Kai murukku

Step 1: Sift 14 oz fine rice flour and 1 ¾ oz roasted urad dal powder together, then warm in a dry pan over low heat for 3 minutes without colouring. Cool.

Step 2: Add 1 tbsp white sesame seeds, 1 tsp cumin seeds, ¼ tsp gluten-free asafoetida (hing) and 1 ½ tsp salt, then rub in 3 tbsp hot oil.

Step 3: Knead with 1 ¼ cups water into a smooth, pliable dough, softer than chapati dough. Keep it covered with a damp cloth.

Step 4: Pinch off a small lump, and on a damp cloth twist the dough between thumb and forefinger into a thin rope, looping it round in tight, overlapping spirals to make a 7 cm ring of three or four rounds. Seal the end.

Step 5: Pour 1 litre groundnut oil into a heavy kadai or deep pan, no more than a third of its depth, and heat over medium-high to 175–350°F. No thermometer? Drop in a small cube of bread: it should sizzle at once and turn golden in about 40 seconds. Keep a lid and a dry tray nearby and never leave the hot oil unattended.

Step 6: Slide in 3–4 murukku at a time and fry over medium heat, turning, until the fierce bubbling stops and they are cream-gold, about 5 minutes. Too hot and they brown outside but stay soft.

Step 7: Drain upright on kitchen paper. Cool completely before storing airtight; they keep 3 weeks.