Dehrori

Step 1: Drain 7 oz raw short-grain rice well and grind it with 3 ½ oz plain yogurt, in pulses, to a thick, gritty batter like fine semolina. Add no water unless the blender stalls.

Step 2: Cover and leave in a warm place for 6 hours or overnight, until the batter smells pleasantly sour and has a few small bubbles. Beat in ¼ tsp ground cardamom with a spoon for a minute to aerate it.

Step 3: Boil 10 ½ oz sugar, 1 cup water and 4 green cardamom pods on medium for 7–8 minutes to a sticky one-string syrup. Keep warm.

Step 4: Heat 2 cups ghee in a kadai on medium-low to about 325°F, when a drop of batter sinks briefly then rises with steady bubbles. Drop in heaped teaspoons of batter, or shape them as small flat rounds with wet fingers, 6–8 at a time.

Step 5: Fry for 6–7 minutes, turning, until evenly golden and crisp on the outside. If they brown in under 4 minutes the heat is too high and the centres will be raw and dense, the most common fault.

Step 6: Drain and drop straight into the warm syrup. Soak for 15–20 minutes until they swell and turn glossy, then lift out. Scatter with 2 tbsp almonds or cashews and serve warm or at room temperature.