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One found with joy that the South Indian spice mix podi – a coarse mix of searingly hot, crudely milled spices, which you combine with a little oil and use as a accompaniment for dosa or idli – is also known as “gunpowder” blend. That’s not a misnomer if you were using my grandmother’s home-dried chillies, but it would be kind to say that I’m far less adventurous with chilli, so here I suggest chilli flakes instead. It’s an remarkably tasty marinade for these paneer and potato skewers.

Spicy Paneer and Potato Skewers with Citrus-Mint Dressing

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

Prep 10 min
Cook half an hour
Serves 2

14 ounces firm potatoes, cut into 4cm chunks
225g paneer, diced into two-centimeter cubes
One teaspoon coriander seeds
Half a tsp fennel seeds
One teaspoon cumin seeds
One tsp black peppercorns
1 teaspoon chilli flakes
One and a half tsp flaky sea salt, plus extra to serve
Two garlic pieces, peeled and grated
2½cm piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated
about 3 tablespoons neutral oil
1 red onion, prepared and divided into eight wedges, then cut in half horizontally

For the dressing
Finely grated zest and juice of 1 lime
10g fresh mint leaves, diced small
½ tsp flaky sea salt
100g natural yoghurt

Simmer the potatoes for 9 minutes, then pour off the liquid and allow to air dry for a minute. Meanwhile, put the paneer cubes in a pot of hot water for a short while, then drain and pat dry.

Pour the spice seeds into a pestle and mortar or blender, add the salt, chili flakes, and peppercorns, then pound or blitz to a coarse mixture.

Place in a sizable container with the shredded aromatics, add the oil, then gently stir in the ingredients to coat. Skewer the components on to the prepared skewers, then transfer to a baking sheet 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. Turn on the grill to its highest setting, then cook 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 watch carefully, especially when cooking the first side.)

Offer the grilled sticks immediately, sprinkled with a little more sea salt and the accompaniment for drizzling.