Gulgule

Step 1: Stir 3 ½ oz jaggery into ½ cup warm water until it has completely dissolved. Strain it if your jaggery has grit in it.

Step 2: Put 5 ½ oz whole wheat flour (atta) in a bowl with 1 tsp fennel seeds, ¼ tsp ground cardamom, 1 pinch bicarbonate of soda and 1 tbsp desiccated coconut if using. Pour in the jaggery water gradually, beating with your hand or a spoon, until you have a thick, smooth batter that drops slowly from the spoon in a blob. Beat for 2 minutes to aerate it.

Step 3: Cover and leave the batter to rest for 30 minutes so the flour hydrates; the fritters will be softer for it.

Step 4: Heat 2 cups sunflower or groundnut oil in a kadai over a medium heat to about 350°F, when a drop of batter rises steadily with gentle bubbles rather than shooting up at once. Common mistake: oil that is too hot browns gulgule in seconds and leaves the centre raw; keep it medium.

Step 5: Wet your fingers and drop small lumps of batter, about 1 tablespoon each, into the oil, 6–8 at a time. They sink, then rise and usually turn themselves over.

Step 6: Fry for 4–5 minutes, turning, until deep golden brown all over. A toothpick pushed into one should come out clean. Drain on kitchen paper and fry the rest the same way.

Step 7: Let them cool for a few minutes before giving them to children; jaggery holds a lot of heat. They keep in an airtight tin for 2 days.