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One was delighted to discover that the traditional Indian blend podi – a coarse mix of fiery, crudely milled spices, which you mix with a little oil and use as a accompaniment for dosa or idli – is also known as “gunpowder” seasoning. This is accurate if you were using my grandmother’s home-dried chillies, but it would be charitable to say that I’m far less bold with chilli, so here I suggest chilli flakes instead. It’s an exceptionally great marinade for these paneer and potato skewers.

Gunpowder Paneer and Potato Skewers with Citrus-Mint Dressing

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

Prep 10 minutes
Cook 30 minutes
Serves a couple

Four hundred grams waxy potatoes, chopped into 4cm chunks
225g paneer, cut into 0.8-inch cubes
One teaspoon coriander seeds
Half a tsp fennel seeds
One tsp cumin seeds
One tsp black peppercorns
1 tsp chilli flakes
One and a half tsp flaky sea salt, and additional for garnish
Two garlic pieces, peeled and grated
1-inch piece fresh ginger, skinned and shredded
Forty milliliters mild oil
1 red onion, skinned and sliced into eight wedges, then sliced across

For the dressing
Finely grated zest and juice of 1 lime
10g fresh mint leaves, finely chopped
Half a tsp flaky sea salt
100g natural yoghurt

Simmer the potatoes for about 10 minutes, then remove the water and let them dry from steam for a minute. At the same time, put the paneer cubes in a pot of hot water for a short while, then drain and pat dry.

Add the cumin, coriander, and fennel seeds into a grinding bowl or mill, add the salt, chili flakes, and peppercorns, then crush or grind to a rough rubble.

Transfer to 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. Arrange the vegetables and cheese on to six to eight metal or soaked wooden skewers, then move to a sheet pan and set aside until needed – optionally, you can at this stage wrap and chill the skewers.

Whisk all the dressing components in a medium bowl. Turn on the grill to its top temperature, then cook the skewers for 5–7 minutes on each side, until the paneer is browned and the potatoes are getting slightly burnt. (This may take a different amount of time depending on the heat of your broiler, so watch carefully, especially when cooking the first side.)

Serve the skewers hot, sprinkled with a little more flaky salt and the sauce on the side for serving.