Singhara is water chestnut, and the flour is ground from the dried nut. It appears in Indian kitchens mainly during fasting periods, when grains are set aside and people cook with what is permitted instead.

It is naturally gluten free and behaves quite differently from wheat, so treat recipes as recipes rather than substitutions.

Use it for vrat ki puri, singhara halwa and pakoras during Navratri, or as a gluten free thickener the rest of the year. Bind it with a little water and it holds together better than it looks like it will.

In the flour aisle at Curry Corner in North Melbourne.