Holi is a two-day Hindu festival that originates in India. On the first day, people gather around a bonfire in ritual and celebrate good triumphing over evil. The second day, however, is when perfumed powder, gulal, is pelted at everyone. The colour of Gulal powder is meant to signify specific things:
- Red = love
- Blue = Krishna (God of protection, compassion, tenderness & love)
- Yellow = turmetic (spice used in most Indian food)
- Green = Spring
So as food is such an important part of Holi, BeOnBoard Founder Kalpna Woolf shared one of her delicious recipes from her new Cookbook: Eat, Share, Love. This recipe for MalPura comes from Baljeet Marwah who shares what Holi and this recipe means to her. We hope you enjoy it and do not worry about the calories!
“I remember how excited we all used to get near Holi time. Not only did we get a few holidays from school, Mum used to make delicious food for us. MalPura was my favourite. A sweet pancake-style dessert, my Mum used to make that on rainy days with pakoras as well.
It’s amazing how we now remember childhood food, Mum never weighed any ingredient. The MalPura was made for weddings as well. Here is the recipe, the measurements are approximate.”
Holi Treat MalPura
- Preparation time: 30 mins
- Cooking time: 35 mins
- This makes about 10 MalPura
Ingredients:
- 135g Plain Flour
- 50g Dried milk powder
- 1 tsp Crushed fennel seeds
- 1tbsp Sugar
- 1/4 tsp Baking powder
- 2 tbsp Beaten plain yoghurt
- A pinch of salt
- 14ozs Warm milk
- Ghee or oil for frying
- Crushed pistachio for garnish
Ingredients for the Sugar Syrup
- 200g Sugar
- 180ml Water
- Few strands of Saffron
- 1/4 tsp Green Cardamom powder
- 1 tsp Lemon Juice
Method to make the MalPura
Mix all dry ingredients, like flour, milk powder, fennel seeds, salt and baking powder in a large bowl. Start mixing with warm milk, beating all the time so there are no lumps, add beaten yoghurt and mix well. Make a batter of thick and pouring consistency, rest the batter for about 30-40mins. Heat ghee or oil to a depth of ¼ inch in a frying pan. Take a small ladle of batter and pour it in the hot oil. Lower the heat and cook on both sides till golden brown.
Method to make the sugar syrup:
Mix sugar, water, cardamom powder and saffron strands cooked on medium heat. Once sugar is dissolved, add lemon juice, simmer for 4 to 5 minutes, remove from heat, keep aside.
Heat the sugar syrup to a warm temperature. Dip the Malpura in the syrup for 30 sec remove from the syrup, put it on a plate garnish with crushed pistachio serve with yoghurt.
Eat, Share, Love
The Holi treat Malpura can be found on page 184 of Eat, Share, Love – the new cookbook from BeOnBoard’s CEO Kalpna Woolf. Eat, Share, Love celebrates the food and the stories from the 91 languages spoken in Bristol. Click here to order your copy and follow @Kalpnawoolf & @91Ways on your socials!
