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I found with joy that the traditional Indian spice mix podi – a rubble of intensely spicy, roughly ground spices, which you combine with a little oil and use as a dip for dosa or idli – is also known as “gunpowder” seasoning. It's aptly named if you were using my grandmother’s homemade dried chilies, but it would be kind to say that I’m far less adventurous with chilli, so here I suggest crushed chilies instead. It’s an remarkably tasty marinade for these paneer and potato skewers.

Spicy Paneer and Potato Skewers with Citrus-Mint Dressing

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

Prep 10 min
Cook 30 minutes
Serves 2

Four hundred grams waxy potatoes, chopped into four-centimeter chunks
Two hundred twenty-five grams paneer, cut into 2cm cubes
1 tsp coriander seeds
Half a tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
One teaspoon black peppercorns
One teaspoon chilli flakes
1½ tsp flaky sea salt, with more for serving
Two garlic cloves, skinned and shredded
2½cm piece fresh ginger, prepared and minced
Forty milliliters flavorless oil
One red onion, peeled and cut into eight wedges, then sliced across

For the dressing
Zest and juice from one lime, finely grated
0.35 ounces fresh mint leaves, diced small
½ tsp flaky sea salt
3.5 ounces natural yoghurt

Cook the potatoes for about 10 minutes, then drain them and leave to steam dry for a minute. In the interim, put the paneer cubes in a pot of hot water for 5 minutes, then drain and pat dry.

Add the spice seeds into a mortar or spice grinder, add the seasonings, then pound or blitz to a rough rubble.

Tip into a sizable container with the shredded aromatics, add the oil, then gently stir in the cubed paneer, cooked potatoes and red onions to coat. Thread the paneer, potatoes and onions on to barbecue sticks, then move to a sheet pan and keep ready – if desired, you can at this stage cover and refrigerate the skewers.

Stir all the dressing components in a container. Heat the grill to its top temperature, then bake the sticks for a short time on each side, until the paneer is golden brown and the potatoes are starting to char. (This may take a variable duration depending on the intensity of your oven, so monitor closely, especially when cooking the first side.)

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