Spinach Malpua

           Malpuas are delicious sweet Pancakes, very popular in West Bengal, other Northern & North Eastern regions. There are many versions to this recipe where the ingredients differ from one region to the other. But how about these Malpuas in a different avatar? 

          In this recipe, I added some sautéed spinach puree to make these exotic Spinach Malpuas. They are then dipped in sugar syrup and served, garnished with chopped nuts and few dried rose petals. 

• 1/2 cup sooji (semolina)
• 1/2 cup atta (whole wheat flour)
• 1/2 cup spinach puree
• 1 tbsp. ghee
• 1/4 tsp. cardamom powder
• 1 tbsp. sugar for the malpua batter
• 1/2 tsp. fennel seeds
• ghee for shallow frying
• 1 cup sugar for the syrup
• 1 cup water 
• 2-3 cardamoms
• pinch of saffron
• 1 tbsp. chopped nuts (almonds & pistachios)
• few dried rose petals

          Batter -   Heat 1 tbsp. ghee in a pan and sauté the spinach puree till dry. Keep aside to cool down. 

         In a bowl, mix together sooji, atta, 1 tbsp. sugar,  1/4 tsp. cardamom powder, fennel seeds, the sautéed spinach and required quantity of water. Prepare a batter and leave aside for 25-30 minutes.

          Sugar Syrup - In a pan heat together 1 cup sugar, 1 cup water, saffron and whole cardamoms. Simmer on a low flame till the sugar is dissolved and you have a slightly thick syrup. Keep aside.

           To prepare malpuas, adjust water and add more if the batter has turned thick. Heat a pan and add 1 tbsp. of ghee.

           Pour a small ladleful of the batter and cook on both sides till light golden in color. 

          Soak in the sugar syrup for few seconds till it is well coated. Make similar malpuas with the remaining batter.

          To serve - Arrange the malpuas on a serving plate and drizzle the sugar syrup. 

          Garnish with the chopped nuts and rose petals. Enjoy this yummy exotic dessert hot or cold.