Raj kachori

Step 1: Mix 4 oz fine semolina, 1 oz plain flour, ¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda and ¼ tsp salt. Add ½ cup water gradually and knead for 5 minutes into a firm, smooth dough, stiffer than chapati dough. Cover with a damp cloth and rest for 20 minutes so the semolina softens.

Step 2: Knead again for 1 minute and divide into 6 balls (two are spare in case one doesn't puff). Roll each into an even round about 10cm across and 1–2mm thick. Keep the rolled ones under a damp cloth so they don't dry.

Step 3: Heat 4 ¼ cups vegetable oil in a deep kadhai over a medium-high heat to about 350°F, when a pinch of dough rises at once. Slide in one round and press it gently with a slotted spoon; it should puff into a ball within seconds. Oil that's too cool is the classic mistake: the puri stays flat and greasy.

Step 4: As soon as it puffs, turn the heat to medium-low and fry for 3–4 minutes, turning, until golden and hard all over and it sounds hollow when tapped. Drain on kitchen paper. Bring the oil back up to heat before each one.

Step 5: Whisk 10 ½ oz plain yogurt with 1 tbsp sugar and a pinch of salt until smooth. Keep cold until the last moment.

Step 6: Just before serving, tap a hole in the top of each kachori with your thumb and open it out a little. Fill it with 9 oz potatoes, 4 oz cooked chickpeas and 2 ⅞ oz sprouted moong beans, and dust the filling with ½ tsp roasted cumin powder, ½ tsp red chilli powder and ½ tsp chaat masala. Filling the kachoris ahead of time makes them soggy, so assemble at the table.

Step 7: Spoon in plenty of yogurt so it spills over the sides, then 4 tbsp green coriander-mint chutney and 5 tbsp sweet tamarind chutney. Finish with the rest of ½ tsp roasted cumin powder, ½ tsp red chilli powder and ½ tsp chaat masala, then ½ tsp black salt (kala namak), a pile of 1 ⅜ oz fine sev (nylon sev), 1 ¾ oz pomegranate seeds and ½ oz fresh coriander. Serve immediately.