Mawa Malpua Rabri is a traditional sweet dish from northern India, prepared usually during festive season. Malpua is a deep-fried pancake soaked in sugar syrup that is soft in the centre with slightly crunchy edges and served as is or with sweetened and thickened milk called Rabri.
WHAT IS MALPUA?
Malpua is a thick and soft pancake with crispy edges that is traditionally deep fried. It is a very famous sweet dish in some northern states of India. Very rich in flavor, there are regional variations to this super addictive sweet dish. Traditionally, Malpua is prepared using Khoa or Mawa. However, variations are made by preparing them with all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, bread or recently, the trendier flours like oats. The batter prepared is let to ferment overnight and then poured into hot ghee or oil to make the pancakes.
This recipe uses Mawa, all-purpose flour, semolina and milk. Instead of fermenting the batter overnight, I have used baking soda to make them instantly. The prepared batter is deep fried in ghee and then soaked in sugar syrup flavored with saffron. Hot Malpuas are then served with chilled Rabri, a heavenly combination.
WHAT IS RABRI?
Rabri is a thick, sweetened milk prepared by reducing full fat milk with sugar, saffron and cardamom. The consistency depends on your preference. With Malpua, I prefer thick Rabri, hence I have reduced it to almost 1/3rd the original volume. Once cooled, it will thicken a little more.
HOW EASY IS IT TO PREPARE MALPUA RABRI?
Preparing Malpua Rabri is not as complex and laborious as it may sound. If you follow the instructions diligently, you can’t go wrong in making the finest Malpuas.
- Use fresh Mawa/Khoa. I have used store bought Mawa. You could make them at home if you wish to.
- Set the batter aside for 10-15mins before deep frying.
- Prepare the sugar syrup before deep frying the Malpuas.
- The sugar syrup should be sticky with one string consistency.
- Use ghee for deep-frying instead of oil. While you can replace ghee with oil, to get the rich, flavorful and addictive Malpuas, use ghee. There is truly no comparison between to Mapluas deep fried in ghee and oil.
- Deep fry the Malpuas on medium-low heat until they are golden brown.
- Soak the deep-fried Malpuas in warm sugar syrup. If the syrup is at room temperature, Malpuas will not absorb the syrup well.
Preparing Rabri is simple but takes time. As the milk boils, you need to collect the cream layer that forms on top and stick it to the side of the pan. If not, you will end up having pieces of cream mixed with milk which will ruin the texture of Rabri. The cream collected should then be mashed with the back of the spatula and mixed back with the reducing milk. It could take about 30 minutes to prepare Rabri.
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Notes:
- If you are using store-bought Khoa/Mawa, grate it.
- Using hot milk helps in melting the Mawa to get a homogenous mixture.
- Semolina gives the Malpuas slight crunch on the edges.
- Coarsely pound the fennel seeds. If you are using a mortar and pestle, just beat them once or twice. Do not powder them down. Do not skip using fennel seeds as it gives Malpuas the distinct taste.
- Use a flat-bottomed pan to deep fry the Malpuas and also to prepare the sugar syrup.
- I strongly suggest using ghee for deep frying for the rich flavor of Malpuas.
- Deep fry the Malpuas on medium-low heat. If the heat is higher, they may turn brown too soon and not fry well in the centre.
- While removing the fried Malpua from the ghee, gently squeeze it between two slotted spatulas above the frying pan, to remove any excess ghee absorbed by it. Let the ghee drip to the frying pan.
- Adding lemon juice to sugar syrup helps avoid crystallization of the syrup. I prefer using white sugar. However, if you are using brown sugar, add 1 tablespoon milk and separate the scum from the syrup.
- Refrigerate the left-over Malpuas. Microwave for about 15-20 seconds before serving.
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