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I found with joy that the traditional Indian blend podi – a rubble of intensely spicy, coarsely crushed spices, which you stir into a little oil and use as a dip for dosa or idli – is also known as “gunpowder” seasoning. That’s not a misnomer if you were using my grandmother’s home-dried chillies, 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 extraordinarily good marinade for these paneer and potato skewers.

Gunpowder Paneer and Potato Skewers with Lime-Mint Dressing

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

Prep a quick 10 minutes
Cook 30 min
Serves 2

400g waxy potatoes, chopped into 4cm chunks
Two hundred twenty-five grams paneer, cut into 0.8-inch cubes
1 tsp coriander seeds
Half a teaspoon fennel seeds
One teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
One tsp chilli flakes
1½ tsp flaky sea salt, plus extra to serve
Two cloves of garlic, skinned and shredded
Two and a half centimeters piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated
40ml neutral oil
1 red onion, skinned and sliced into eight wedges, then halved crossways

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

Boil the potatoes for nine minutes, then remove the water and let them dry from steam for a minute. At the same time, put the paneer cubes in a bowl of boiling water for five minutes, then strain and blot dry.

Pour the coriander, fennel and cumin seeds into a mortar or spice grinder, add the peppercorns, chilli flakes and sea salt, then crush or grind to a chunky blend.

Transfer to a medium-large bowl with the grated garlic and ginger, 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 place on a tray and reserve for later – optionally, you can at this stage cover and refrigerate the skewers.

Beat all the dressing components in a container. Turn on the grill to its top temperature, then cook the skewers for 5–7 minutes on each side, until the paneer is crispy and the potatoes are starting to char. (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.)

Offer the grilled sticks immediately, topped with a little more flaky salt and the dressing alongside for dipping.