Sweet Malpua -- sugar uninterrupted

Sweet, soft, layers off goodness. That is what Malpuas are.

I finally gave in and made Malpua this past weekend. How could I let a festival pass by without the food ? And how could just a condensed Milk Cake compensate for "syrup dribbling down your elbows" sweets. Don't you get a kick of licking sugary syrup dribbling down your elbows ? You don't ? Ok I understand, it does get messy and tricky and you need to know the right technique to let it dribble only on the inside and not on the hairy side.

I remember the time I got Rasgullas to work and my inept German boss trying to blend in with the Indian culture (this was way back in India), picked up a rasgulla with his fingers and while trying to pop it in, dribbled syrup all over himself. I left the job soon after.

So anyway, I had this intense feeling of guilt and all because I didn't eat sugary sweets after being doused in color. And that's when I don't even like being doused in color. A large part of my bygone Holi days were spent miserably hiding under the bed and so I really don't want to do that again, the whole color thing that is.

But Malpuas are good, they make you happy, the very thought of eating them makes you happy.So I made some Malpuas, the main excuse being I wanted to carry some for a friend we were visiting after a long time. But you all know that wasn't the real reason, right ?

Malpuas make the world seem perfect though reality might be far from it. So it is really important that you make it. Make it for Ugadi next week or for the Marathi, Kasmiri New Year, come on I insist.

This would be a very typical way a Bong celebrates Holi. Less play, more eat.

There are these delta variations in which you can make Malpuas. I myself had made Pineapple Malpuas long back which was quiet a new twist. But trust me, the original Malpuas with no such fancy addition taste the best. The way my Mom makes it she lets the Malpuas soak in the syrup till they are soft and pillowy. Me, I either brush syrup on them or do a quick dip, because I like the crispiness better. Then again there are the dry kinds called Puas which are not dunked in syrup at all.
This time I added evaporated milk and condensed milk to the batter, but you can just use plain old whole milk and I am quiet certain it will turn out just as good.

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Original Malpuas

Serving Size: This measure makes about 10-12 malpuas
Time taken: Prep time: 15-20 mins minimum; Cook time: 20 mins;
Level of Difficulty: Medium


Make the sugar syrup:

Boil 1 cup of sugar and 1 cup of water till you get a syrup of one single string consistency. You can flavor the syrup with strands of saffron or with drops of rose water

Make the Malpua:

Make a batter with

1/2 cup All Purpose Flour/Maida,
1/4 cup Semolina/Sooji/Rawa
1 cup of evaporated Milk(almost)
5 tbsp of Condensed Milk
2 tbsp of Sugar
1 tsp of Fennel seeds/saunf/Mouri
Note: Instead of Condensed Milk & Evaporated Milk you can use Whole Milk but then adjust sugar for sweetness

Throw in some golden raisins in the batter and mix.

Let the batter sit for 2-3 hours for best results. At least 20 mins if you are in a rush.

Heat Oil for deep frying in a Kadhai. Note: Shallow frying might work but I have never tried

Give the batter a good mix and pour a little less than 1/4 cup of batter in the hot oil to form a circular disc. When the edges turn golden brown, flip and fry till both sides are golden.

Remove with a slotted spoon. Either dunk in sugar syrup or brush both sides generously with the syrup. Note: If you intend to dunk in sugar syrup till malpuas are soaked with the syrup, lessen the sweetness in the batter. I prefer a  quick dunk in the syrup(this is easier). That makes it not very soft but sweet and lightly crisp.

Garnish with slivers of almonds and serve hot. They stay ok for a couple of days when refrigerated but remember to warm before serving.

Get this recipe in my Book coming out soon. Check this blog for further updates. 

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Palang Shaak er Ghonto -- spinach 'n' veggies

Palang Shaak er Ghonto

Bengali Cuisine is very subtle, understated and not really very popular outside Bengal. Most Indians outside of Bengal think Bengali food is all about fish and sweets. The moment you are introduced as a Bengali to any one who is not, they will tell you "Oh, we love Bengali sweets" and they will wax about "how much they like Roshugulla" with what they think is a Bengali accent but is so not.

I am sure the same thing happens about food from any other region too. All we know globally about Indian food is Butter Chicken, Chicken Tikka and Palak Paneer. Extend it a little more and it may include Masala Dosa and Idli. Even we as Indians know very little about food from other regions of our own country. My Indian colleague's will often ask me, so what is it that you Bengalis eat other than Fish ? Yeah, nothing actually, we eat fish and then sweets and then just keep repeating the pattern until we are full or in a state of malnutrition.

