 10 minutes
Cook half an hour
Serves a couple

400g waxy potatoes, cut into four-centimeter chunks
Two hundred twenty-five grams paneer, cut into 0.8-inch cubes
One tsp coriander seeds
Half a teaspoon fennel seeds
One tsp cumin seeds
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
One tsp chilli flakes
1½ tsp flaky sea salt, plus extra to serve
Two cloves of garlic, peeled and grated
1-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated
Forty milliliters neutral oil
1 red onion, prepared and divided into eight wedges, then sliced across

For the dressing
Zest and juice from one lime, finely grated
10g fresh mint leaves, diced small
½ tsp flaky sea salt
100g natural yoghurt

Simmer the potatoes for nine minutes, then drain them and let them dry from steam for a minute. In the interim, put the paneer cubes in a pot of hot water for 5 minutes, then remove water and dry gently.

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

Tip into a medium-large bowl with the shredded aromatics, add the oil, then lightly combine with the ingredients to coat. Thread the paneer, potatoes and onions on to barbecue sticks, then transfer to a baking sheet and keep ready – if desired, you can at this stage store in the fridge the skewers.

Whisk all the sauce elements in a mixing bowl. Heat the grill to its highest setting, then bake the sticks for 5–7 minutes on each side, until the paneer is browned and the potatoes are starting to char. (This may take a variable duration 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.