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One learned that the South Indian spice mix podi – a rough grind of searingly hot, crudely milled spices, which you stir into a little oil and use as a accompaniment for dosa or idli – is also known as “gunpowder” blend. This is accurate 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 crushed chilies instead. It’s an remarkably tasty marinade for these paneer and potato skewers.

Spicy Paneer and Potato Skewers with Mint-Lime Dressing

Prepare six to eight barbecue sticks (if bamboo, immerse them in water for 10 minutes first).

Prep a quick 10 minutes
Cook 30 minutes
Serves 2

14 ounces waxy potatoes, cut into 4cm chunks
Two hundred twenty-five grams paneer, diced into 2cm cubes
One tsp coriander seeds
Half a tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
One tsp black peppercorns
One tsp chilli flakes
One and a half tsp flaky sea salt, plus extra to serve
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and grated
Two and a half centimeters piece fresh ginger, skinned and shredded
40ml mild oil
One red onion, prepared and divided into eight wedges, then cut in half horizontally

For the dressing
Zest and juice from one lime, finely grated
Ten grams fresh mint leaves, finely chopped
Half a teaspoon flaky sea salt
3.5 ounces natural yoghurt

Cook the potatoes for about 10 minutes, then drain them and let them dry from steam for a minute. At the same time, put the paneer cubes in a container with heated water for five minutes, then remove water and dry gently.

Add the coriander, fennel and cumin seeds into a pestle and mortar or blender, add the seasonings, then pound or blitz to a rough rubble.

Tip into a medium-large bowl with the minced ginger and garlic, add the oil, then carefully mix in the paneer cubes, boiled potatoes, and onion wedges to coat. Arrange the vegetables and cheese on to the prepared skewers, then place on a tray and reserve for later – optionally, you can at this stage store in the fridge the skewers.

Beat all the dressing components in a medium bowl. Turn on the grill to its top temperature, then grill the skewers for 5–7 minutes on each side, until the paneer is golden brown and the potatoes are starting to char. (This may take a different amount of time depending on the heat of your broiler, so monitor closely, especially when cooking the first side.)

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