CRISPY FRIED MALPUA

WHAT IS MALPUA?

Malpua is an Indian sweet/dessert. Every region has its own way of preparing malpua. In Bengal we call it Malpoa and is generally made with a mixture of flour, semolina, milk and sugar. Though I faintly remember my grand mom using homemade rice flour to make it. In this batter you can add mashed banana, shredded coconut, khoya / mawa. I used the basic batter today because weekdays are no frill days for me. Malpoa perhaps is the first sweet meat / dessert / pithe a Bengali girl learns to make.... the most basic and easy recipe in the Bengali 'Pithe' category. When served with rabri it becomes a dessert.

About 20-30 years ago, yet to be married Bengali girls were grilled by their would be in-laws or their representatives .... do you know cooking? Can you make malpoa and patishapta? Under 5-8 pairs of scanning eyes, the poor girl had to answer a bizarre questionnaire just to prove her worth in the marriage market. Its not a past tense as yet but has lessened.

Malpoa brings in a lot of memories. I remember the mother frying them one after another tirelessly which amounted to 50-60 in an evening. The ritual was to distribute among your neighbours, as part of  a nice warm gesture. Living in individual houses we had a neighbourhood culture then.....talking to each other from this terrace to that terrace. Whatsapp or Facebook were not required for socialising. Warmth was felt through exchange of words or food.

Now this is one sign of me growing old. Old people generally like reminiscing and glorifying the bygone days. My middle class values or sentiments say there is every reason to. This would invite never-ending arguments, better we jump onto the recipe. Usually malpoa is served dipped in sugar syrup but  I skipped the dipping part and kept it crispy fried as is liked by my family. There are families who also add black peppercorns to the batter besides the fennel seeds, I like the presence of both but my family does not.

INGREDIENTS : 

All Purpose Flour : 1 coffee mug

Rice Flour : 2tbsp
Semolina : 1/2 coffee mug
Milk : 500 ml [there can be water used instead]
Sugar : 1 medium tea cup
Fennel Seeds : 1tsp 
Oil : As required for deep frying]

METHOD :

Pour the milk in a heavy bottomed pan. Bring it to boil and keep boiling till it reduces to 250 ml. The milk should not turn brown. Once done let it cool a bit.

To it, add the semolina when it is still warm. Keep aside for 1/2 an hour. Add the flour now little by little stirring with a ladle simultaneously. No lump should be their in the batter. Add sugar and 2-3 drops of oil. Keep at rest for 1 hour to allow the sugar to dissolve. The addition of oil helps the malpoa not to stick to the pan while frying. Add the fennel seeds. Your batter is ready. It will neither be too thick nor too thin.

Take a round shaped bigger spoon. Heat oil in a pan to the smoking point. Lower heat from medium towards low. Pour in a spoonful of the batter to the oil with the spoon. Fry each side well until brown. Fry one at a time.

Because I wanted flattened & not round & fluffier malpoa, I used a flatter pan & less oil!

You can serve them after being soaked in sugar syrup or with rabri. I usually serve them as it is; as is preferred in the family. Mind you they taste best the next day. Enjoy....