MALPOA with CHHANA

Ingredients

• 470 grams (approximately ½ seer) hard chhana (firmly pressed fresh Indian cheese curd), crumbled (Chhana is fresh paneer-style cheese made by curdling milk and draining the whey. It should be firm and well-drained. You can make it at home by boiling full-fat milk, adding lemon juice or vinegar to curdle it, then straining through muslin and pressing for several hours until hard. Alternatively, use firm, well-drained fresh ricotta or well-pressed fresh paneer as a close substitute.)
• 470 grams (approximately ½ seer) sabeda (arrowroot powder) (Sabeda is arrowroot starch, used as a binding and thickening agent in the paste. It gives the malpoa a smooth, slightly chewy texture when fried. Standard culinary arrowroot powder, widely available, is the correct modern equivalent.)
• 11.6 grams (approximately 1 tola) black pepper, finely ground (1 tola is a traditional Indian unit of weight equal to approximately 11.6 grams. Use freshly ground black pepper for the best flavour.)
• 11.6 grams (approximately 1 tola) cubebs (tailed pepper), finely ground (Cubebs are the dried berries of Piper cubeba, sometimes called tailed pepper. They have a warm, slightly bitter, camphor-like aroma distinct from regular black pepper. They can be found in specialist spice shops or online. If completely unavailable, a small additional quantity of black pepper may be used, though the flavour will differ.)
• 11.6 grams (approximately 1 tola) black (big) cardamom, seeds only (pods discarded) (Use large black cardamom pods. Split the pods open and use only the inner seeds whole — do not grind them. Black cardamom has a smoky, camphor-like flavour quite different from green cardamom.)
• 11.6 grams (approximately 1 tola) aniseed (whole seeds) (Use whole aniseed (Pimpinella anisum), kept whole as specified. Do not substitute fennel seeds, as the flavour profile differs significantly.)
• 1 adequate quantity (see method) water (Add water gradually to bring the mixture together into a thick, cohesive paste. You will likely need between 60–120 ml. The paste should be thick enough to hold its shape loosely when scooped, not runny.)
• 1 plenty (enough for deep frying — approximately 500 ml or more) ghee (clarified butter) (Use enough ghee to fully submerge portions of the paste during frying. The recipe specifies boiling ghee, meaning it should be brought to a high frying temperature (around 170–180°C / 340–355°F) before the paste is added. Ghee gives a distinctly rich, nutty flavour. Do not substitute with oil if authenticity is desired.)
• 1 adequate quantity to fully submerge all fried malpoa sugar syrup (The recipe calls for a syrup of sugar. Prepare a medium-consistency sugar syrup: dissolve sugar in water over heat (a ratio of approximately 2 parts sugar to 1 part water is traditional for soaking sweets), and keep it warm. The fried malpoa should be fully immersed and left to soak until saturated. The original recipe does not specify exact proportions for the syrup beyond its existence and use.)

Instructions

1. 1If your chhana is not already pressed firm, wrap freshly made or store-bought chhana in a clean muslin cloth or linen cloth and squeeze out as much liquid as possible. Then place it under a heavy weight (such as a pot filled with water) for at least 30 minutes until it is hard and dry. Once firm, place it in a large bowl and knead it thoroughly with your hands, pressing and folding until it forms a very smooth paste with no lumps. This hand-kneading is important — the warmth of your hands helps soften the chhana and develop a smooth, pliable texture. Continue kneading for 5–8 minutes until the paste is completely lump-free and smooth.
2. 2To the bowl of kneaded chhana, add the arrowroot powder (sabeda), finely ground black pepper, finely ground cubebs, whole black cardamom seeds (seeds only, pods discarded), and whole aniseed. Mix everything together with your hands until the dry ingredients are evenly distributed through the chhana. Then add water a little at a time — start with 2–3 tablespoons — kneading and folding as you go. Continue adding small amounts of water and mixing until the mixture comes together into a thick, uniform paste. It should be firm enough that a portion holds its shape when placed in your palm, but soft enough to be scooped with a spoon. Do not make it runny. Taste the paste and ensure the spices are well distributed throughout.
3. 3While the paste rests, prepare your sugar syrup. Combine sugar and water in a saucepan (approximately 2 cups of sugar to 1 cup of water as a guide for a medium-thick soaking syrup). Place over medium heat and stir until the sugar has completely dissolved. Once dissolved, allow it to simmer gently for 5–7 minutes until slightly thickened, then reduce the heat to very low to keep it warm while you fry the malpoa. The syrup should be warm when you add the fried malpoa to it, as this helps absorption. Have a wide, shallow dish or pan ready to hold the syrup and the cooked malpoa.
4. 4Pour a generous quantity of ghee into a deep, heavy-bottomed pan or kadai — enough to fully submerge portions of the paste, approximately 500 ml or more depending on your pan size. Place over medium-high heat and allow the ghee to heat until it reaches frying temperature. To test readiness, drop a tiny pinch of the paste into the ghee — it should sizzle vigorously and rise to the surface within a few seconds. The ghee should be hot (around 170–180°C / 340–355°F) but not smoking. Adjust the heat as needed to maintain this temperature throughout frying.
5. 5The recipe specifies frying approximately ½ powa of paste at a time — this equates to roughly 55–60 grams, or about 2 heaped tablespoons of paste per portion. Scoop this quantity of paste carefully and lower it gently into the hot ghee using a spoon. Fry each portion in the hot ghee, turning occasionally with a slotted spoon, until golden brown all over and cooked through. This should take approximately 4–6 minutes per batch. Do not overcrowd the pan — fry only one or two pieces at a time to maintain the oil temperature and ensure even cooking. Remove each fried malpoa with a slotted spoon, allowing excess ghee to drain for a moment, then transfer immediately into the warm sugar syrup. Repeat with the remaining paste, frying batch by batch.
6. 6As each fried malpoa is removed from the ghee, place it directly into the warm sugar syrup in the wide shallow dish. Ensure each piece is fully submerged in the syrup. Once all the malpoa are in the syrup, leave them to soak until they are fully saturated — they should absorb the syrup and become moist and sweet all the way through. This soaking process takes at least 20–30 minutes; you may gently spoon syrup over the top of any pieces that are not fully covered. The malpoa are ready when they feel heavy and thoroughly sweetened. Serve warm or at room temperature.