whole-wheat & almond malpua

It has been slightly more than a bit wholesomely around here for the past few weeks.  All whole grains, no added sugar; not even the refined kind and not much very blog-worthy.  The fact that Holi was right aroud the corner kept cropping up in my mind and I wanted to make something a little bit festive to celebrate.  Something that wouldn’t derail the way I have been eating but a treat all the same 🙂

The festival of colors was most fun as kids.  Although not particularly fond of getting colors smeared on my face or feeling the stinging burst of a water balloon against the skin, it was hard not to get caught up in the revelry.  The streets used to be packed with people throwing colors and wishing each other, a lot singing and dancing and the whole atmosphere was very joyful.  And the food!!  Oh the food….kachoris, gujiyas, samosas, chaat, gulab jamun, malpua…something I looked forward to all year.

This year for some reason, malpua had been on my mind for weeks.  Simple pancake-like discs made from all-purpose flour and sometimes mava/khoya, fried and then dunked ito a sugar syrup.  Kind of  like a gulab jamun but simpler and so good!  My favorite part was the crisp circumference and I would eat through that part before making my way to the soft and syrupy centre.  This time, I chose to make it with whole-wheat flour and also added some almond flour to it.  I also kept it vegan by using almond milk and using oil instead of ghee.  And used my favorite unrefined sweetener – jaggery!

Most often malpuas are made by pouring batter into about an inch of oil so that they are completely suberged, and then frying them.  But I have also seen them made on a skillet similar to pancakes.  The latter seemed to be a bit healthier so I chose to go that route.  Surprisingly, they took very little oil but still managed to have that crispy edges.  And although I made a syrup of the jaggery, I chose to drizzle some on rather than dunking the malpuas in it.

These are really easy to make and just as delicious as the traditional ones, satisfying that craving for something sweet but not overly so.  They are also not too much effort and come together fairly quickly.  Do try making these sometime!

Happy Holi!

Print Recipe

whole-wheat and almond malpua

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup whole-wheat pastry flour (or aata)
• 1/4 cup almond flour
• 2 tbsp sooji (semolina)
• 1/2 cup plus more milk or almond milk (I used almond milk)
• 3/4 tsp fennel seeds, crushed roughly
• 4-6 cardamom, peeled and powdered
• 1/4 tsp black pepper powder
• a pinch of salt
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• Peanut or canola or vegetable oil for frying
• Syrup:
• 1/4 cup jaggery
• 1/3 cup water
• 1 tsp rose water
• Optional: dried rose petals and slivered pistacios for garnish.

Instructions

1

For the syrup:

2

Dissolve the jaggery in the water and cook until it becomes a syrup of about 1-string consistency. I usually do this in a small bowl in the microwave but you can do this on the stove top. Add the rose water and keep aside.

3

Mix the whole-wheat flour, almond flour and semolina in a lage bowl. Add the salt, baking powder, fennel seeds, cardamom and black pepper powder. Add 1/8 cup of the jaggery syrup and enough milk/almond milk to make a thick batter of pouring consistency. The batter shouldn't be too thin. Keep aside for an hour.

4

Heat a skillet on a medium flame and add 1/2 tbsp oil. Then pour about a tbsp of the batter into the skillet. Depending on the size of the skillet, you can make a few at a time. Just make sure they aren't too close to each other and touching.

5

Drizzle a few drops of oil around each of the malpuas. You will soon see bubbles forming on the surface.

6

When the edges of the malpuas look golden brown, flip them over and cook until the other side is also golden brown in places.

7

Transfer to a serving plate and drizzle the remaining jaggery syrup on top.

8

Garnish with dried rose petals and sliced pistachios. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Notes

I used one tbsp batter for each malpua and got about eight of them.