MALPUA is a traditional Indian dessert served during the colorful Indian festival of Holi. While the family and friends are gathered during the daytime to celebrate the festival, a big platter of Malpuas can become the center of attraction at any table laden with food!
On the first evening is Holika Dahan, wherein people gather around a huge bonfire and pray that the evil inside them may be vanquished in the flames of the bonfire. The next day, people smear each other with colours called 'gulal' or 'abeir'. This signifies the end of past errors while making new friends along with welcoming the new spring season.
Serves : Many (You will be able to make between 30-45 Malpuas depending on their size)
Preparation Time : 8-10 hours soaking time
Cooking Time : 3 hours
Accompaniment : Kheer(optional)
A word of caution : This is a time consuming procedure which will likely test your patience. Start the project only when you have at least a good 3-4 hours to spare, since you will be spending a large chunk of it on your feet the whole time frying the malpuas.
You have 3 options:
Option 1 : Serve crispy hot MALPUAS.
Option 2 : Serve soft melt in the mouth MALPUAS soaked in saffron flavored sugar SYRUP.
Option 3 : Serve the royal alternative of soft, melt in the mouth MALPUAS soaked in saffron flavored sugar SYRUP with KHEER.
Ingredients of MALPUA
All purpose Flour/Maida - 500 gms
Semolina/Rawa/Sooji - 125 gms
Sugar - 250 gms
Cashews(Broken or chopped) -50 gms
Raisins - 50gms
Aniseed - 2 teaspoon
Black Pepper (pounded and crushed not too finely ) - 1 tablespoon
Milk -1 ltr
Mawa(optional) - 100gms
Refined/Vegetable/Rice bran/Sunflower Oil (For frying) - 1 ltr
Ratio of Semolina to Sugar to Flour is 1:2:4
Ingredients of SUGAR SYRUP
Sugar
Drinking Water
Saffron - a pinch
Cardamom - a couple
Ratio of sugar to water is 1:1
Ingredients of KHEER
Condensed Milk - 400 gm
Full cream Milk - 1 ltr
Preparation of MALPUA
Take the measured all purpose flour into a big vessel.
Add the measured semolina.
Add the aniseed.
Add the raisins and cashews.
Add the pepper crushed in a mortar and pestle.
Add the measured sugar.
Add the mawa(optional).
Mix them thoroughly.
Slowly pour the milk into the vessel while gently stirring and mixing it all together with a ladle.
Mix with hand if necessary in order to remove any lumps in the mixture.
Check if the sweetness of the mixture is right. In case you wish to soak them in sugar syrup(which is an option if you want some of the Malpuas to melt in your mouth, don't go too overboard with the sweetness in the malpua batter.)
Cover the vessel and allow the batter to soak and rest for at least 8 hours or overnight in a cool place.
(As the hours pass the mixture will increase slightly in volume, the semolina will turn soft and the raisins will become fluffy)
Cooking Procedure of MALPUA
Take a big kadhai and fill it with the refined oil. You may use any type like rice bran, sunflower, vegetable or peanut oil. I rotate between all of them.
Check to see the consistency of the batter. If required you may need to add a little bit of additional water or milk. (The batter should be of dropping consistency without being too runny)
Once the oil is smoking hot, pour a tiny drop of the mixture in the oil to see if the oil is hot enough.
Once it is, do take a ladle full of the mixture and pour it gently into the kadhai, in a semi circular motion of the wrist.
The mixture initially settles at the bottom of the kadhai and then slowly rises to the surface of the oil, with heat.
With a spatula, press gently all over the rising blob of the Malpua.
Flip it on the other side as well and press on it gently while rotating the Malpua in the oil.
As you keep frying some Malpuas, the oil becomes nicely hot and then you can start making 2 or 3 simultaneously in the same kadhai.
Once it cools down a bit you are ready with some crispy Malpuas which you can initially enjoy without the additional dunking in sugar syrup.
Cooking PROCEDURE of the Saffron Flavored SUGAR SYRUP
In a large vessel add the water.
Add the sugar into the water.
Place the cardamom and strands of saffron.
Mix thoroughly and keep stirring in between.
As the sugar mixture starts to boil the color changes to hint of orange due to the addition of the saffron strands.
once the mixture becomes slightly thicker and not watery switch off the gas and keep covered.
Cooking Procedure of the KHEER
Take a deep bottomed vessel.
Pour the milk into the vessel.
Switch on the flame.
Stir continuously so that the milk does not stick to the bottom of the vessel.
Once it boils, sim the flame and add the condensed milk to the boiling milk.
Keep stirring in between, making sure to scrape the bottom while doing so thus ensuring the milk is not sticking to the bottom.
If you are worried that the mixture will burn, transfer the contents to a non- stick kadhai.
Keep stirring the mixture at regular intervals.
The mixture will slowly change from white to a beige color and then light brown.
Once the water has evaporated from the mixture, your kheer is ready.
Assembling of Option 1
Serve the crispy MALPUAS in a decorative bowl.
Assembling of Option 2
In a one inch deep dish, pour a ladle of sugar syrup.
Arrange the MALPUAS inside the dish.
Pour a few more ladles of the hot sugar syrup on the MALPUAS so that they are all immersed in the syrup.
Keep the MALPUAS soaked for an hour.
Serve on a decorative platter after taking them out from the sugar syrup.
Assembling of Option 3
Serve the sugar soaked MALPUAS with a serving of kheer on the side.