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One was delighted to discover that the south Indian seasoning podi – a rough grind of intensely spicy, crudely milled spices, which you stir into a little oil and use as a accompaniment for dosa or idli – is also known as “gunpowder” spice mix. This is accurate if you were using my grandmother’s homemade dried chilies, 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 remarkably tasty marinade for these paneer and potato skewers.

Gunpowder Paneer and Potato Skewers with Mint-Lime Dressing

Gather six to eight barbecue sticks (if wooden, let them sit in water for 10 minutes first).

Prep 10 minutes
Cook 30 minutes
Serves a couple

400g starchy potatoes, chopped into 4cm chunks
8 ounces paneer, diced into two-centimeter cubes
One tsp coriander seeds
½ tsp fennel seeds
One tsp cumin seeds
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
One teaspoon chilli flakes
1½ tsp flaky sea salt, with more for serving
2 garlic pieces, peeled and grated
2½cm piece fresh ginger, skinned and shredded
40ml flavorless oil
One red onion, prepared and divided into eight wedges, then halved crossways

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

Simmer 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 5 minutes, then drain and pat dry.

Add the cumin, coriander, and fennel seeds into a grinding bowl or mill, add the salt, chili flakes, and peppercorns, then crush or grind to a coarse mixture.

Place in a medium-large bowl with the shredded aromatics, add the oil, then gently stir in the paneer cubes, boiled potatoes, and onion wedges to coat. Arrange the paneer, potatoes and onions on to six to eight metal or soaked wooden skewers, then transfer to a baking sheet and set aside until needed – optionally, you can at this stage wrap and chill the skewers.

Stir all the ingredients for the dressing in a mixing bowl. Turn on the grill to its top temperature, then grill the skewers for five to seven minutes on each side, until the paneer is browned and the potatoes are starting to char. (This may take a different amount of time depending on the heat of your broiler, so keep an eye on them, especially when cooking the first side.)

Present the skewers warm, scattered with a little more sea salt and the accompaniment for drizzling.