Bhakra

Step 1: Rub 2 ⅞ oz ghee into 10 ½ oz plain flour (maida) and 3 ½ oz fine semolina (rava) with your fingertips until the mixture holds in a clump when pressed.

Step 2: Stir in 5 ½ oz caster sugar, 1 tsp ground cardamom, ½ tsp grated nutmeg and 1 pinch salt.

Step 3: Beat ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda into 5 ½ oz sour full-fat yogurt; it will froth a little. Add it to the flour and knead to a firm, smooth dough, adding 2 tbsp milk only a spoonful at a time if it stays crumbly. It should be stiffer than chapati dough.

Step 4: Cover and leave in a warm place for 3 hours. The dough is ready when it smells pleasantly sour and feels slightly softer and puffier.

Step 5: Divide into 24 pieces. Roll each into a ball, flatten to a 1.5 cm thick disc about 5 cm across and press a pattern into the top with the back of a fork or a cookie stamp.

Step 6: Pour 3 ¼ cups sunflower oil into a heavy pan so it is no more than a third full and heat over medium-low to 300°F. A crumb of dough should sink and rise slowly with small bubbles, not sizzle wildly. Never leave the pan while the oil is hot.

Step 7: Fry 5–6 bhakra at a time for 8–10 minutes, turning a few times, until deep brown all over and they sound hollow when tapped. Break the first one open: the centre should be firm and cakey, not wet.

Step 8: Drain on a rack and cool completely before storing in an airtight tin for up to two weeks.