Malpua

Malpua is a South Asian pancake-like sweet made by pouring a sweet batter into rounds and frying them. The edges are thin with fine holes, while the center stays soft. Depending on the region and household, it takes different forms: some are coated in syrup after frying, some have sweetener in the batter, and some are served with milk that has been boiled down.

Combining wheat flour, milk and fruit

The batter uses refined wheat flour or rice flour, milk, yogurt, khoya (milk that has been boiled down) and other ingredients. Some examples also add banana or coconut. Cardamom and fennel are used for aroma, and the flour and liquid are mixed until the batter can be poured.

Some methods let the batter rest for about a night, while others use yogurt and a leavening agent to prepare it in a short time. There is no single way to decide the resting time or the method of making it rise.

Thin edges and a thick center

When the batter is poured into ghee or another fat, the thin part that spreads outward cooks first. Because the center stays thick, a single piece has a light edge and a soft center. It can be fried in deep oil, or in shallow oil so that both sides are cooked almost as if pan-fried.

Changing the thickness of the batter and the amount poured also changes how thick it is and how far it spreads. When it is put into warm syrup after frying, the oil is drained off before it absorbs the syrup. When it is scattered with nuts and served with rabri, a sweet reduced milk, the syrup soaks into the fried batter and a layer of rich milk sits on top.

Regional differences include whether fruit is used

Some Bihar methods mix in banana or coconut, while another North Indian method uses no fruit and centers on dairy products. Whether sugar is added to the batter or syrup is applied afterward is another of the differences.

One example introduced by Bihar Tourism combines wheat flour and milk with banana, coconut, cashew nuts and raisins, and fries the batter in ghee. On the eve of Holi, some households fry sweet pua with ripe banana added and serve them with a savory stew.

On Mohammed Ali Road in Mumbai, some sweet shops serve freshly fried malpua topped with rabri during Ramadan. Between a household festival plate and a plate eaten warm on a street corner, the same-named sweet is eaten in different settings.

It is sometimes linked to an ancient sweet flour dish, but modern malpua takes many forms depending on how milk, fruit, fermentation and syrup are used. An old name alone cannot explain all of today’s recipes.

Glossary