My hostess and I ate at the 9 Cellars on Edinburgh’s Queen Street. We shared a starter of bhel puri and for our main course had a masala dosa each, while sharing a portion of tadka dahl (slim, wide yellow lentils in a rich and tangy sauce).

One taste and I was back in India: the crispness of the dosa, the lightly spice filling, the sambar, the coconut chatni: all so magical and tasty, without any burn so that my hostess could enjoy it too. If you can’t get to south India, you’ll find the next best thing here.