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One found with joy that the South Indian blend podi – a rubble of searingly hot, roughly ground spices, which you stir into a little oil and use as a sauce for dosa or idli – is also known as “gunpowder” blend. This is accurate if you were using my grandmother’s homemade dried chilies, but it would be kind to say that I’m far less daring with chilli, so here I suggest chilli flakes instead. It’s an extraordinarily good marinade for these paneer and potato skewers.

Spicy Paneer and Potato Skewers with Mint-Lime Dressing

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

Prep a quick 10 minutes
Cook 30 minutes
Serves 2

Four hundred grams waxy potatoes, chopped into four-centimeter chunks
8 ounces paneer, cut into 0.8-inch cubes
1 tsp coriander seeds
Half a teaspoon fennel seeds
One teaspoon cumin seeds
One teaspoon black peppercorns
1 tsp chilli flakes
One and a half tsp flaky sea salt, with more for serving
Two garlic pieces, prepared and minced
1-inch piece fresh ginger, skinned and shredded
about 3 tablespoons neutral oil
One red onion, skinned and sliced into eight wedges, then sliced across

For the dressing
Finely grated zest and juice of 1 lime
0.35 ounces fresh mint leaves, minced
½ tsp flaky sea salt
3.5 ounces natural yoghurt

Boil the potatoes for about 10 minutes, then drain them and allow to air dry for a minute. Meanwhile, put the paneer cubes in a pot of hot water for a short while, then strain and blot dry.

Add the cumin, coriander, and fennel seeds into a mortar or spice grinder, add the salt, chili flakes, and peppercorns, then pound or blitz to a coarse mixture.

Tip into a medium-large bowl with the shredded aromatics, add the oil, then carefully mix in the paneer cubes, boiled potatoes, and onion wedges to coat. Thread the components on to the prepared skewers, then move to a sheet pan and set aside until needed – if desired, you can at this stage wrap and chill the skewers.

Beat all the ingredients for the dressing in a mixing bowl. Preheat the broiler to its highest setting, then bake the sticks for a short time on each side, until the paneer is browned and the potatoes are starting to char. (This may take a variable duration depending on the heat of your broiler, so monitor closely, especially when cooking the first side.)

Present the skewers warm, sprinkled with a little more salt and the sauce on the side for serving.