Growing up as a Bong kid, I paid little attention to Bengali Food. At that time Bengali food wasn't glamorized, no restaurants except the roadside ones, served a decent Bengali meal. It was solely home food and as a kid you pay little attention to home food.

Truth be told, I became aware and more conscious about Bengali Food only after stepping away from home and the bond grew stronger, the further I went. My friends here in the US are very diligent cooks, the ones who are Bong cook authentic Bengali food and they cook it very well. Their love for the cuisine kind of pushed me to cook more and more of the Bengali Home Food. It wasn't complex, a mix of spices here, a subtle pinch of cumin-coriander there, a dash of mustard oil as a secret ingredient and voila you have a subtly spiced dish with all the taste of all the vegetables in full flavor.

Myth#1: "Despite its uniqueness, Bengali food failed to grow beyond connoisseurs. Short-cuts are frowned upon by purists and innovative improvisations dismissed as unacceptable compromises. Traditional Bengali cuisine is gradually becoming a dying art, kept alive only by Anjan Chatterjee’s chain of restaurants such as Oh! Calcutta, a few other eateries aimed at the diaspora, and caterers who still serve a complete traditional meal at wedding receptions." -- Chandan Mitra in Outlook

Though I agree in parts with the above article in Outlook, I think it is far fetched to say "Traditional Bengali Cuisine" is a dying art. Chandan Mitra wouldn't have said that if he saw my friend here who makes the authentic Chapor Ghonto with Motor dal er Bara or the one who insists her Sundays are not right if she doesn't make Luchi-Begun Bhaja. There is this whole category of modern, educated Bengali women, managing kids, home and work, and yet finding time to cook and serve a Bengali meal to her family, miles away from their own country. So while "Oh!Calcutta" is definitely trying to make Bengali cuisine popular as no other restaurant has done, it is these women who are keeping the cuisine alive.

Myth #2: Bengali cuisine is time-consuming, involves a complex blend of spices, is much more than just fish.-- same article as above

It is much more than fish but every day Bengali food is neither complex nor time consuming, unless all you cook is Maggi 2 minute noodles. It can get elaborate if you intend to go the whole nine yards and prepare a full traditional Bengali meal but you need not do that every day. With a little bit of planning and delegation, cooking everyday Bengali Food is simpler than making Pizza from scratch. If you can just ignore the purists and make your own adaptations, you will have a delicious, balanced meal ready which will serve you far better than the frozen box of Paneer Butter Masala.

This Palang Shaak er Ghonto or Spinach with a medley of vegetables is cooked a little different from my Mom's. Every home has its own little tradition of cooking the exact same dish and so taste of the same dish varies from one home to other.

While my Mom uses dhone-jire-ada bata, this one solely relies on Paanch Phoron and Roasted Cumin powder(Bhaja Jire Guro) to create magic. I had it at a friend's place and liked it very much. D says this tastes more like what was made at his home.

Spinach with other winter vegetables like radish and pumpkin makes it the perfect side for Dal and Rice on a winter afternoon. To make life easier I have used chopped frozen spinach and that doesn't mar the taste any way at all. But I would insist that you use Mustard Oil because that lends a magic touch to this simple preparation


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Palang Shaak er Ghonto

Prep

Peel and chop two potatoes in cubes.

Chop red radish in half about 1/2 cup

Peel and chop pumpkin about 2 cup

Defrost 2-3 cups of frozen chopped spinach.I just microwave it for a minute. If using fresh spinach, wash --> chop fine

Dry Roast and grind cumin seeds/jeera to make the roasted cumin powder. I usually make this in a large quantity and store.

Start Cooking

Heat 1 tbsp oil in a Kadhai/Saute pan. I use Mustard Oil to cook this dish.

Temper the oil with 1 tsp of Paanch Phoron and 2 cracked Dry Red Chili. You can add 1 small clove of garlic finely minced but sometimes I won't.

When the spices sputter add the potatoes and radish. Sprinkle 1/4 tsp of turmeric on them and saute. Cover and saute so that the veggies cook faster. retaining their flavor and form.

When the potatoes turn a little golden add the chopped pumpkin. Cover and saute till pumpkin softens.

Add the chopped spinach and mix well. Saute everything for a minute. Sprinkle
1 tsp of roasted cumin powder,
salt to taste,
add 2-3 slit green chili/or red chili powder to taste.
Cover and let the vegetables cook.

When almost done add a little sugar(usually if pumpkin is sweet you can skip sugar) and adjust for seasonings. If needed add a little more of the roasted cumin powder. Add about 1/2 tsp of mustard oil, drizzled from top to bring out the best flavor.

