Recipe

1. Put shallot, lime juice, and pinch of salt into small bowl and use your fingers to gently massage everything together. Set aside to pickle lightly while you continue with the rest.
2. Make tamarind dressing by putting all ingredients into bowl and whisking to combine and dissolve sugar. Add between 2 to 4 teaspoons of water, to loosen mixture (this will vary according to different brands of tamarind paste).
3. Put 1 tablespoon of oil into large frying pan over medium-high heat. Once hot, add garlic and cook for 90 seconds, stirring, until fragrant and lightly colored, then stir in spinach and ⅛ teaspoon of salt and cook until wilted, about 4 minutes. Transfer to serving plate and wipe out pan.
4. Add remaining 2½ tablespoons of oil plus turmeric to same pan, stirring to combine, and return it to medium-high heat. Once hot but not smoking, crack in eggs and quickly sprinkle whites with chile slices. Season eggs all over with good pinch of salt and use spatula to separate whites so that eggs are not joined together. Fry for 3 to 4 minutes, spooning some of oil over whites. You want whites to be crispy around edges and yolk to be runny (fry for longer if you like your eggs more cooked).
5. When ready, use spatula to transfer eggs to plate of spinach, drizzling with any extra turmeric oil in pan. Top with pickled shallots and then drizzle with some of tamarind dressing, serving any remaining alongside.

Tamarind dressing

• Make the dressing, minus the cilantro, and keep refrigerated for up to 5 days.
• A little goes a long way with this dressing: drizzle onto roasted potatoes with plenty of fresh herbs, or spoon over grilled steak for a tangy addition.