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I found with joy that the traditional Indian blend podi – a rough grind of intensely spicy, crudely milled spices, which you mix with a little oil and use as a sauce for dosa or idli – is also known as “gunpowder” blend. It's aptly named if you were using my grandmother’s home-dried chillies, but it would be kind to say that I’m far less daring with chilli, so here I suggest chilli flakes 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 metal or wooden skewers (if bamboo, immerse them in water for 10 minutes first).

Prep 10 minutes
Cook half an hour
Serves a couple

400g firm potatoes, cut into 1.5-inch chunks
225g paneer, cubed into two-centimeter cubes
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
½ teaspoon fennel seeds
One tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp black peppercorns
1 teaspoon chilli flakes
One and a half tsp flaky sea salt, and additional for garnish
2 cloves of garlic, prepared and minced
Two and a half centimeters piece fresh ginger, skinned and shredded
40ml 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
0.35 ounces fresh mint leaves, minced
Half a teaspoon flaky sea salt
100g natural yoghurt

Boil the potatoes for 9 minutes, then pour off the liquid and leave to steam dry for a minute. Meanwhile, put the paneer cubes in a pot of hot water for five minutes, then drain and pat dry.

Add the spice seeds into a pestle and mortar or blender, add the salt, chili flakes, and peppercorns, then mash or process to a chunky blend.

Tip into a medium-large bowl with the shredded aromatics, add the oil, then carefully mix in the paneer cubes, boiled potatoes, and onion wedges to coat. Thread the paneer, potatoes and onions on to barbecue sticks, then transfer to a baking sheet and set aside until needed – optionally, you can at this stage store in the fridge the skewers.

Whisk all the ingredients for the dressing in a medium bowl. Preheat the broiler to its highest setting, then grill the skewers for a short time on each side, until the paneer is golden brown and the potatoes are getting slightly burnt. (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.)

Serve the skewers hot, scattered with a little more sea salt and the dressing alongside for dipping.