Malpua Recipe | how to make malpua with rabdi

Malpua was on my to do list since a long time.Malpua is an Indian sweet dish that is basically a sugar syrup soaked pancake prepared from a batter of flour, milk and cardamom. These pancakes are usually fried in ghee till crisp along the edges, soaked in sugar syrup, garnished with pistachios and served warm with a topping of Rabri aka rich thickened milk.

This recipe is indeed a fluffy version of malpua. the inner texture is fluffy and the outside edges are crisp. i have stayed true to the way this recipe is traditionally made except for the deep frying and allowing the batter to ferment overnight. so this is an instant version.

ghee is traditionally used for frying malpuas and they are also deep fried. i did use ghee for frying but shallow fried them instead of deep frying.

malpuas have to be served hot or warm. if you serve them at room temperature or chill them, then the malpuas become chewy. but if you like chewy texture, you can serve them chilled.

serving malpua with rabri is optional. you can just serve these pancakes coated with the sugar syrup. if you plan to make rabri, then you can make it before you prepare the malpua or a day before. refrigerate the rabri if you have made it a day before.

With Holi round the corner, I decided on Mawa Malpua recipe for my dear readers. A rich variation is the mawa malpua where mawa or unsweetened khoya is added to the batter. These rich pancakes are also immersed in sugar syrup flavored with saffron and served with rabri. Serve your family and friends this soft textured heavenly dessert along with other special Holi special recipes like thandai,gujiya

Ingredients

Plain Flour - 1 cup (maida)

Mawa - 3tbsp (unsweetened khoya) or 3 tbsp milk powder

Saunf (badishep) - 1 tsp (crushed or whole)

Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp

baking soda – 1/8 tsp

Salt - pinch

Sugar - 1 tbsp

Milk/water – 3/4 to 1 cups

curd – 3 tbsp

Ghee - 1/2 cup for frying (you can use oil also)

Pistachios - fistful, sliced

Almonds - 8-10, blanched, peeled and slivered

Saffron - 7-8 strands




For sugar syrup:

Sugar - 3/4 cup 

Water - 1/3 cup




Cardamom powder - 1/4 tsp




Saffron - 4 strands

Method:1.In a mixing bowl take all purpose flour,fennel seeds, cardamom powder. mix the dry ingredients well.add khoya/milkpowder and curd/yogurt.

 2.Add ½ cup water /milk and begin to stir to a thick flowing batter without lumps.allow the batter to rest for 30 minutes.

3 Chop dryfruits and keep them ready.


4.To prepare sugar syrup, add sugar and water in a stainless steel vessel and allow the sugar to melt . Simmer the sugar syrup for 10-12 mts on low medium flame. Add cardamom powder and turn off heat. Set aside.

5.Heat ghee in a small vessel or pan on low medium flame for 3-4 mts. Now mix baking soda in batter mix it well.Pour a small ladle full of batter in the center of the pan without spreading it. The batter will spread on its own. Do not try to touch the pancake till it starts to turn golden along the edges. It will slowly get immersed in the ghee and cook on medium flame till the sides are golden brown.

6.Flip it over and cook on medium flame for another 2-3 mts or till it turns golden brown. Use a slotted spoon to drain the Malpua and place it in the sugar syrup immediately. Fully immerse the Malpua in the sugar syrup and let it sit for half a minute. Remove with a slotted spoon such that the sugar syrup drains off the Malpua and then place it on a serving plate.



7.At the time of serving, place malpua on a serving plate. Spoon some rabri on top of the malpua and garnish with chopped pistachios and almond slivers.

Tips :

1. sugar can be added to the batter and you can make sweet malpuas. this way you don’t need to make sugar syrup or rabdi.
2. whole wheat flour can be substituted for maida. you need to add some more water if using whole wheat flour. please seive the whole wheat flour before making the batter.
3. you can also fry the malpuas in oil instead of ghee.
4. if you are not in a hurry, then allow the batter to ferment for 6 to 7 hours. if you ferment the batter then you don’t need to add baking soda.
5. If more milk is required to make the malpua batter, do add more. Add milk as required for a flowing batter.
6. If the batter has become too thin, you add a few tbsps of flour to thicken it.
7. If making a large batch, use a wide heavy bottomed vessel and you can fry 5-6 malpuas at a time. 
8. You can use milk or water to make malpua batter.
9. Malpua too should be cooked in medium flame and heat should be constantly regulated accordingly.