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I was delighted to discover that the south Indian blend podi – a rough grind of intensely spicy, roughly ground spices, which you stir into a little oil and use as a accompaniment for dosa or idli – is also known as “gunpowder” spice mix. 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 red pepper flakes instead. It’s an remarkably tasty marinade for these paneer and potato skewers.

Gunpowder Paneer and Potato Skewers with Mint-Lime Dressing

Prepare six to eight skewers made of metal or wood (if wooden, immerse them in water for 10 minutes first).

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

14 ounces waxy potatoes, cut into 4cm chunks
Two hundred twenty-five grams paneer, diced into 0.8-inch cubes
One teaspoon coriander seeds
Half a teaspoon fennel seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
One tsp black peppercorns
One tsp chilli flakes
One and a half teaspoon flaky sea salt, and additional for garnish
2 garlic pieces, peeled and grated
Two and a half centimeters piece fresh ginger, prepared and minced
about 3 tablespoons mild oil
One red onion, skinned and sliced into eight wedges, then sliced across

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 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 container with heated water for five minutes, then remove water and dry gently.

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

Tip into a medium-large bowl with the shredded aromatics, add the oil, then carefully mix in the cubed paneer, cooked potatoes and red onions to coat. Arrange the vegetables and cheese on to six to eight metal or soaked wooden skewers, then transfer to a baking sheet and set aside until needed – if you like, you can at this stage wrap and chill the skewers.

Whisk all the ingredients for the dressing in a mixing bowl. Heat the grill to its top temperature, then bake the sticks for a short time on each side, until the paneer is browned and the potatoes are beginning to blacken. (This may take a variable duration depending on the fierceness of your grill, so watch carefully, especially when cooking the first side.)

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