Malpua - Sweet Indian pancakes in syrup

Amidst all the Christmas festivities and the numerous cakes and desserts to be seen at this time of the year, there are days when I crave something totally ..well, "Desi"! By 'desi', I mean Indian. There are so many amazing desserts and sweets that we make during our festival season, that I am finding myself craving for so many of those these days!
Malpua - a sweet pancake dipped in syrup, and served with milk pudding(kheer), is one of my favourite dishes that my mom makes on some special occasions. The way we make it at home is way too cumbersome for me, and yes, I have tried it a few times, and failed on every occasion :-)
So I took the shorter route, and I can proudly say that it has been successful in each attempt. This one uses condensed milk. Here is the recipe

For the pancake
1/2 can sweetened condensed milk (200 g/7 oz)
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 cup semolina. (You can substitute it with all purpose flour if you can't find semolina)
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup water
a pinch of salt
oil for deep frying
pistachios/nuts for garnish

For the syrup
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 cup water.

Prepare the syrup by bringing sugar and water to a boil. Keep it aside. I don't make my syrup too thick. Most people recommend a single thread consistency for this syrup. But I like it to be thin, and don't soak my pancakes in it for longer than a minute either. The condensed milk adds sufficient sweetness for my taste.
For the pancake - mix in all the dry ingredients. Then add the condensed milk, and water to form the batter. Deep fry these pancakes in hot oil for a about a minute each side - until they turn golden brown.
Dip these in syrup for about a minute. Serve them on a plate and garnish with pistachios.
These are served with milk pudding, but I didn't make any. So I served it with ice-cream. Vanilla ice-cream would be just perfect with these babies. Share

Cake, fruits and chocolate for dessert

The other day when I wanted to have a quick dessert after my dinner of chicken tikka and naan bread, this is what I came up with. This isn't really a recipe, rather just an idea of assembling a couple of my favourite things for dessert and eating them all together..haha!
This dessert requires you to only have a cake, or a pancake if you prefer, ready, some fruits, and the rest is just assembling them all together. I am assuming there is a stash of chocolate always lying in your fridge!
I made a thin layer of the sheet cake I had made for my jelly roll, and cut out rounds using a cookie cutter. I started by placing 2 pieces of the cake at the bottom of the glass. Then followed it with a layer of berry preserve. You could use any fruit preserve of your choice - this preserve goes really well with any cake that is not overly sweet, and also with chocolate. Place another few pieces of the cake. Layer on some dark chocolate, milk chocolate, and some nuts. Follow with another 2 or 3 pieces of cake. I then added whipped cream with some crushed blueberries. Another layer of cake, and finally some more whipped cream topping. Serve with some fresh strawberries.
It did not turn out to be as clean in presentation as I thought it would, but I'll get better next time around. I think I will try making a jelly inside the glass instead of using fruit preserve so that it does not drip along the sides.

So there you have it. While making it, I actually thought of IHOP and their amazing pancakes - especially their chocolate chip pancakes with whipped topping. I'd probably ask for some strawberries as well! And maybe that double blueberry pancake *mouth waters*. Knock knock - time to wake up! Alas, I am a few thousand miles away from an IHOP! Boo hoo..Miss you IHOP! Share

Spicy Rice flour pancake

Think pancakes - think sweet. Maple syrup, fruit, maybe some whipped cream. Savoury pancakes - yeah, we all have heard of them, few have had it, and then some make it as well. Indian food offers some wonderful pancakes, my favourite one being dosa. Although simple, it needs a bit of pre-planning as you need to allow for some fermentation time. This one - called 'Sarva Pindi' is made with rice flour. Hence, is easy peasy! Just bring together a couple of ingredients, and cook it like any other pancake.
Apparently, this dish is losing the following it once had and is dying out. All this information, and the recipe come from a very famous Indian chef on YouTube - Sanjay Thumma - also known as VahChef for the Netaholics. You can check out his recipe here --> VahChef's Sarva Pindi
Usually had as an evening snack, I wanted to make something that's not sweet, and is easy to make in the morning. Ofcourse I am talking a weekend morning, cooking an actual breakfast on a weekday doesn't even strike as an option to me. I am lucky if I can manage to run and catch my train on time :-)
Someday I would probably do a post on the many different varieties of bread I pick up sometimes for a breakfast-to-go. But for now enjoy this rice flour pancake.
This entry goes to the Rice Feast being hosted by Aathidhyam Share

Blueberry pancake

I am back with another of my summer breakfast staples. And no prizes for guessing - if it's summer can berries be far behind? Blueberry pancake. Made with fresh blueberries. Of course it can be a winter pancake too - you'd just have to substitute with the frozen berries - thawed of course.
Yes, we all know how to make a batch of nice, light and airy pancakes - no one needs a course on that. But what I like about the way this version is made is the way egg whites are used. Usually, you would sift the dry ingredients, beat the egg, milk and butter, and then combine the two. That is perfect! But this one needs the egg whites to have soft peaks - and that too contributes greatly to the airy and fluffy texture along with the baking powder giving a perfect pancake!

So here is how I make it



- Take about 1/2 cup fresh blueberries - washed and dried.
- 1 cup white flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 egg (seperated)
- 3/4 cup milk
- 1 tablepoon oil
- 1 tablespoon sugar

Seperate the egg yolk and white, and keep the white in a clean dry bowl.

Add the sugar to the egg yolk, and whisk it a bit. Add the milk and whisk it again. Now sift the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt into the egg yolk mix, and combine slowly. Do not mix it too much since it will make the batter glutinous and you will have a stiff rubbery pancake. Switch on the gas now and put it on medium high. Now quickly beat the egg white till it forms soft peaks, and fold into the flour mixture. Make sure you use a clean whisk to beat the egg whites - else you wouldn't get the peaks.

Add a few drops of oil on your hot pan, and place a dollop of the pancake batter. Place a few blueberries on the pancake. Turn it after about 1 minute or so of cooking, and let the side with the blueberries cook for another 30 seconds or so.
Serve with a knob of butter, and maple syrup or honey. Share