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I was delighted to discover that the south Indian spice mix podi – a coarse mix of searingly hot, roughly ground spices, which you combine with a little oil and use as a accompaniment for dosa or idli – is also known as “gunpowder” seasoning. This is accurate if you were using my grandmother’s home-dried chillies, but it would be charitable to say that I’m far less adventurous with chilli, so here I suggest crushed chilies instead. It’s an extraordinarily good marinade for these paneer and potato skewers.

Gunpowder Paneer and Potato Skewers with Citrus-Mint Dressing

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

Prep a quick 10 minutes
Cook 30 min
Serves a couple

Four hundred grams waxy potatoes, sliced into 4cm chunks
Two hundred twenty-five grams paneer, cubed into 2cm cubes
1 tsp coriander seeds
½ tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp black peppercorns
1 tsp chilli flakes
One and a half teaspoon flaky sea salt, with more for serving
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and grated
2½cm piece fresh ginger, skinned and shredded
Forty milliliters mild oil
1 red onion, prepared and divided into eight wedges, then halved crossways

For the dressing
Lime zest and juice, freshly prepared
Ten grams fresh mint leaves, diced small
Half a tsp flaky sea salt
One hundred grams natural yoghurt

Cook the potatoes for about 10 minutes, then remove the water and leave to steam dry for a minute. In the interim, put the paneer cubes in a container with heated water for five minutes, then strain and blot dry.

Add the coriander, fennel and cumin seeds into a pestle and mortar or blender, add the salt, chili flakes, and peppercorns, then crush or grind to a rough rubble.

Tip into a medium-large bowl with the shredded aromatics, add the oil, then gently stir in the cubed paneer, cooked potatoes and red onions to coat. Thread the vegetables and cheese on to barbecue sticks, then move to a sheet pan and keep ready – if you like, you can at this stage store in the fridge the skewers.

Stir all the ingredients for the dressing in a medium bowl. Heat the grill to its highest setting, then cook 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 little more or less time depending on the intensity of your oven, so keep an eye on them, especially when cooking the first side.)

Offer the grilled sticks immediately, scattered with a little more sea salt and the dressing alongside for dipping.