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I was delighted to discover that the South Indian seasoning podi – a rough grind of fiery, coarsely crushed spices, which you mix with a little oil and use as a dip for dosa or idli – is also known as “gunpowder” spice mix. It's aptly named if you were using my grandmother’s homemade dried chilies, but it would be generous to say that I’m far less bold with chilli, so here I suggest crushed chilies instead. It’s an extraordinarily good marinade for these paneer and potato skewers.

Spicy Paneer and Potato Skewers with Citrus-Mint Dressing

You will need six to eight barbecue sticks (if wooden, soak them in water for 10 minutes first).

Prep a quick 10 minutes
Cook half an hour
Serves a couple

400g waxy potatoes, sliced into 4cm chunks
225g paneer, cut into two-centimeter cubes
1 tsp coriander seeds
½ tsp fennel seeds
One tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp black peppercorns
One teaspoon chilli flakes
One and a half tsp flaky sea salt, with more for serving
2 cloves of garlic, skinned and shredded
Two and a half centimeters piece fresh ginger, skinned and shredded
40ml flavorless oil
1 red onion, prepared and divided into eight wedges, then cut in half horizontally

For the dressing
Lime zest and juice, freshly prepared
10g fresh mint leaves, minced
Half a tsp flaky sea salt
100g natural yoghurt

Boil the potatoes for nine minutes, then drain them and let them dry from steam for a minute. In the interim, put the paneer cubes in a container with heated water for five minutes, then remove water and dry gently.

Tip the coriander, fennel and cumin seeds into a mortar or spice grinder, add the peppercorns, chilli flakes and sea salt, then pound or blitz to a rough rubble.

Tip into a sizable container with the grated garlic and ginger, add the oil, then gently stir 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 – optionally, you can at this stage cover and refrigerate the skewers.

Whisk all the sauce elements in a medium bowl. Heat the grill to its maximum heat, then bake the sticks for 5–7 minutes on each side, until the paneer is crispy and the potatoes are starting to char. (This may take a different amount of time depending on the fierceness of your grill, so watch carefully, especially when cooking the first side.)

Serve the skewers hot, topped with a little more flaky salt and the accompaniment for drizzling.