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One was delighted to discover that the traditional Indian seasoning podi – a rough grind of fiery, crudely milled spices, which you combine with a little oil and use as a sauce for dosa or idli – is also known as “gunpowder” blend. That’s not a misnomer 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 chilli flakes instead. It’s an remarkably tasty marinade for these paneer and potato skewers.

Gunpowder Paneer and Potato Skewers with Mint-Lime Dressing

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

Prep a quick 10 minutes
Cook 30 minutes
Serves two people

Four hundred grams firm potatoes, chopped into 4cm chunks
225g paneer, cut into 2cm cubes
1 tsp coriander seeds
Half a tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp black peppercorns
1 tsp chilli flakes
1½ tsp flaky sea salt, plus extra to serve
2 garlic pieces, peeled and grated
Two and a half centimeters piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated
Forty milliliters mild 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
Ten grams fresh mint leaves, diced small
½ teaspoon flaky sea salt
3.5 ounces natural yoghurt

Boil the potatoes for nine minutes, then drain them and leave to steam dry for a minute. At the same time, put the paneer cubes in a bowl of boiling water for five minutes, then remove water and dry gently.

Pour the spice seeds into a mortar or spice grinder, add the seasonings, then crush or grind to a chunky blend.

Transfer to a sizable container with the grated garlic and ginger, add the oil, then carefully mix in the cubed paneer, cooked potatoes and red onions to coat. Skewer the vegetables and cheese on to barbecue sticks, then transfer to a baking sheet and keep ready – optionally, you can at this stage store in the fridge the skewers.

Stir all the ingredients for the dressing in a medium bowl. Turn on the grill to its highest setting, then bake the sticks for a short time on each side, until the paneer is crispy and the potatoes are beginning to blacken. (This may take a different amount of time depending on the fierceness of your grill, so keep an eye on them, especially when cooking the first side.)

Present the skewers warm, scattered with a little more sea salt and the accompaniment for drizzling.