Ariselu

Step 1: Rinse 10 ½ oz raw short-grain rice and soak it in water for 8 hours or overnight. Drain and spread it on a cloth in the shade for 30 minutes, until no longer wet but still slightly damp to the touch.

Step 2: Grind the rice in a dry blender in short bursts to a fine flour and sift it. The flour should hold together if you squeeze a handful. Keep it covered so it doesn't dry out.

Step 3: Melt 9 oz jaggery with ¼ cup water in a heavy pan over a medium heat, then strain and return to the pan. Boil over a medium heat for 6–8 minutes until it reaches the soft-ball stage: a drop in a bowl of cold water should form a soft ball you can roll between your fingers.

Step 4: Lower the heat, add ½ tsp ground cardamom and 1 tbsp ghee, and tip in the rice flour a handful at a time, stirring hard, until it comes together as a soft, sticky dough. Common mistake: syrup that's too thin; the dough stays runny and the ariselu break up in the oil. If that happens, cook the dough for a few more minutes on low heat.

Step 5: Leave the dough until it's cool enough to handle but still warm. Spread 4 tbsp white sesame seeds on a plate.

Step 6: Heat 3 ¼ cups groundnut oil in a kadai over a medium heat to about 350°F. Grease your palms and a piece of banana leaf or baking paper. Take a lime-sized ball of dough, press it onto the sesame and flatten it on the leaf into a 7 cm disc about 5 mm thick.

Step 7: Slide it into the oil and fry 2–3 at a time for 2–3 minutes, turning once, until deep reddish-brown and the bubbling slows down.

Step 8: Lift each one out and press it firmly between two flat wooden spatulas or the bases of two steel bowls to squeeze out the excess oil. Cool on a rack; they firm up as they cool. Store in an airtight tin for up to two weeks.