Beguni

Step 1: Slice 1 large long aubergine lengthways into 5 mm-thick slices. Sprinkle with ¼ tsp salt and leave for 10 minutes, then pat dry. Thicker slices stay raw in the middle; much thinner ones go papery.

Step 2: Whisk 3 ½ oz gram flour (besan), 2 tbsp rice flour, ½ tsp ground turmeric, 1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder, ½ tsp nigella seeds (kalonji), 1 tsp white poppy seeds, 1 pinch gluten-free asafoetida, ¾ tsp salt and ½ tsp sugar with ½ cup cold water to a batter that coats a spoon thickly and drips off slowly, like double cream. Whisk for a minute to get air in.

Step 3: Heat 2 cups mustard oil or vegetable oil in a kadai over a medium-high heat. If using mustard oil, let it smoke briefly, then lower the heat a little. It is ready when a drop of batter rises at once with steady bubbles.

Step 4: Stir 1 pinch bicarbonate of soda into the batter. Dip each slice, let the excess drip off, and slide 3–4 into the oil. Common mistake: crowding the pan. The oil cools, and the batter soaks up oil and turns heavy.

Step 5: Fry for 2 minutes a side over a medium heat until deep golden and crisp and the bubbles around them slow down. Drain on a rack, not on paper, so the underside stays crisp. Serve hot with muri, kasundi or ketchup.