Ramzan, Holi or breakfast: malpua is a sweet treat for every occasion

Anish, one of the senior halwais at the iconic Suleiman Usman Bakery at Mohammad Ali Road in Mumbai, sits on a raised wooden platform in front of the shop in the shadow of the Minara Masjid. He picks up generous scoops of batter, whisks in an egg and gently pours it into a vat simmering ghee. A giant pancake takes shape – the malpua, a delicacy available during the month of Ramzan – at least in this form.

Busy flipping the malpua, Anish takes a minute to explain the process.

Ingredients: Equal portions of refined flour and semolina, one cup sugar syrup, one egg, dry fruit and mawa, and ghee

Method: Mix refined flour and semolina in the sugar syrup to make a batter and set aside.
Take one ladleful of batter, add an egg and whisk.
Sprinkle mawa and/ or dry fruit into the batter.
Deep fry in ghee.
Garnish with more dry fruits and serve.

While this variety can only be found as a part of iftar cuisine, the sweet itself, is one of the most versatile dishes to grace Indian plates. With a history that dates all the way back to the Rig Vedas, it has evolved according to the regional preferences. "Back then they were called aupuas and were made from barley and sweetened with honey," says celebrity chef Varun Inamdar. "Over the years, it spread to other parts of India, one of the most famous versions being the malpora made with bananas in Odisha and served as bhog at the Jagannath temple." Aside from Ramzan, malpuas are consumed during Holi in the North, during Raja Festival in Odisha and Janmashtami and Jagadhatri Puja in West Bengal.
A recipe shared by the food blog Kitchen of Odisha shows how different this variety is from the rest.

Ingredients: 1 cup refined flour, 1/3 cup milk, one ripe banana, 1 tsp saunf, 2-3 green cardamoms, baking soda, sugar syrup (water and sugar boiled together till thick), ghee or oil

Method: Take 1 cup refined flour and water or milk to make a thick batter, then add baking soda and set aside for four to five hours.
Take 1 ripe banana, 2-3 green cardamoms and 1 tsp of saunf.
Mash the banana and add these ingredients to make a thick batter.
Heat oil or ghee for frying. Once hot, put one ladle of the batter into oil and fry until brown.
Take it out and put it in sugar syrup for 2-3 mins till it absorbs it.
Let it cool and serve.

Malpuas became a part of the iftar cuisine thanks to the cultural exchange between India and the Middle East. "Due to trade between the countries, a lot of our food culture has mingled over time – malpua being one of them," explains food historian Mohsina Mukkaddam.

She adds that the sweet dish was probably popular because of its simplicity. "It is one of the most popular dishes for festivities and yet, one of the simplest breakfast dishes," she explains. "It followed the same track as the Aryans through most of Northern India, and then to much of the South."

Flipping through the pages of an old recipe book that her father-in-law's father had compiled, Kolkata-based college teacher Anindita Ghosh, says that these are recipes that date back more than a century, showing the diversity of Bengali culture, which tended to imbibe the trends of its surrounding areas. This is one of the more unique varieties jotted down in the 150-year-old pages for a cottage cheese malpua:

Ingredients: Equal portions of mashed cottage cheese and thickened milk, 1 tsp saunf, ghee for frying, sira (sugar and water boiled together).

Method: Mix the cottage cheese and milk to create a thick, smooth batter.
Add a pinch of saunf for flavour.
Heat ghee in a kadhai, add a ladleful of batter and deep fry.
Dip the fritters in sira and let them rest for a few minutes.
Drain, and serve.

While the sweet finds various different interpretations in different regions of the country, Inamdar says that one of the most unusual versions is the variety cooked in Gujarat. With crushed pepper as one of the main ingredients, the taste is markedly different from other varieties.

Ingredients: 1 cup whole wheat flour, 1/2 cup melted jaggery, 1/2 tsp coarsely crushed black pepper, 1 tsp coarsely crushed fennel seeds, ghee

Method: Combine whole wheat flour, melted jaggery, 1/4 cup cold water, black pepper and fennel seeds. Whisk to form a lumpfree batter and set aside.
Heat 1/2 tsp ghee in a pan, pour a ladleful of the mixture.
Cook on medium flame till bubbles appear on its top surface.
Flip over and cook for a minute on the other side till golden brown.

In modern times, the malpua has found different interpretations in restaurants and five star hotels – take Bohemian's (Kolkata) Malpua Cheesecake, for instance. While inspiration abounds, Inamdar warns budding chefs to stay away from gimmicks. "I once made a malpua cannoli while at The Oberoi. However, I filled the malpua rolls with kheer. It's important to stick to tradition, not just make something bizarre for the sake of it."

Here is a recipe by celebrity chef Harpal Sokhi that makes use of stewed fruits – a common way to go among chefs who experiment with modern methods:

Ingredients: Refined flour (1 cup), semolina (1 tbsp), sugar (1½ cup), assorted nuts (1 tbsp), green cardamom powder ( ¼ tsp), dates chopped (4-5), milk (1 cup), 2 bananas, ½ apple, ½ plum, ¼ lemon, ghee, rose syrup (3 tbsp)

Method: In a mixing bowl, take 1 banana and mash it well.
Add refined flour, semolina, baking powder, cardamom powder and milk, mix it well and make a batter. Keep it aside for 10-15 minutes.
Meanwhile, cut plums and apple into small cubes, and cut the banana into slices. Keep this aside.
Now heat a pan and add sugar, water and rose syrup and bring it to boil to make a sugar syrup.
When the sugar syrup is almost ready, add dates, plums and apple, mix well and cook for a minute or till syrup becomes thick.
Lastly, add banana, mix well and cook for 30 seconds.
Strain the syrup in another bowl and keep the fruits aside.
Add lemon juice in the syrup and keep aside.
Heat ghee in another pan and pour the batter and spread it . Deep fry the malpua until golden brown from both the side.
Remove from the ghee and dip it in the syrup and soak it for some time.
Remove the malpua from the syrup and place it in serving plates, then place the stewed fruits and fold the malpua.
Pour the syrup on top and garnish with some nuts and mint leaves.
Serve immediately.