Our indigenous sweet pancakes, or malpuas, qualify for being a delectable juicy and rich saccharine that melts in the mouth with every bite. Famous Konkani delicacy, Baitha Sandan appears to be a richer, fluffier and softer counterpart of North Indian malpuas. The sandan or the batter that goes into making this unique malpua strikes a harmonious blend of coarse and fine rice flour, eggs, sooji and diluted and thick coconut milk. These pancakes, although lacking dairy-based cream and milk, taste creamy and indulgent in a much more pleasant manner.
If we are talking about Baitha Sandan, malpuas - also called Pua - should be brought into the discussion. These pancakes like sweets are famous in the entire subcontinent - including Nepal, Bangladesh, and Pakistan. In India, the dessert is popular in Bihar, UP, West Bengal, Odisha, Maharashtra, and Nepal. Conventionally, malpua is made with a batter of wheat flour or refined flour, coconut, and milk and seasoned with cardamoms. In Bihar, sugar is added just before frying it, while in Odisha, maple syrup or honey is also poured over the medium fried malpuas or malpuas are dipped in honey.
When it comes to Baitha Sandan, traditionally turmeric was added to the batter to give yellow colour to it. Nowadays, food colour is preferred. Since sandan needs overnight fermentation, the yeast ensures quick fermentation needed to whip up a smooth batter, while eggs keep the batter soft, aerated and fluffy.
Here’s the recipe for Baitha Sandan.
Preparation time: 12 hrs 30 mins
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Servings: 4-5 pieces
Ingredients:
- 250 gms rice flour
- 50 gm sooji
- A pinch of yeast
- 250 ml thick coconut milk
- 300 ml diluted coconut milk
- 1 egg
- ½ tsp elaichi powder
- 100 gms sugar
- ½ tsp ghee
Method:
- Sieve the rice flour and separate the sifted rice rava in another bowl, which will be used later for making the batter.
- Keep the coarse batter for cooking with coconut milk.
- Heat a pan and add diluted coconut milk, and add the coarse rice rava and cook it well on low flame. Turn off the flame.
- Add 1 tbsp thick coconut milk to yeast and let it ferment for 5 minutes.
- Then, add the rest of the thick coconut milk to the pan, and also add the finely sifted rice rava.
- Then, add sooji to it and break one egg in it.
- Combine everything well and add elaichi powder and mix well.
- Then leave the batter to ferment overnight after covering it with a lid.
- Keep it to ferment in a warm place like an oven.
- After overnight fermentation, add sugar and mix well with the batter and leave it for 5 minutes.
- Then, heat a pan and add ghee to it, heat a little and pour a ladle of the batter into the pan.
- Cook the Baitha Sadan on both sides until golden. Serve hot.