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One was delighted to discover that the traditional Indian spice mix podi – a coarse mix of intensely spicy, roughly ground spices, which you stir into a little oil and use as a sauce for dosa or idli – is also known as “gunpowder” seasoning. That’s not a misnomer if you were using my grandmother’s home-dried chillies, but it would be charitable to say that I’m far less daring 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 Lime-Mint Dressing

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

Prep 10 min
Cook half an hour
Serves 2

400g starchy potatoes, sliced into 4cm chunks
225g paneer, diced into 0.8-inch cubes
1 tsp coriander seeds
Half a tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp black peppercorns
One teaspoon chilli flakes
1½ tsp flaky sea salt, with more for serving
2 garlic pieces, peeled and grated
Two and a half centimeters piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated
40ml mild oil
One red onion, peeled and cut into eight wedges, then sliced across

For the dressing
Finely grated zest and juice of 1 lime
Ten grams fresh mint leaves, diced small
Half a tsp flaky sea salt
One hundred grams natural yoghurt

Simmer the potatoes for nine minutes, then drain them and let them dry from steam for a minute. At the same time, put the paneer cubes in a container with heated water for 5 minutes, then remove water and dry gently.

Pour the cumin, coriander, and fennel seeds into a pestle and mortar or blender, add the seasonings, then pound or blitz to a rough rubble.

Place in a large mixing bowl with the grated garlic and ginger, add the oil, then gently stir in the paneer cubes, boiled potatoes, and onion wedges to coat. Skewer the components on to six to eight metal or soaked wooden skewers, then place on a tray and reserve for later – if desired, you can at this stage wrap and chill the skewers.

Beat all the sauce elements in a mixing bowl. Preheat the broiler to its maximum heat, then cook the skewers for five to seven minutes on each side, until the paneer is golden brown and the potatoes are starting to char. (This may take a little more or less time depending on the heat of your broiler, so keep an eye on them, especially when cooking the first side.)

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