Pachi pulusu

Step 1: Soak 1 ⅜ oz tamarind (seedless block) in 2 ½ cups warm water for 10 minutes, then squeeze it hard with your fingers and strain the liquid into a bowl, pressing the pulp through the sieve. Discard the fibres.

Step 2: If using 1 large brinjal (aubergine), rub it with a little oil and roast it directly over a gas flame for 10–12 minutes, turning, until the skin is black and blistered all over and the brinjal collapses. Cool, peel and mash the flesh.

Step 3: In a serving bowl, rub 1 red onion and 3 green chillies with 1 tsp salt and ½ tsp red chilli powder for a minute until slightly softened. Add the tamarind water, 1 ½ tbsp jaggery and the mashed brinjal, if using, and stir until the jaggery dissolves.

Step 4: Taste: it should be clearly sour with a gentle sweetness and heat. Add a splash of water if it is too sharp. Common mistake: boiling it. Pachi pulusu is meant to be raw; cooking it turns it into a different, duller pulusu.

Step 5: For the tempering, heat 1 tbsp sunflower oil in a small pan over a medium heat. Add ½ tsp black mustard seeds and ½ tsp cumin seeds; when they crackle, add 2 dried red chillies, 3 garlic cloves, 10 curry leaves and 1 pinch gluten-free asafoetida and stir for 20–30 seconds until the garlic is golden and the leaves crisp.

Step 6: Pour the hot tempering over the pulusu, stir in 4 tbsp fresh coriander and serve at room temperature with hot rice and dal.