Gur Ka Pooda with Rabri
These jaggery and wholewheat pancakes are a childhood favorite. For my sister and me, the rains were synonymous with poodas. The biggest reason we looked forward to a heavy downpour was because it meant our Biji (paternal grandmother) would ply us with a plateful of poodas… hot off the griddle, crispy around the edges and mildly sweet with a hint of fennel and cardamom. Even today, every time it rains, I can’t help but crave these delicious pancakes with a cup of garma-garam (steaming hot) chai. The use of jaggery is traditional, but it can be substituted with sugar if preferred. I like to make these in a mini pancake pan, but the poodas can be made any size. The Rabri (condensed milk pudding) is optional but pairs well, especially if the pancakes are being served as dessert.
Recipes
Gur Ka Pooda
(Makes 20 small or 10 medium size pancakes)
Ingredients
1/3 cup jaggery/sugar (increase the quantity to 1/2 cup if you prefer the poodas sweeter)
1 cup water, divided (more if needed)
1 cup wholewheat flour (atta)
1/2 tsp cardamom powder
1/2 tsp fennel seeds (saunf), lightly roasted and coarsely pounded
Pinch of salt and baking soda
1/4 cup milk
Oil/ghee for frying
Method
In a saucepan, boil the jaggery with 1/2 cup of water until completely dissolved. Strain and leave the syrup to cool.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cardamom powder, fennel seeds, salt and baking soda.
Add to the cooled jaggery syrup, a little at a time, whisking to blend. Add in the remaining 1/2 cup water and milk. Whisk until no lumps remain (the batter should be of a pouring consistency - you may need to add a few more tablespoons of water, depending upon the quality of the flour). Cover and let the batter rest for 15 minutes.
Heat a nonstick frying pan over medium heat. Brush with some oil or ghee.
Lower the heat and ladle 2 tbsp of the batter into the hot pan. Use the ladle to spread it around. Cook the pooda, spooning a little oil/ghee around the edges. Once the bottom is golden brown (and the top is set), carefully flip it over and cook on the other side.
Remove from the pan and serve warm with Rabri (easy recipe below), plain yogurt or hot chai.
INSTANT Rabri
(Makes 3-4 servings)
Ingredients
2 cups whole milk, divided
2 tsp corn flour
1/3 cup condensed milk
1/2 tsp ground green cardamom
Pinch of saffron
2 tbsp slivered almonds, divided
2 tbsp chopped pistachios, divided
2 tsp rose water (optional)
Dried rose petals for garnish (optional)
Method
Reserve 2 tbsp of milk and dissolve the corn flour in it.
Transfer the rest of the milk to a wide, heavy bottomed pan along with the condensed milk. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring frequently.
Lower the heat and cook for 15-18 minutes (stirring frequently and scraping down the sides of the pan) until the milk has reduced and thickened a bit.
Add in the ground cardamom, saffron, half of the nuts (reserving the rest for garnish) and the cornflour slurry. Stir well and turn up the heat. Continue stirring for 5 minutes then turn off the heat.
Stir in the rose water, is using and set aside to cool. Once the rabri reaches room temperature, transfer it into an airtight container and refrigerate until chilled.
Serve topped with additional nuts and dried rose petals.