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One was delighted to discover that the south Indian blend podi – a coarse mix of intensely spicy, roughly ground spices, which you mix with a little oil and use as a sauce for dosa or idli – is also known as “gunpowder” blend. It's aptly named if you were using my grandmother’s personally dried peppers, but it would be charitable to say that I’m far less adventurous with chilli, so here I suggest red pepper flakes instead. It’s an exceptionally great marinade for these paneer and potato skewers.

Spicy Paneer and Potato Skewers with Lime-Mint Dressing

Prepare six to eight metal or wooden skewers (if bamboo, soak them in water for 10 minutes first).

Prep 10 minutes
Cook half an hour
Serves two people

14 ounces starchy potatoes, sliced into 4cm chunks
Two hundred twenty-five grams paneer, cut into two-centimeter cubes
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
½ teaspoon fennel seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
One teaspoon chilli flakes
One and a half teaspoon flaky sea salt, with more for serving
2 garlic pieces, prepared and minced
2½cm piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated
about 3 tablespoons neutral oil
1 red onion, peeled and cut into eight wedges, then cut in half horizontally

For the dressing
Finely grated zest and juice of 1 lime
0.35 ounces fresh mint leaves, finely chopped
½ teaspoon flaky sea salt
One hundred grams natural yoghurt

Boil the potatoes for about 10 minutes, then remove the water and leave to steam dry for a minute. Meanwhile, put the paneer cubes in a bowl of boiling water for 5 minutes, then drain and pat dry.

Pour 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 rough rubble.

Transfer to a sizable container with the minced ginger and garlic, add the oil, then lightly combine with the ingredients to coat. Thread the components on to the prepared skewers, then transfer to a baking sheet and reserve for later – if desired, you can at this stage store in the fridge the skewers.

Beat all the sauce elements in a container. Heat the grill to its highest setting, then grill the skewers for a short time on each side, until the paneer is crispy and the potatoes are starting to char. (This may take a variable duration depending on the heat of your broiler, so watch carefully, especially when cooking the first side.)

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