Samanu

Step 1: Four to five days ahead, soak the 10 ½ oz whole wheat berries in plenty of the 8 ¼ cups water for soaking and rinsing for 24 hours. Drain, spread on a tray lined with a damp cloth, cover with another damp cloth and keep at room temperature.

Step 2: Rinse the wheat and re-dampen the cloths once or twice a day for 3–4 days, until the sprouts are 2–3 cm long, sweet-smelling and the roots are knitted together. Throw them away if they smell sour or show mould.

Step 3: Put the sprouts in a blender with a third of the 2 cups water for blending and blend for 1 minute. Strain through a muslin cloth into a large bowl, squeezing hard. Repeat twice more with the pulp and the rest of the 4 ¼ cups water for blending; you should have about 1.5 litres of cloudy, milky juice.

Step 4: Whisk the 5 ½ oz plain flour into the juice a little at a time until there are no lumps, then pour it into a heavy, wide pot.

Step 5: Bring to a gentle simmer over a medium heat, stirring all the time with a wooden spoon, about 15 minutes. As soon as it thickens, lower the heat to the lowest setting.

Step 6: Cook uncovered for 8–10 hours, stirring and scraping the base every 15–20 minutes. Add 100 ml hot water whenever it gets too thick to stir. A common mistake is leaving it for an hour at a time; the bottom catches and burns.

Step 7: Add the 6 walnut halves, if using, in the last hour. The samanu is ready when it is a deep brown, glossy, as thick as soft caramel, and tastes sweet with no raw flour flavour.

Step 8: Spoon into small bowls and let it cool; it firms up as it cools. It keeps 2 weeks covered in the fridge.