For this easy malpua recipe, you need basic ingredients like flour, yogurt, sugar, milk powder, few spices and ghee. Perfect indian sweet (mithai) to serve on indian festivals such as Holi, Diwali, or Dusshera. If you are a fan of indian sweets such as gulab jamuns and jalebi, wait untill you try the malpua! Sharing the same indulgent trait of deep-fried batter soaked in sugar syrup, malpua has a unique milky taste and the texture is a delightful blend of crispiness and fluffiness. Each bite screams decadence, growing up, my grandmother made them for holi festivities with gujiyas, dahi vada and thandai. More Holi Recipes - Thandai tiramisu, Thandai cookies, Indian chaat, Falooda
What is Malpua?
Malpua is a traditional indian dessert (mithai) of shallow fried pancakes that are soaked in a green cardamom scented sugar syrup. They have a mild tangy taste and lacey, crisp edges while the inside is soft and fluffy. The main ingredient in malpua is the milk solids (khoya or milk powder). I don’t mean to confuse you, while I refer to it as pancake appearance, but malpua tastes milkier and mildly tangy(due to fermentation). To achieve this rich milkiness, the quantity of flour in the batter is less than that of the khoya (mawa) or milk powder. In various regions of India, numerous variations of malpua exist. The most traditional and time-honored malpua recipe involves preparing rabdi (thickened milk) from scratch to which a small amount of flour or whole wheat flour is added to serve for binding (gluten in flour helps). Honestly, making rabri or thickened milk from scratch is quite a labor-intensive process and I tried it just once a few years ago. Since then, I tried a few other methods using khoya, condensed milk and eventually figured out that milk powder method is quickest and yields great results.
My Recipe
I used to see my grandmother using khoya to enhance the richess of the malpua batter and she added mashed bananas to the batter. For years, she bought khoya from the same halwai(sweet shop) and was conversant with its quality. It is slightly tricky to use khoya because the quality (mainly the fat content) varies from brand to brand and I wanted to provide you with a fool proof recipe. In my recipe, I use high-fat milk powder instead of khoya and leave out the fruit (bananas taste great but I am not a fan of that they make malpuas look dark). Ideally, the malpua batter is fermented to create airy, fluffy puas, however I use a combination of leavening agent(baking soda) and yogurt to make this recipe quick(not instant). You still need to rest the batter for 20-30 minutes. Then, I shallow fry the malpua in ghee. Use ghee for a rich, nutty taste. I dont recommend using oil for frying malpua (in my opinion, the taste is not great). Since we are not adding sugar or salt to the batter, you could re use the leftover ghee to slather on rotis or for cooking paratha . Soak malpuas in a sticky, ½ string to 1 string conisistency sugar syrup and then sprinkle nuts before serving.
Sugar Syrup Consistency
You would often hear sugar syrup consistency when it comes to indian sweets. 1 string consistency of sugar (ek taar ki chashni) occurs before the soft ball stage (2 string consistency). Sugar syrup guide by Indian chef Sanjeev Kapoor will teach you more about this concept. Here are a few pointers-
Once boiling, the syrup should feel sticky similar to warm honey but should be flowing (not thick). If the syrup gets too thick, the malpua won’t absorb it. While making sugar syrup, it is best to use wooden spoon for stirring. Check the consistency by pulling a tiny drop of syrup between your thumb and index finger. You will be able to make a string. I found this video tutorial helpful in visualizing the 1 string consistency. If you struggle with checking consistency, just make a sticky syrup.
Ingredients
All Purpose Flour (Maida)- Helps as binding agent and gives structure to the malpuas. Fine Semolina(Sooji) - A tablespoon of sooji gives these malpua a bit of texture. Yogurt(Dahi) - Mildly sour plain yogurt combined with baking soda gives a result similar to fermentated batter. Milk Powder - The hero ingredient! Makes the batter taste rich and flavorful. The malpua turn out creamy and softly delicious. Use high fat milk powder. Milk powder used in indian sweets is different from the non fat dry milk that is used for coffee or tea. I like to use Nido brand (28% fat) from or indian grocery stores. Dessicated Coconut (unsweetened)- You may skip but my husband has a huge fondness for coconut in indian sweets so I add a little here. Ghee - For shallow frying. Ghee gives these malpua the richness that one always associates with desserts. Don’t use butter becasue it will brown after frying 1-2 malpua and your malpuas will have brown or black spots stuck to them. Avoid using cooking oil- they make the malpua greasy and spoil the taste) in my opinion). Spices - Fennel seeds, black pepper, green cardamom powder. The spice selection is a bit interesting if you ask me. Fennel seeds are a cooling spice, however black pepper has a warmth. Now, my grandmother used to tell us that this is because malpua are made during Holi, which falls during spring months, and hence the seasons are transitioning. Sugar& Water for the Syrup Nuts - Of your choice, for garnishing. I use silvered pistachios.
Instructions
Make Malpua Batter & Sugar Syrup
Fry Malpua
Storing Malpua
Store malpua soaked in sugar syrup. If you store them without sugar syrup, they will become hard. You can keep them refrigerated in an air tight container for 2-3 days. Reheat in a microwave (for 10-12 seconds) before serving.
Recipe Tips
Your malpua might not turn out perfect texture or shape the first few times. Dont give up or get frustated. Keep trying, indian mithai is an art and takes practice and patience to master. When you are pouring the batter, gently swirl your wrist or hand to make a neat round shape. This takes a little practice but easily mastered. If you see that your malpua are puffing up like poori, that means that the batter is thick, thin out the thick batter slightly. Make sure that ghee temperature is neither too low nor too high. At high temperature, the batter will splatter as soon as you pour it in the ghee. Lastly, after flipping, some of the batter might run out and spoil the circular shape of the puas. Happened with me as well (see image below) Not to worry, once you have fried the malpuas, simply snip out those pointy wanted edges using kitchen scissors.
