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One learned that the South Indian seasoning podi – a coarse mix of intensely spicy, crudely milled spices, which you combine with a little oil and use as a accompaniment for dosa or idli – is also known as “gunpowder” spice mix. This is accurate if you were using my grandmother’s homemade dried chilies, but it would be charitable to say that I’m far less daring with chilli, so here I suggest crushed chilies instead. It’s an extraordinarily good marinade for these paneer and potato skewers.

Gunpowder Paneer and Potato Skewers with Mint-Lime Dressing

You will need six to eight barbecue sticks (if made of wood, soak them in water for 10 minutes first).

Prep a quick 10 minutes
Cook half an hour
Serves a couple

400g waxy potatoes, chopped into 4cm chunks
225g paneer, cubed into 0.8-inch cubes
1 tsp coriander seeds
½ tsp fennel seeds
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 tsp black peppercorns
1 tsp chilli flakes
1½ tsp flaky sea salt, plus extra to serve
Two garlic pieces, peeled and grated
1-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated
about 3 tablespoons flavorless oil
1 red onion, skinned and sliced into eight wedges, then cut in half horizontally

For the dressing
Lime zest and juice, freshly prepared
10g fresh mint leaves, finely chopped
Half a teaspoon flaky sea salt
One hundred grams natural yoghurt

Simmer the potatoes for 9 minutes, then pour off the liquid and leave to steam dry for a minute. At the same time, put the paneer cubes in a bowl of boiling water for five minutes, then drain and pat dry.

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

Tip into a sizable container with the grated garlic and ginger, add the oil, then lightly combine with the cubed paneer, cooked potatoes and red onions to coat. Thread the components on to six to eight metal or soaked wooden skewers, then transfer to a baking sheet and set aside until needed – if desired, you can at this stage store in the fridge the skewers.

Beat all the ingredients for the dressing in a container. Turn on the grill to its maximum heat, then cook the skewers for 5–7 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 monitor closely, especially when cooking the first side.)

Serve the skewers hot, topped with a little more sea salt and the accompaniment for drizzling.