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One learned that the South Indian spice mix podi – a coarse mix of fiery, coarsely crushed spices, which you mix with a little oil and use as a sauce 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 Mint-Lime Dressing

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

Prep 10 min
Cook 30 minutes
Serves two people

14 ounces starchy potatoes, chopped into four-centimeter chunks
8 ounces paneer, cut into 0.8-inch cubes
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
½ tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp black peppercorns
One tsp chilli flakes
1½ teaspoon flaky sea salt, with more for serving
Two cloves of garlic, prepared and minced
1-inch piece fresh ginger, skinned and shredded
Forty milliliters mild oil
1 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, diced small
½ teaspoon flaky sea salt
100g natural yoghurt

Cook the potatoes for about 10 minutes, then remove the water and allow to air dry for a minute. At the same time, put the paneer cubes in a pot of hot water for 5 minutes, then drain and pat dry.

Tip the coriander, fennel and cumin seeds into a grinding bowl or mill, add the salt, chili flakes, and peppercorns, then mash or process to a coarse mixture.

Transfer to a sizable container with the shredded aromatics, add the oil, then carefully mix in the ingredients to coat. Thread the components on to the prepared skewers, then move to a sheet pan and reserve for later – if you like, you can at this stage cover and refrigerate the skewers.

Whisk all the sauce elements in a container. Turn on the grill to its highest setting, then cook the skewers for a short time on each side, until the paneer is crispy and the potatoes are getting slightly burnt. (This may take a variable duration depending on the intensity of your oven, so watch carefully, especially when cooking the first side.)

Serve the skewers hot, scattered with a little more sea salt and the dressing alongside for dipping.