South Indian gram flour and ghee fudge (Mysore pak)

1. Grease an 18 x 18 cm tin or dish with ghee and line it with baking paper. Sift the gram flour so it's free of lumps.

2. Melt half the ghee in a small pan and keep it warm (it doesn't need to be hot). Mix the flour in a bowl with a little of the melted ghee into a smooth, runny paste.

3. In a heavy-based pan, bring the sugar and water to the boil and cook for 3-4 minutes to a one-thread syrup (it forms a single thread between two fingers).

4. Turn the heat to medium and add the flour paste to the syrup gradually, stirring constantly. Then add the remaining ghee a spoonful at a time, stirring all the time and waiting until each addition is absorbed.

5. Keep stirring for 8-10 minutes: the mixture starts to foam, rises, becomes porous, comes away from the sides of the pan and the ghee appears on the surface. Stir in the cardamom and pour immediately into the prepared tin.

6. Let it cool for 5 minutes, then cut into squares with a sharp knife while still warm. Let it cool completely before separating the pieces. They keep for a week in an airtight tin.

Tip: Legend has it that Mysore pak was improvised in the palace kitchen by the cook of the Maharaja of Mysore. It comes in two styles: the old porous, firm, crumbly one and the soft, melting modern one; the result depends on how much ghee you add and how long you stir. You need to be bold with the timing: if you leave it in the pan too long, it becomes hard and crumbly.