Malpua recipe | Bengali khoya malpua – a Janmashtami special sweet Indian pancake with a juicy sugar syrup coating. Made with maida/flour, khoya, suji, milk, and coconut, fried in ghee, flavored with fennel cardamom spiced up with black pepper, and lastly coated with sugar syrup. Contain a soft juicy base with slightly crispy edges. This Indian pancake is served with Rabri (a thickened Indian sweetened milk) as a dip and garnished with chopped nuts from the top.
What is Mapua?
Malpua is basically a North Indian sweet, an eggless pancake flavored with fennel, cardamom, and ghee dipped in sugar syrup for perfection. Contains crispy edges due to the use of suji/rice flour and a soft base(center) for adding milk and maida/flour in it. Prepared with or without soaked in sugar syrup. A scrumptious mouthwatering sweet dish of India. Originally India’s traditional sweet and since the olden days it is commonly prepared to almost every Indian kitchen during festivals. Specially Shree Krishna Janmashtami, Holi, Navratri, Diwali all beggest Indian festivities were incomplete without this sweet.
About this recipe
Malpua making goes through 3 steps methods. The first making of batter, Secondly, fry these pancakes in ghee or vegetable oil or a mix of both. The last part is soaking in sugar syrup to keep it soft and juicy for a long time. Basically, its batter is made of maida/all-purpose flour, suji/rice flour, milk, sugar, and fennel seeds. However, I used khoya/mawa and grated coconut to bring the sweet shop(Halwai) taste. Then it is first fried in ghee or oil. Lastly dunked in sugar syrup. Though sugar syrup soaking is not mandatory. In North India, it’s mainly served with a bowl of rabri as a dipping.
Variations
Malpua has different varieties and it has many names in many states. Such as it’s called Malpuri in Karnataka, Malapua or Malpuwa in Nepal, and Avalu in Orissa. On the other hand, North India and the Rajasthan region use mawa or rabri for making this sweet. In Orissa, Nepal, and Bangladesh ripe bananas or Kela are commonly used to make it softer. Whereas in West Bengal coconut is a must-used ingredient in this recipe.
These sweet Indian-style pancakes are most popular in North Indian states like Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Bihar, and Rajasthan. Though Bengal, Orissa, Maharastra, Assam, and Nepal also have their own versions of making this homemade sweet. Even Malpua is popular among the Muslim community too and they must prepare it during Ramzan month(in iftar) with other sweet dishes.
Recipe ideas from Mom
This Bengali style kheer’er malpua is actually my mom’s special recipe which is a favorite of all of us. My mom makes this sweet with maida, suji/semolina, grated khoya kheer/mawa, shredded coconut, sugar, ghee, milk, powdered fennel seeds, black pepper, and cardamom powder.
Though my mom doesn’t dunk it in sugar syrup. As I generally make it with sugar syrup so I’ve to make a little change in the quantity of sugar and semolina from my mom’s recipe.
Since my childhood, I have seen my mom must offer malpuas and palm fruit fritters to Lord Sri Krishna on the auspicious day of Janmashtami. As she says Lord Krishna loves to eat both, so the Janmashtami celebration is incomplete without these two sweets. Ripe palm fruit is not easily available in Bangalore so every year I only prepare malpua on the day of Janmashtami.
Healthy Options
Though in some places it’s mainly made of whole wheat or atta and instead of sugar jaggery is used. That’s a very healthy option. Even without using khoya, you may have it as a low-calorie breakfast by replacing the wheat flour with powdered oats and jaggery with honey too.
Tips for making the perfect malpua recipe
- Don’t need to make a too thick or too thin sugar syrup for this sweet. As thick syrup has a tendency to crystallize. Whereas the sugar syrup is too thin then malpua will be too soggy and can not contain the crunch from the sides.
- Adding more 1/2 cup sugar(≈ 100 g) to the batter will help you to make it without sugar syrup.
- Batter should have perfect consistency, not too thick or too thin. If the batter gets thick mapua will be thick too take so much time to perfectly cook. Otherwise can be uncooked from the inside. If the batter will be too thin malpua will be thin and crispy as well not have perfect taste.
- Once the batter is ready must keep it rest for the time mentioned in this recipe to infuse all flavor in it. Even it’ll also help to melt down the sugar perfectly. But if are in a hurry so to make it instantly must use powdered sugar and desiccated coconut too.
- Here I’ve used vegetable oil for frying this Indian pancake instead of ghee as I’ve used 2 tbsp ghee while making the batter.
- I’ve used a flat pan for shallow frying these pancakes. But you can deep fry it too.
- You may use store-bought khoya too. But for homemade khoya, you may check my khoya recipe.
- For making the quick version of malpua, earlier you may prepare the khoya and store it in the freezer.
- Though here coconut or narkel creates a good flavor if you are allergic to coconut just skip it.
Happy Janmashtami festival to all of you and you may also check my
Janmashtami special sweet doodh peda or milk peda recipe
Even you can try my other festival desserts, i.e,
North Indian festival special gajar ka halwa recipe
Independence day special tricolor peda recipe
Ganesh Chaturthi special modak recipe
rabri or rabdi recipe
To know this Janmashtami special khoya or mawa malpua recipe in detail, please stay with me till the end. Let me know how this Janmashtami special sweet worked at your home by writing it down in the comment box below.
