Nankhatai,

These cardamom-infused biscuits baked with pistachio and ghee are sold across local bakeries in Mumbai – my mother and I bought them regularly when we lived in the city. They are perfect served with hot masala chai.

40 MINUTES + COOLING | MAKES 12 | EASY

atta or plain wholemeal flour 125g (see cook’s notes on p43) gram flour 2 tbsp

baking powder Ω tsp

sea salt flakes a pinch

ground cardamom Ω tsp ghee or softened butter 70g (see cook’s notes on p45)

caster sugar 70g

pistachio kernels 2 tbsp of slivered or chopped, to garnish

1 Heat the oven to 190C/fan 170C/gas 5. Line a large baking tray with baking paper. Mix together the atta, gram flour, baking powder, salt and cardamom powder in a bowl.

2 Put the ghee and sugar in a separate large bowl. Whisk until pale, creamy and fluffy. Add the dry ingredients to form a soft, dough-like mixture (add a splash of water or milk if you need something to help bring it together).

3 Divide the dough into 12 equal portions, roll into balls and put spaced apart on the baking tray. Top each biscuit with pistachio slivers and press down lightly. Bake for 14-16 minutes, swapping the trays around halfway through cooking, until lightly coloured. Cool completely. Serve with mugs of masala chai, if you like.

PER SERVING 135 kcals | fat 7.3G saturates 3.6G | carbs 14.1G | sugars 6G fibre 1.5G | protein 2.5G | salt 0.1G Recipe by: Maunika Gowardhan is an Indian chef, food writer and author of Indian Kitchen: Secrets of Indian Home Cooking. Follow her on Instagram @cookinacurry.