1. Dissolve the sugar in the lime juice, then blend this with the lime zest, chilli, ginger and soy sauce.

2. Bring a pot of water to a boil and carefully lower in the eggs. Simmer for three minutes, 40 seconds, then remove the eggs to a bowl of iced and salted water to stop the cooking. Leave for 20 minutes to cool. Shatter the eggshells by tapping them all over with the back of a spoon, then carefully peel and discard the shell.

3. Snap the ends off the asparagus spears. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and drop in the asparagus to blanch for three to four minutes, until just tender. Remove and drain on kitchen paper.

4. At the same time, heat the oil in a deep-fryer to 200 degrees. Fry the eggs, two at a time, for one minute, until they are beginning to colour and crisp. (Accurate timing and some practice are vital to get perfect deep-fried eggs!) Remove to dry on kitchen paper, then roll the eggs in a light dusting of garam masala.

5. To make the crisped shallots: heat some vegetable oil in a deep-fryer to 160 degrees. Working in batches, add a handful of shallot slices to the fryer and cook, stirring constantly, until they begin to turn golden. Remove the cooked slices, scatter on a tray lined with kitchen paper and sprinkle with a little salt. Repeat with the remaining shallot slices. The cooked slices will crisp as they cool but if they are not fully crisp when cooled, place them in an oven at 50 degrees fan for one hour to dry out. Keeps for a week or two in a dry airtight container lined with kitchen paper.

6. To serve, place the asparagus spears close together on plates with a deep-fried egg on top. Spoon over some of the dressing followed by a sprinkling of crisped shallots, sliced chilli and coriander leaves.