Malpua - a mouth-watering sweet treat

Classic sugar-dipped Indian pancakes

Festivals or celebrations in India (which, by the way, occur very often) are basically a 'sweets-gala'. Clearly, there is no shortage of desserts and sweet foods in the culture.

I myself, am not particularly fond of sweets  but there is a list of sugared foods which I just cannot keep my hands off. This Indian pancake 'Malpua', with endless versions and preparation methods, spanning across the whole country is one of my sweet indulgences!

Literally, every state in India has its own recipe and a local name for it but the basic ingredients are quite the same. Some varieties also include different kinds of fruits and flour. The recipe I am sharing is most prominent in North India and uses minimal ingredients.

Festival or not, try these tempting little cakes of joy and I promise, you would not be able to resist the indulgence.  

These deep-fried pancakes drenched in sugar syrup are surely a feast for the sweet-toothed.  

THE RECIPE

Category: Dessert

Style: Indian

Servings:  ~10 pieces

Ingredients:

 - 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

 - 1/4 cup fine semolina

 - 1/4 cup sugar, powdered

 - 1 teaspoon cardamom, powdered

 - 1 teaspoon fennel seeds, powdered (optional, I did not include it)

 - pinch of salt (optional)

 - 1 cup milk

 - Oil or Ghee, for deep frying

 - 3 cups water

 - 1.5 cups sugar

 - 1 tablespoon almonds, chopped for garnish

 - 1 tablespoon pistachios, chopped for garnish

Instructions:

1. In a bowl, mix flour, semolina, powdered sugar and powdered cardamom and mix. Add in a pinch of salt to enhance the sweetness.

2. You can also add powdered fennel seeds in the flour mixture, as in some traditional recipes. I skipped it.

3. To the dry mixture, add milk, little at a time and make a thick and lump free paste. Cover and set aside for at least 30 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, make sugar syrup by boiling water with sugar in a pan for about 10 minutes. The syrup should not be too thick or too watery. Adjust the water to achieve a desirable consistency. Set aside.

5. After 30 minutes, add a little water to the pancake paste and whisk it into a batter. The batter should be slightly watery and easily pour-able.

6. Heat oil / ghee in a pan in medium heat. Traditionally ghee is used for frying but I used vegetable oil for a lighter version.

7. Pour in the batter with a ladle into small 2-3 inch diameter pancakes and fry. Flip it over to fry from both sides. Fry one at a time.

8. When the pancake start to bubble and turn slightly brown, remove it and immediately immerse them in the sugar syrup.

9. After covering the pancake well with the syrup, take it out and place it on a plate.

10. Fry and immerse all pancakes in the same manner. Garnish them with chopped nuts and serve!

Notes:

 - Vegans can substitute milk with coconut milk or just water.

 -  For a healthier version, try shallow frying. I have not tried it but should work!