MALPUA APPE

 I TRY TO MAKE HEALTHIER PITHE PULI, SWEET, SNACK!

If you had been watching my activities, you would agree to my claim! I am trying to adapt to healthy eating habits, too oily and sugary stuffs cause me discomfort these days! A pita bread last night instead of deep fried "luchi" is a step towards health for sure! 

I had my dinner with less of guilt, my problem is that I snack in-between meals. I do not know why I cannot resist that. Even T was saying what is the point of doing intermittent fasting if I keep having snacks & biscuits between 2 pm and 10 pm! My binge eating increased after the son left home for a better life! There is nothing fruitful to do and I have been a born foodie, this turn of life was obvious. I am even more sad looking at the double chin of my brother. What is wrong with us siblings I do not know, but we look like two footballs these days. All of my anger goes onto the weight machine and I feel like breaking it! Anyway, a lunch with a plateful of rice on a Sunday is not a crime! There had 'shutkir bharta, palong shaak, borar jhol"! The crime was to have that crisp toast with a generous drizzle of butter and a pinch or two of brown sugar in the evening!

Saturday & Sunday, I had all carbs! Though I may not have rice meals starting tomorrow, until Friday; I am unable to shed a kilogram  because my exercise is either a 45 minutes of swim or an 1 1/2 hours of walk! I see healthy diet plans and healthy people in social media; do not get motivated these days. It seems to me an upheaval task to eat what I do not wish to! However, I keep sending warning messages to my brother and the son. I have asked the son not be fat like mumma, neither to have a skeletal structure like babai!

REEL LIFE, REAL LIFE; ALL OF THEM AFFECT MY LIFE; I FIND ULTIMATE SOLACE IN FOOD!

Like yesterday evening we were watching "Panchayat" Season 2, at the end I was feeling sad and restless. I get happy at the sight of a plateful of food! Planning for what food to cook is another level of a pleasure. The snack I cooked today was on my plan for over a year. I am proud to own an appe pan, I may not use it regular as is done in a Southern Indian home, but it really can get us a variety of snacks using  minimal oil! Today, it caused a disturbance in my fasting routine; I tasted one before 2 pm; after that I had a couple of them before going to swim! Thereafter, I had that lunch with the leftover chicken-rice I cooked last Saturday night in the microwave and rice with "kechki mach er chocchori"! A bowl of sweet oranges was not a concern. Cristine was out at the time, I do not even wish to serve myself well. The man too took chicken rice & mango in his lunch box!

I am too eager to blog about the delicious chicken-rice bowl cooked hassle free! But I felt I need not behave a senile and hyper in public, let me keep it for another day sooner! This recipe would help busy people including an international student like our son! What I cooked this morning is equally worth sharing!

WHAT IS THIS MALPUA APPE?

Bengalis pronounce it Malpoa, I think it is the most common & most loved pithe / sweet snack in the family, second comes the patishapta pancake. Malpua, that is deep fried pancake making is not a big issue but it requires a wok full of oil for the round, fluffy shaped and a little less for the flat ones! Unless it is a special prayer meet or Poush Mash, I do not make them. This idea was playing on my mind for long what about making a malpua batter and cooking them in a spoonful of oil on an appe pan! Whats in a name, the taste would remain same! MALPUA APPE is a sweet snack; vegan food done in a specialised pan to minimise the use of oil! The Bengali Malpoa Batter is flavoured with fennel seeds, I used green cardamom powder, rosewater instead today! 

INGREDIENTS :

REFINED FLOUR : 1 COFFEE MUG

SEMOLINA : 1/2 COFFEE MUG

RICE FLOUR : 2 TBSP

SHREDDED COCONUT : 1 SMALL TEA CUP [I USED DESICCATED COCONUT]

BAKING SODA : A PINCH OR TWO

SUGAR OR JAGGERY : 1 SMALL TEA CUP [I USED BROWN SUGAR]

ROSE WATER : 1 TSP

GREEN CARDAMOM POWDER : 1/2 TSP

WATER : AS REQUIRED

OIL : 1/4 TSP IN EACH

PROCEDURE :

We would take the semolina in a wide mouthed bowl, add water to it. You can use thickened milk to it instead! In this island, the semolina variety is such the soaking time can be of 1/2 an hour, in Kolkata, it may take 2 hours to soften!

The next step is to add the refined flour and beat well so there is no lump left!

Then we would add the coconut, sugar, rose water, green cardamom powder, beat well! We need to keep it covered for an hour!

As we get ready to cook them, we would add the baking soda, a tea spoon of oil and mix well the batter!

The appe pan has to be heated well, each hole has to have this amount of oil or a little less!

We would pour the batter, I missed clicking this step! We would cook both sides well at low to minimal heat. Each side may take 3-4 minutes to cook. The turning over can be done with the back of a small spoon!

We would put them onto tissue paper before serving and having! I forgot clicking this step too!