Serve with Rice or just have a bowl of this vegetable medley.

Similar Recipes:

Pui Shaak er Ghonto

Condensed Milk Pound Cake with Chocolate Swirls

Driving back home yesterday, I switched from my favorite Public Radio to a CD on the Player.A CD containing literally 100's of songs, Hindi Movie Songs from the late 80's and 90's compiled by someone for someone else. At a moment's whim I had copied them all and there it was playing on my car stereo while I maneuvered traffic on the highway.

While I listened mindlessly to most, this one (Aaye ho Mere Zindagi mein) caught my attention. I couldn't remember the movie or the actors playing out (and thank God for that) but I could faintly recall the song. I could hear it over the air waves, blaring from the loud speaker, seeping through the brick and cement walls and lashing over unsuspecting home stayers. These were days where the mornings started with potential signs that the day was going to be different. The loudspeaker, starting off with a crackling "Hello...Mike testing.. hello..1..2..3" just confirmed it.

It could be anything, religious festival ranging from ShivRatri to DurgaPujo, cultural ones like Rabindra Jayanti to Poila Baishakh or neighbor hood Chintu's Birthday if Chintu's bro or dad indirectly influenced the loudspeaker. The neighborhood youth, self appointed custodians of our cultural enrichment, pounced upon any opportunity to tie up a loudspeaker to the nearest tree and crank up the stereo, deluging the community with their choice of current hit Hindi(Bollywood) Songs and some Bengali ones.

My Dad not being a proponent of any Hindi Movie or it's song that had a release date in the 80's or 90's, the Hindi Songs busting the charts usually eluded us. The loudspeakers on festival days compensated for our lack of knowledge. As did Chitrahar on Wednesday evenings and Rangoli on Sunday mornings.

And then today this blog reminded me of Binaca Geetmala, what a coincidence, to be reminded of songs like "Dekha Hai Pehli Baar" and "Shayad Meri Shaadi ka Khayal", the kinds I would have never wanted to hear unless for the loudspeakers and yet whose beats reverberate deep somewhere.

I don't remember anything being played on Holi though or was it "Rang Barse" played whole day ? Did you have the neighborhood loudspeaker blaring on special days ?

Since I didn't consciously celebrate Holi this time, I forgot to wish anyone around here too. I am like 3 days late but so what, "Happy Holi"

Instead of the traditional Holi Sweets, I made this Condensed Milk Pound Cake from Nags last week. Her step-by-step recipes really helps me visualize what I am baking. The chocolate marbling idea is from here for a similar pound cake.

Everything was good about this cake except the timing which was way off for me & my oven. Since 180C does not convert to 325F I was a bit confused and I checked few more Condensed Milk Pound Cake recipe. Everyone said something different and I went with 325F. Forty minutes later, the cake top was turning golden but the inside was still very soft. So I raised to temp to 375, then 20 mins later the outside was getting very dark brown and inside was just a teeny soft. So I took it out and let it cool.

The cake turned out to be pretty good though and BSS enjoyed it the most. In fact she liked it enough to share her pretty tea set for my blog pictures. I should give this a try again but with that kind of butter and sugar I will wait a while.


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Condensed Milk Pound Cake

What you Need

All purpose flour ~ 1&1/3 cups
Sweetened condensed milk ~ 1 cup
Sugar ~ 3/4 cup
Unsalted butter at room temperature ~ 1 cup
Eggs ~ 2
Baking powder ~ 3/4 tsp
Vanilla essence ~ 1 tsp
Salt ~ 1/2 tsp

For Chocolate swirls:

Cocoa powder ~ 2tbsp

How I Made It

Sieve the flour, salt and baking powder until well combined.

Cream butter and sugar together until soft and fluffy with an electric mixer.

Add the eggs one at a time and beat until smooth.

Then add the condensed milk and vanilla essence and repeat for the same time, until well combined.

Add the flour to the wet mixture gradually (in 2 or 3 additions) and mix until batter is smooth.

For the chocolate swirl, take 4 tablespoon of the batter and mix it with 2 tbsp of dark coco powder. Pour half white batter in a greased cake tin or loaf pan. Top with the chocolate batter and finish with remaining white batter. Take a knife and make a few swirls to the batter.

Bake in a pre-heated oven at 180C/325F for 50-60 mins. Insert a toothpick at the center to test if the cake is done. Note: Nags says 30-35 mins but that didn't work for my oven so be sure to check at half an hour and prolong only if needed.

Cool and serve