Malpua is a kind of pancake typical of Bangladesh and India. It is often served as a dessert, as a snack or on holidays such as Diwali and Holi. It has many regional variations, but in principle it is accompanied with rose syrup or rabri, that is, sweetened condensed milk.
Ingrediants
Malpua
Doses for 4 people
- 125 g of all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon of whole fennel seeds
- A pinch of ground cardamom
- 2 tablespoons of sugar
- 3 tablespoons of whole milk powder
- 120 ml of water
- 3 tablespoons of yogurt
- A pinch of baking soda
- 3 tablespoons of ghee for frying
Rabri
- 2 tablespoons of almonds
- 2 tablespoons of pistachios
- Water for blanching
- 5 cups of milk
- 3 tablespoons of sugar
- 6 whole green cardamom seeds
- 8 saffron pistils
Rose syrup
- 8 saffron pistils
- 400 ml of hot water
- 2 cups of sugar
- 5 cardamom pods
- 1 teaspoon of rose essence
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Making the Rabri
Step 1. Blanch the dried fruit
Fill a saucepan with water. Bring it to a boil over medium heat. When it comes to a boil, add the almonds and pistachios, blanching them for a minute. Remove the saucepan from the heat and drain the dried fruit.
Rinse the dried fruit under running cold water
Step 2. Once the nuts are cool to the touch, gently pinch each almond and pistachio with your fingers to remove the peel and discard
Slice the dried fruit with a sharp knife to make flakes.
Peel and cut all the dried fruit, set it aside
Step 3. Make the milk thicken
Pour it into a large, thick-bottomed pot. Turn the heat up to high and bring it to a boil. At this point, adjust the heat to medium-low and let it simmer. Stir it every 4 minutes to move the film that has formed on the surface to the side and scrape the sides of the pot.
Keep simmering and stirring for about 90 minutes - the milk should halve and thicken
Step 4. Pour the sugar and nuts into the milk, then mix the ingredients well
Let the milk cook for another 15-20 minutes. As it dissolves, it should shrink to a third of the original amount.
Step 5. Thickened and sweetened the milk, add the cardamom and saffron
Stir the mixture to incorporate the spices well. Remove the pot from the heat and let the rabri cool for at least an hour. Put it in the fridge.
- If you want, you can flavor the milk by replacing the cardamom with nutmeg.
- You can also add 1 teaspoon of rose essence.
Part 2 of 3: Prepare and Fry Malpua
Step 1. Combine the dry ingredients - flour, fennel seeds, cardamom, sugar, and whole milk powder - in a medium sized bowl
The baking soda must be added later. Beat the ingredients until blended evenly.
- You can replace ground cardamom with 3-4 whole cardamom seeds. To use them, cut them finely before adding them to the dry ingredients.
- You can also replace whole milk powder with khoya, a type of condensed milk found in stores that sell Indian or Asian products. Khoya should be added to wet ingredients rather than dry ones.
Step 2. Pour the wet ingredients, ie yogurt and water, over the dry ones
If you have replaced powdered milk with khoya, add it at this time. Beat all the ingredients until you get a thick and homogeneous batter.
Contrary to the American pancake recipe, the malpua batter should not have any lumps
Step 3. Mix the ingredients, you will get a homogeneous batter
Cover the bowl with a clean tea towel and let it sit for 30 minutes on the countertop or elsewhere at room temperature.
By letting the batter rest, the flour will be able to absorb the liquid well, allowing you to improve the final consistency of the malpua
Step 4. Heat the ghee and add the baking soda to the batter
Pour the ghee into a thick-bottomed pan. Let it preheat for 3-4 minutes over medium heat. Meanwhile, add the baking soda to the batter and beat it.
You can replace ghee with any cooking oil. Canola oil or another type of vegetable oil will work well for frying
Step 5. Fry the malpua over medium-low heat
Pour 3 tablespoons of batter over the hot ghee. Spread it with the back of a ladle or spoon. If there is room left in the pan, add more batter to cook another malpua. Let it cook for 2-3 minutes. Turn it over with a spatula and cook for another 2-3 minutes - it should brown on both sides.
- Remove it from the pan when cooked.
- If necessary, add more ghee and continue frying 1-2 malpua at a time until the batter is finished.
Step 6. Eliminate excess oil
Line a cooling rack with a clean, lint-free cloth or several layers of paper towels. Place the malpua on the surface with the help of pliers or a spatula to absorb excess oil.
Let the oil absorb for at least 1 minute before dipping the malpua into the syrup
Part 3 of 3: Serve the Malpua with the Rose Syrup and Rabri
Step 1. Soak the saffron
In a small bowl, mix the saffron pistils with hot water. Leave them to soak for at least 5 minutes. If you have time, you can wait up to 20 minutes. In this way the saffron will delicately flavor the water.
Step 2. In a saucepan, mix the sugar and saffron water
Let them simmer over medium heat for about 10 minutes: the sugar should dissolve and the mixture should turn into a thick syrup.
While cooking, stir the mixture regularly as the sugar dissolves to keep it from burning
Step 3. Lower the heat and add the other ingredients
Once the syrup has thickened, pour in the rose essence by whisking it. Also add the cardamom seeds and stir the mixture to distribute them. Lower the heat to low.
Leave the syrup on the stove to keep it warm
Step 4. Dip as much malpua as possible into the syrup, making sure to coat them completely
Let them sit for about 10 minutes.
- Soak the malpua, remove them with tongs and place them on a cooling rack (under which you will have placed a plate) to collect the excess syrup.
- Continue to soak the malpua until finished.
Step 5. Serve hot with the rabri
Serve them individually and pour cold rabri over each with a spoon. Rabri can also be served alongside malpua. Those who wish can garnish the dessert with chopped dried fruit, dried fruit and other ingredients.
