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I was delighted to discover that the South Indian spice mix podi – a coarse mix of intensely spicy, roughly ground spices, which you stir into a little oil and use as a sauce 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 generous to say that I’m far less adventurous 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 Lime-Mint Dressing

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

Prep a quick 10 minutes
Cook 30 min
Serves two people

400g waxy potatoes, cut into 4cm chunks
8 ounces paneer, cubed into 2cm cubes
One tsp coriander seeds
½ tsp fennel seeds
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 tsp black peppercorns
1 tsp chilli flakes
One and a half tsp flaky sea salt, plus extra to serve
Two garlic pieces, prepared and minced
Two and a half centimeters piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated
40ml neutral oil
1 red onion, prepared and divided into eight wedges, then cut in half horizontally

For the dressing
Finely grated zest and juice of 1 lime
Ten grams fresh mint leaves, diced small
Half a tsp flaky sea salt
One hundred grams natural yoghurt

Boil the potatoes for nine minutes, then pour off the liquid and allow to air dry for a minute. In the interim, put the paneer cubes in a pot of hot water for 5 minutes, then strain and blot dry.

Tip the coriander, fennel and cumin seeds into a mortar or spice grinder, add the salt, chili flakes, and peppercorns, then mash or process to a coarse mixture.

Transfer to a sizable container with the grated garlic and ginger, add the oil, then lightly combine with the ingredients to coat. Skewer the vegetables and cheese on to six to eight metal or soaked wooden skewers, then transfer to a baking sheet and reserve for later – if desired, you can at this stage wrap and chill the skewers.

Beat all the dressing components in a mixing bowl. Turn on the grill to its top temperature, then bake the sticks for 5–7 minutes on each side, until the paneer is browned and the potatoes are getting slightly burnt. (This may take a different amount of time depending on the fierceness of your grill, so keep an eye on them, especially when cooking the first side.)

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