Jaja begina (Balinese sun-dried rice crackers)

Step 1: Drain the 14 oz glutinous (sticky) rice and steam it on a cloth-lined steamer over a high heat for 25–30 minutes, until tender and sticky.

Step 2: Tip into a bowl, sprinkle with 1 tsp salt and 3 tbsp of hot water and mix well while it is still hot.

Step 3: Wet a 7 cm round cutter and your fingers, and press 1 heaped tablespoon of rice into the cutter on a lined tray to make a thin, compact disc about 5 mm thick. Repeat to make about 24.

Step 4: Dry the discs in strong sun for 2–3 days, turning daily, or in the oven at 60–158°F with the door slightly open for 4–6 hours, turning halfway. They are ready when rock hard, opaque and they snap rather than bend. Cool completely.

Step 5: Heat the 4 ¼ cups vegetable oil in a wok or deep pan over a medium heat to 350°F. Common mistake: frying discs that are not fully dry; they stay hard in the middle, soak up oil and spit.

Step 6: Fry 3–4 discs at a time for 30–60 seconds, pressing gently with a spatula, until puffed to about twice their size, crisp and pale golden. Drain on kitchen paper.

Step 7: Simmer 5 ½ oz palm sugar and ¼ cup water in a small pan over a medium heat for 6–8 minutes until it is thick and drips slowly from a spoon.

Step 8: Drizzle the warm syrup over the crackers in thin lines and let it set for 5 minutes before serving. Store unfried discs airtight for up to 3 months; fried crackers keep 3 days in a tin.