Dal pitha

Filling: 150 g chana dal, soaked 4 hours; 1 green chili; 2 garlic cloves; plus the remaining ingredients listed for this component. Drain dal and grind coarsely with chili, garlic, ginger, cumin, ajwain, pepper and filling salt, adding only a splash of water if needed. Discard soaking water, rinse dal and pulse to a coarse paste rather than a watery puree.

Cook paste in filling oil over low heat, stirring 10-12 minutes until crumbly and cooked, adding small splashes of water if it sticks. Stir in cilantro and cool. Scrape the pan over low heat until paste is crumbly without hard raw lentil pieces. Cool in a shallow dish.

Dough: 200 g fine plain rice flour; 320 ml water; 1 tsp oil; plus the remaining ingredients listed for this component. Boil dough water, salt and oil; stir in rice flour. Cover off heat 5 minutes, then knead warm until smooth. Stir flour in briskly, knead once safe to touch and cover unused warm dough.

Divide into 12, flatten into thick circles and add the filling. Fold into crescents and seal firmly. Divide filling evenly, leave rims clean and pinch the whole crescent shut.

Steam on a greased lining for 18-20 minutes, until shell and dal are cooked through. Serve warm. Time from steady steam and check a tender shell and fully cooked, not gritty, filling.