Hyderabadi lukhmi

Step 1: Mix 10 ½ oz plain flour and ½ tsp salt, then rub in 4 tbsp sunflower oil with your fingertips until it looks like breadcrumbs and holds together when squeezed. Add ½ cup cold water gradually and knead to a firm, smooth dough. Cover and rest for 30 minutes.

Step 2: For the filling, heat 2 tbsp sunflower oil in a frying pan over a medium heat and fry 1 onion for 6–7 minutes until golden. Add 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste and fry for 1 minute.

Step 3: Add 14 oz lamb or mutton mince and 3 green chillies and cook over a medium-high heat, breaking up the lumps, for 5 minutes until no longer pink.

Step 4: Add 1 tsp chilli powder, ¼ tsp ground turmeric, 1 tsp ground coriander and 1 tsp salt and cook, stirring, for 10–12 minutes until the mince is cooked through (160°F/160 °F), with no pink left, and the pan is completely dry.

Step 5: Stir in 1 tsp garam masala, 1 tbsp lemon juice and 4 tbsp mint and coriander leaves, spread the filling on a plate and cool completely, about 20 minutes. Common mistake: filling the pastry with warm or wet keema — it steams the dough from inside and the lukhmi split while frying.

Step 6: Divide the dough in two. Roll one half on a lightly floured board into a thin sheet, about 2 mm, and cut into 10 cm squares. Repeat with the other half to get about 32 squares.

Step 7: Put a heaped tablespoon of filling in the centre of half the squares, leaving a 1.5 cm border. Brush the border with water, lay a second square on top, press out the air and seal by pressing all round with a fork.

Step 8: Heat 4 ¼ cups oil for deep-frying in a deep pan to 350°F (a scrap of dough rises slowly with steady bubbles). Fry 3–4 lukhmi at a time for 5–6 minutes, turning once, until crisp and golden on both sides.

Step 9: Drain on kitchen paper and serve warm, with a green chutney or plain with tea.