Sweet almond fritters

With kids at home for the summer, here is a great snack that they will enjoy making as well as eating. So crunchy, yet they melt in your mouth the instant you dig into them, the feeling is too good to be true. This is an Indian delicacy commonly made during festivals.

What you need: Makes 30 to 40 fritters

3 cups regular all-purpose flour

1 cup fine semolina

1/2 cup rice flour

A pinch of salt
2 cups warm water to mix

2 to 3 cups of hot oil/ghee (clarified butter) to deep fry

For the almond and sugar powder:

1 cup almonds, finely ground

1 cup confectioners sugar

2 green cardamoms

Pour oil into a thick-bottomed pan and let it warm on medium heat. In the meantime, add the flour and semolina in a medium mixing bowl. Add the pinch of salt and 3 tsp of hot oil from the pan. When the oil is poured on the flour mixture, it should sizzle; this is the key to crisp fritters.

Mix the mixture well, then add 2 cups or less warm water and knead it to soft and pliable dough. Divide it to make 6 balls of dough. Roll out each into a fairly thin flat bread of 1/8th-inch thickness, and set them aside.

Mix rice flour with 4 tsp oil/ghee into a smooth paste. If you want a richer feel, you may substitute rice flour for finely ground almond powder.

For the assembly, take the first bread, paint on a spoonful of rice flour paste, and top it with the next bread. Repeat the procedure until you create a lasagna cake. Gently roll out this mass with a rolling pin to thin it down to half its thickness.

Cut them into 1-inch square pieces, press them down gently, and roll out each one last time, to hold on to all the layers. Deep fry them in the hot oil.

In the meantime, grind the almond and cardamom to a fine mixture; sieve it to get a fine powder. Mix it along with confectioners sugar and set aside. Place the warm fritters on a large plate and dust them with a generous amount of almond sugar powder. Let them cool completely before you sink your teeth into them.

Place them in an airtight box and store them in a cool dark place to retain freshness for up to three weeks. Enjoy!