Malpuas are round, flat and dripping with sweetness. Often enjoyed during winters and unanimously popular across most states of mainland India, malpuas are delectable indian desserts. They are delicate and soft, melting in the mouth, and often enjoyed with rabri on top. So make these malpuas yourself and impress guests at the next gathering you attend.
Ingredients:
For the malpua batter:
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
- 4 green cardamoms – crushed
- 3 pinches baking soda
- ½ cup water or add as required
- 3 tablespoons khoya (mawa or dried evaporated milk solids)
- 3 tablespoons curd
To fry the malpua:
- 4 tablespoons ghee
- For the sugar syrup:
- ½ cup sugar
- ¼ cup water
For the rabri:
- 1.25 litres whole milk
- 3 tablespoons sugar or add as required
- 6 green cardamoms – crushed
- 2 pinches saffron strands
- 1 teaspoon rose water or kewra water
- 2 tablespoons almonds – blanched and sliced
- 2 tablespoons pistachios – blanched and sliced
Directions:
- In a bowl, add the flour, fennel seeds and cardamom powder. Mix well.
- Then add the khoya and curd. Mix thoroughly.
- Add the water and start to stir the mixture. Break any lumps that might start to form and make sure it's all properly mixed.
- Cover the bowl and let the batter rest for 30 minutes.
- In the meantime, blanch the almonds and pistachios in hot water. Let them soak for 30 minutes. Then peel and slice them. Set aside.
- In a pan, add the sugar and water. Mix well until all the sugar dissolves. Let it simmer on low heat. The sugar syrup should have a one string consistency. This means that when you dip your finger in the syrup and touch your thumb to it and then pull apart, the syrup will form a string between your two fingers. Once it's reached that consistency, turn off the heat, but let the pan rest in a hot water bath so that the syrup stays warm. This means placing it in a larger pan filled with hot water. If it cools it will crystallise.
- Now make the rabri. In a pan, add the milk and bring it to a boil. Then lower the heat and let it simmer. Stir the milk at intervals so that the bottom does not burn. As malai forms on top, collect it on the sides of the pan. Continue this process of simmering, stirring and removing the malai to the sides, and scraping the dried milk on the sides and dropping it back in the milk. Once the milk has reduced to half its original quantity, turn off the beat. The milk will also have thickened.
- Add the sugar to the milk and mix well until the sugar has fully dissolved. Then add the crushed saffron and rose water. Then add the chopped nuts. Set aside.
- Now you can make the malpuas. Heat ghee in a pan or kadhai.
- While the ghee is heating, add baking soda to the batter. Mix well.
- Place a few spoonfuls of batter on the hot ghee. Use the back of your spoon to spread out the batter. Fry on medium heat. When one side is golden brown, turn it over and let it heat on the other side. Flip the malpuas as needed so that it fries properly on both sides.
- Then drain them of excess oil and immediately put them in the warm sugar syrup. Coat them with the syrup properly on both sides. Then remove, let the excess drip out, and place on the serving plate.
- To serve, pour some rabri on top and garnish with chopped nuts.
Notes, tips and tricks:
- If you want low fat malpuas, you can also cook the malpuas like pancakes, putting a bit of ghee in a pan and then spreading out the batter and cooking it instead of deep frying it. If you’re doing this, you can add the sugar to the batter and avoid the sugar syrup too, further reducing the calories.
- If you have the time, let the malpua batter ferment for 8 hours. If you give it this time, then you don't need to add the baking soda.
- You can add flavourings to the malpua batter like applesauce, mango pulp or mashed bananas.