AAM MALPOA

"Raah Pe Kante Bikhre Agar...

Uspe To Phir Bhi Chalna Hi Hai...
Sham Chupale Suraj Magar...
Raat Ko Ekdin Dhalna Hi Hai...
Root Ye Tal Jayegi...
Himmat Rang Layegi...
Subah Phir Aaegi ho...."       .... from the movie Dor by Nagesh Kukunoor...

Finally after more than a decade of it's release it is available on youtube.... I watched the movie long back and I highly recommend it to those who have not seen it yet. A director par excellence like Nagesh Kukunoor does not require an introduction. What attracts me the most in his movies is their story line.... each of them different from the other.... unique in their own right and with a strong message. Nagesh treats each of his creations well taking care of every details just as we do to our kids. When he was in this island for the launch of "Dhanak"... he narrated how he left a lucrative job in the west to pursue his passion and his struggle in the process. This particular film "Dor"... literally meaning string..... bandhan or a bond is a beautifully woven story of a bond between two women.... from two different setups... of totally opposite characters who meet over unpleasant circumstances. Throughout the movie, you get to see the plight of people in the remotes of India.... specially of widowed women.... how a newly wed bubbly girl turns onto a victim of oppression within the family just because her husband dies? How to translate the above lines?... Well... its cliched but true.... however rough the road is.... we cannot stop midway... we must make an effort to go ahead... the colours of strength within you makes you shine through... the dark night ends with a sunrise.... and you get sun kissed..... go to Youtube .... type "Dor"and watch..... feel deep within the attributes of relationship and B+. I am an ardent music lover, I particularly love this song or any number or kind that is melodious and touches my soul. I just click Google for the lyrics of songs that I wish to learn... you too can.

Yesterday too was our movie day and we again watched a meaningful movie "Hindi Medium" at the 'Shaw Theatres' in the island. It is based on the topic.... how mad Indian parents can be to get their kids admitted in the top schools. I could completely identify with the movie because I was a living example of that kind of a mother back then .... it was the wise senior at home who did not allow me to turn mad on our son. As he always say... I want my son to be happy... he will make a decent life for himself... I will not allow you to push him into the number game. When we fight on an issue 'our' son becomes 'my'. The senior at home is actually a year younger to me but a far more liberated soul full of wisdom. When people talked about us... he asked me to give a deaf ear... we will build our own home... and a happy one... where these people will not feature, we are in charge of our lives. The movie also indicates some serious issues... how the propertied class take advantage of reservation even during admissions at school. Can we really blame them for turning against the society? If we grab all that is good by money power.... what will the underprivileged do? Reservation of seats in any field should purely be based on one's socio-economic status, it is a necessity in a diverse society to uplift the backward classes. Few malls, good roads, proper sanitation and educational benefits, all confined to few cities do not account for an overall development, each of the facilities should reach the grassroots level. The one who is giving such big talks in her blog is not that much of a saint though but try her bit in a small way... each one of us should. Whatever exaggeration you will see in the movie otherwise can be excused  as cinematic license. Irfan Khan is a class apart who knows how to keep you stay fixed to your sit throughout the entire movie.

After two good movies, we need some good food too. Malpoa or Malpua is a much sought after sweet / dessert / snack for many of us. It is usually done with semolina, sugar, refined flour, rice flour. We keep on adding various other things like  banana, shredded coconut and so on. Since mango is in season now and we get good variety of it in this tropical island... we are having it to our heart's content. I just cannot listen to any health warnings when it comes to mango. We are having it as a fruit and I am also using it in different desserts ..... frozen or otherwise. Though I do not always wish to translate "desi" kind of dishes but we have to do it.... we must. Well for those who do not have an idea what a malpua is... it is actually a kind of deep fried pan cake. This time I have tried a mango flavoured malpoa with fresh mango puree. I would call it a sweet snack as I have not dipped the fried mango pancake in sugar syrup.... that we can call it a dessert. Come let us prepare it following the stepwise pictures given.... let some good background music be on.

INGREDIENTS :

Semolina : 1/2  coffee mug
Refined Flour : 1coffee mug
Rice Flour : 3-4 tbsp
Mango Puree :1 medium sized tea cup
Sugar : 1small sized tea cup 
Fennel Seed : 1tbsp
Yellow Food Colour : A few drops
Oil : 1tsp + 200ml [to deep fry]

METHOD :

Take the semolina in a bowl. Add water to soak it and keep covered for sometime. You can add milk instead!

Remove the cover and add the refined flour, rice flour, sugar to it. Fold in well, add the fennel seeds. Now puree the extracted mango pulp in a blender.

Add the mango puree and yellow food colour to the malpoa / malpua / pan cake batter. Fold in the batter well and keep aside for at least 1/2 an hour.

Add 1tsp oil and the baking powder [if using, I did not]  to the batter and fold in well. Heat the oil in a wok. Take batter in a big round spoon and drop gently to the oil.

When one side turns brown, turn over and let the other side fry well. Keep increasing and decreasing the heat throughout the entire process as required.

Take out and place the malpoa on to tissue papers at first. Once it soaks the oil, transfer onto serving plates. 

If you want flat sized, use a wide, flat pan to cook them! But once cold, flat ones may get a bit hard! They taste great & crisp if eaten fresh & hot!

Have them hot / warm or at room temperature as per your preference. They taste the best on the next day. My family loves, yours' too will.