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One found with joy that the south Indian blend podi – a coarse mix of searingly hot, coarsely crushed spices, which you mix with a little oil and use as a accompaniment for dosa or idli – is also known as “gunpowder” blend. 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 adventurous with chilli, so here I suggest red pepper flakes instead. It’s an extraordinarily good marinade for these paneer and potato skewers.

Spicy Paneer and Potato Skewers with Mint-Lime Dressing

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

Prep 10 minutes
Cook 30 min
Serves two people

400g waxy potatoes, sliced into four-centimeter chunks
8 ounces paneer, cut into two-centimeter cubes
1 tsp coriander seeds
½ tsp fennel seeds
One teaspoon cumin seeds
One tsp black peppercorns
1 tsp chilli flakes
One and a half teaspoon flaky sea salt, plus extra to serve
2 garlic pieces, peeled and grated
2½cm piece fresh ginger, prepared and minced
Forty milliliters neutral oil
1 red onion, skinned and sliced into eight wedges, then sliced across

For the dressing
Lime zest and juice, freshly prepared
Ten grams fresh mint leaves, minced
½ tsp flaky sea salt
One hundred grams natural yoghurt

Boil the potatoes for 9 minutes, then pour off the liquid and let them dry from steam for a minute. In the interim, put the paneer cubes in a bowl of boiling water for five minutes, then strain and blot dry.

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

Tip into a sizable container with the minced ginger and garlic, add the oil, then carefully mix in the cubed paneer, cooked potatoes and red onions to coat. Skewer the paneer, potatoes and onions on to six to eight metal or soaked wooden skewers, then transfer to a baking sheet and keep ready – if desired, you can at this stage wrap and chill the skewers.

Beat all the ingredients for the dressing in a container. 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 getting slightly burnt. (This may take a little more or less time depending on the intensity of your oven, so watch carefully, especially when cooking the first side.)

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