Malpua recipe | Bengali khoya malpua – a Janmashtami special sweet
Ingredients
- 1 cup All-purpose flour/Maida
- 3/4 cup Semolina or Sooji
- 1/2 cup Grated Khoya(khoya recipe)
- 1/4 cup Shredded Coconut
- 1/2 cup Sugar
- 1 tsp Fennel Seeds(Powdered/coarsely ground)
- 1/2 tsp Green Cardamom Powder
- 2 tbsp Ghee or Clarified Butter
- 1/4 tsp Crushed Whole Peppercorns
- 1+1/2 cup Whole Milk
- Oil or Ghee For Frying
- Pistachios for garnishing
For the making of sugar syrup
- 1 cup of Sugar
- 1/2 cup Water
- 4-5 Green Cardamom
Prep time: 45 mins
Cook time: 30 mins
Served in: 1 hr 15 mins
Course: Festival sweet
Cuisine: Indian
Served for: 7-8 people
Author: Moumita Paul
How to make malpua with step by step pictures
Preparation
Making malpua batter
- For making malpua recipe, make its batter first by sieving all-purpose flour or plain maida(about 1 cup or 200 g) and keep it in a mixing bowl.
- Then add 3/4 cup(150 g) sooji or semolina, 1/2 cup(80-90 g) grated khoya, 1/4 cup(4 tbsp full) shredded coconut, 2 tbsp ghee/clarified butter, 1 tsp coarsely ground fennel seeds, 1/2 tsp green cardamom powder, 1/4 tsp(4-5 cs) crushed black pepper, and 1/2 cup(100 g) sugar in the same mixing bowl. Mix all the ingredients nicely.
- Now mix all the ingredients nicely by using your fingers and crush all the small chunks of khoya to make a lump-free mix.
- Now gradually mix the milk(1+ 1/2 cup whole milk) into it, to make a smooth batter(not too thick or too thin batter) from it and that batter should be lump-free. Stir it nicely for melting the sugar.
- This Indian pancake batter is ready, cover it and leave it for at least 30 mins for the best result.
How to fry malpua
- For frying malpuas, place a pan on medium heat and make it hot, then add 5-6 tbsp oil or ghee(for shallow frying).
- For deep frying, 1 cup( 250 ml) ghee or oil or half a half ghee and oil to the pan.
- And wait till the oil gets hot and releases smoke.
- Stir the batter nicely 3-4 times before putting it into the oil.
- Now slow down the gas flame and put a spoon full of batter(size as per your choice into the oil.
- After a few minutes(hardly 3-4 mins) or when the bottom portion will be golden brown color then flip it over and fry it till it gets the same as the bottom.
- When both sides get a nice golden brown color then remove it from the pan and put it on a paper towel for soaking the excess oil.
Making sugar syrup
- For making sugar syrup coated malpua, then make the sugar syrup.
- Take a pan with 1/2 cup of water(1 cup=250 ml).
- Add 1 cup of sugar and 4-5 green cardamom to it.
- Now place the pan on the medium flame of the gas stove and let it boil.
- when the sugar completely melts down and boiling for 5- 6 mins on medium flame to make a slightly thick syrup, turn off the heat.
Malpua dipped in sugar syrup
- After frying all malpuas, soak them in the hot sugar syrup for 2 minutes.
- After 2 minutes remove the malpuas from the sugar syrup and drain the excess sugar syrup from it before plating.
- Janmashtami special soft and juicy Bengali khoya malpua is ready. Garnish it with pistachios.
- When I make this malpua without sugar syrup, generally serve it with homemade rabri or sweetened condensed milk. Even you can serve it with rabri(check rabri recipe) if possible.
Malpua sweet making with step-by-step pictures
First, take 1 cup(≈ 200g) maida or all-purpose flour after sieving and add 3/4 cup(≈ 150 g) sooji or semolina to the mixing bowl.
Adding 1/2 cup(≈ 100g sugar to the bowl
Then add 1/2 cup(≈ 80g-90g) khoya with it.
Next, add 1/4 cup(≈ 4 tbsp full) shredded coconut to it.
Add 2 tbsp ghee to the mixing bowl
Add 1 tsp fennel powder, 1/2 tsp green cardamom powder, and 1/4 tsp crushed pepper.
First, mix all the dry ingredients very well and mash all small chunks of khoya to make it smooth. Then add 1+ 1/2 cup of milk to make a smooth batter.
Stir it till the sugar completely melts down. Now the pancake batter is ready.
Take a ladle and stir the batter 3-4 times before putting it into the oil.
Put the ladle full of batter in the oil/ghee/ oil-ghee mix(5-6 tbsp for shallow frying and 1 cup = 250 ml for deep frying).
Fry the malpua until get a nice golden brown color from both sides with a slightly crispy edge as shown in the pic. Then dunk it in sugar syrup if want to make it more soft and juicy.
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