Malpua Pancakes In Syrup Food

BANANA MALPUA (FRIED INDIAN PANCAKE FOR DIWALI)

Steps:

• Heat milk in a small saucepan over medium heat until it begins to bubble. Remove from heat and keep warm.
• Bring 1 1/2 cups sugar and water to a boil in another saucepan. Add cardamom and saffron. Boil until syrup is thick and sticky, 4 to 7 minutes. Pour syrup into a bowl and place it over warm water to keep warm.
• Blend warmed milk, remaining 1/2 cup sugar, bananas, flour, semolina, condensed milk, fennel, salt, and baking soda in a food processor until smooth, not be too thick or too runny. Cover and let rest, at least 30 minutes and up to 4 hours.
• Heat oil and ghee in a nonstick pan over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low. Drop 1 large spoonful of batter into the center to make a 2-inch pancake. Cook until edges turn golden brown, about 2 minutes. Flip and fry until both sides are golden, 1 to 2 minutes more. Remove with a slotted spoon and let cool. Repeat with remaining batter.
• Dunk cooled pancakes into the syrup, one by one. Garnish with almonds and raisins.

MALPUA

Steps:

• For the pancakes: Combine the all-purpose flour, semolina flour, milk powder, fennel and pepper in a large bowl. Stir in the yogurt and gradually add enough milk, while stirring, to form a smooth pourable batter. Set aside at room temperature for 30 minutes, while you make the syrup.
• For the syrup: Combine the sugar, cardamom and 1/2 cup water in a medium skillet. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer and cook until syrupy, about 8 minutes. Keep warm. Meanwhile, soak the saffron in the milk in a small bowl.
• Heat 2 tablespoons ghee in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
• Meanwhile, add the baking soda to the pancake batter and mix well. Once the ghee is hot, add dollops of the batter (2 to 3 tablespoons each) to the skillet; it should spread like a pancake. Reduce the heat to medium and fry until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Flip and cook until golden brown, about 2 minutes more. (Make 4 to 5 pancakes at a time.) Repeat with the remaining batter, adding more ghee as needed between batches. Transfer the pancakes to a paper towel-lined plate.
• To serve: Warm the syrup, if it has cooled. Add the saffron-milk mixture. Use tongs to dip/coat the pancakes in the hot syrup and transfer to serving platter. Sprinkle with almonds and pistachios and serve warm.

INDIAN PANCAKES WITH SAFFRON & ROSEWATER CREAM (MALPUA & RABRI)

Steps:

• To make the rabri, heat the milk over a medium heat, then boil until it reduces to a cream. It's best to use a wok, karahi or a sturdy casserole for this - you want the milk to reduce quickly so that it retains its creamy colour without browning. Stir continuously, scraping down the sides of the pan as it cooks.
• After about 20 mins, the milk will have reduced by two-thirds and have the consistency of double cream. Stir in the caster sugar and continue cooking until the sugar has dissolved. Add the saffron strands along with the soaking milk and the rosewater. Spoon the cream into a bowl and leave to cool, before transferring to the fridge.
• To make the malpua batter, sieve the flour and salt into a medium bowl and mix in the milk powder and fennel seeds. Make a well in the middle of the flour and whisk in enough milk to make a smooth batter - aim for the consistency of double cream. Cover and leave it to rest at room temperature for 20 mins.
• To make the syrup, put the sugar in a pan with 300ml water, heat gently, stirring, to dissolve (do not let the water boil). Add the cardamom pods, then simmer for 5 mins. Turn off the heat and gradually stir through the saffron along with its soaking water. Cover the pan and keep the syrup warm while you make the pancakes.
• Heat enough ghee in a deep-sided frying pan to create a depth of 3cm when melted. Whisk the batter - it will have thickened slightly and should now have a coating consistency. Add a little more milk if needed.
• Once the ghee reaches 130C, or when a cube of bread dropped in browns in 1 min, carefully drop in tablespoons of the batter, leaving room for them to spread. Each pancake should be about 7cm in diameter when it spreads. Take care not to overcrowd the pan.
• Cook the pancakes in batches for 2-3 mins. Once the batter has set, increase the heat slightly, and continue cooking until the pancakes are golden. Remove from the oil using a fish slice and drain on kitchen paper.
• Add the hot pancakes to the warm syrup in batches, letting them steep for 2-3 mins. Drain the pancakes, then transfer to a serving plate and cover to keep them warm. Repeat the process with the remaining batter and syrup - there should be 14-16 small pancakes.
• Spoon any extra saffron and cardamom syrup around the pancakes and top each with a generous helping of chilled rabri. To serve, scatter with chopped pistachios and rose petals, if you like.

MALPUA (PANCAKES IN SYRUP)

Steps:

• pan, mix 2 cups of water and 2 cups of sugar and boil. The syrup is ready when you get a single-thread consistency. The way to test this is to stir the syrup with a spoon, lift the spoon out and carefully touch the syrup on it with your index finger.
• Press your index finger and thumb together and gently pull apart. The sugar will stretch to form a single 'thread'. If this happens the syrup is ready. If not keep boiling and test occasionally till done.
• When the syrup is ready add the cardamom powder and mix well. Keep the syrup aside to use later.
• In a large mixing bowl, blend the dry milk, flour,funnel seed and baking powder together to form a smooth batter.
• While you are mixing the batter, heat enough oil in a deep frying pan to cook the malpuas.
• When the oil is hot, use a ladle to gently pour the batter into the oil to form circles about 4" in diameter.
• Cook till golden brown. Remove from the oil and put directly into the sugar syrup.
• Remove after 2-3 minutes and drain on a wire rack with a plate underneath to catch the dripping syrup.and garnish with slivered nuts.