Pistachio Biscuits

About 40 minutes from starting to sitting down, and it is a bit of work. Most of that is active, so read the method through before you start rather than chopping as you go.

Use butter, or a neutral oil if you need it dairy-free. You lose the nutty note ghee gives, so brown the butter first to get some of it back.

You can prepare it a few hours ahead and reheat gently. It keeps two days in the fridge, though it is best on the day.

Yes, it is vegetarian. It is not vegan as written because it contains dairy; swap the dairy for a plant alternative and the rest of the method is unchanged.

Yes, this one needs an oven. If you do not have one, look at the no-oven filter on the baking page: eleven of the bakes here are built for a cooker, a pan or the fridge.

Roti or plain rice, with something sharp on the side: curd, pickle or sliced onion. Baking is chemistry, so scale it by weight rather than by eye: double every quantity, use a tin with roughly double the area, and expect to add ten minutes or so. Judge it by the skewer, not the clock.