Malpua

Malpua- The Oldest Indian Dessert

Dipped in oodles of sugar syrup, malpua was born in the lap of rich desi ghee in the texts of 1500 BCE Rigveda. The oldest Indian dessert that has stood the test of time and evolved into the sweet Indian pancake of today finds mentions in the 3000 year old Vedic literature that talk about apupa. This was the most primitive form of malpua, made with deep-fried barley flour and sweetened with honey.

The character of this sweet dish underwent various changes and it took shape as the present-day malpua served with dry fruits and rabdi much later. Did you know that the same sweet dish is eaten across India on diverse festivals like Holi, Diwali and Eid in different parts of the country? This Indian dessert transcended regional boundaries to become an accompaniment for mutton and chicken curry in Bihar during Holi as well as an egg and mawa dish in Islamic courts. Bengalis prepare a flour and milk combination during Poush Sankranti which is deemed as malpua in the region. 

While traditional preparation of malpua only consists of flour and thickened milk which is fried in ghee, that's how they prepare Malpua for Posh Sankranti in Bengal. But there are several variations of Malpua. Many preparations used crushed ripe bananas, or pineapple in the batter. Some often chose to top their malpuas with condensed milk, nuts and cardamom. In Odisha, the Malpua is dipped in syrup after they are fried. The Bihari version of this dish has sugar added to the batter prior to frying.Here is a simple recipe of Malpua that can help you churn some delightful ones for yourself, that too in the comforts of your own kitchen.

My mom used to make awesome Tiny and fluffy Malpuas! I can't make as good as hers, yet sometimes I try. In her version, sugar was added to the aata batter with milk before frying.

Ingredients:

1. Wheat flour- 1 cup

2. Sugar

3. Green cardamom powder

4. Crushed fennel seeds

5. Chopped nuts for garnishing 

6. Desi ghee for frying

Method:

1. Mix aata, powdered sugar and milk to make a thick batter.

2. Add cardamom powder and crushed fennel seeds (Moti saunf) and leave for at least 3 to 4 hours.

3. Now heat desi ghee in a kadai and check the consistency of the batter, it should be not very thick, if it is, add some more milk to make it like pancake or waffle batter.

4. With the help of a laddle, pour batter in ghee and fry on medium low heat from both sides.

Note*

I made Malpua this time of all purpose flour or Maida and as I was using Rabri with Thandai powder, I skipped adding fennel seeds in the batter.