Fig and Chocolate Malpoa- Anjeer/Dumur- Chocolate Malpoa and Shubho Bijoya

And then the eternal ‘Anandomoyi” and ‘Karonamoyi” bid adieu to us and left us with more memories to cherish. But then every year it will be same, isn’t it and we all know good things are always momentary but even that, it doesn’t hamper our anticipations about Durga Puja each and every year.”Ashche bochor abaar hobe.”
Here wishing everyone Shubho Bijoyadashmi and happy Dassehra.

Anyhow pandal hopping was out of question here this year, as the distance to travel from one part to other is quite long, so we went to see two Puja Pandals.Here is one from Ealing Durga Puja.And I don’t know what glows more, the radiant face of ma Durga or that age old chandelier, but amidst that back-drop the beauty of eternal diva mesmerized us. We sat there in presence of her and her children’s charming persona which defies every other aspects of life for the time being, and felt blessed, blessed to see her and seek her blessings in real.
And let me convey to you all once again Shubho Bijoyadashmi.May this phase brings peace, good health and prosperity to you all.

Meanwhile I did make some fresh home-made rashogoallas yesterday and darbesh for bijoyadashmi, but then I think there are many types of sweet  recipes out here in internet and more –or less sweet-making is an art and comes with little patience and many practices.However, if you like to experiment with some foods, then here is fig and chocolate malopoas for you. We all have sweet tooth, and with malpoa it’s even better.
We are getting lots of Turkey figs here in UK, so thought of using it more and accustomed to our Indian meals. Figs as we know them by the name of “dumur” in Bengali and “anjeer” in Hindi are healthy fruits. One can even eat figs whole, once they are ripened or make a fig curry with the green ones.
Since figs are in this season, I tried to include this fruit as much as I can; I also made a fig, apple and pineapple chutney - Dumur/appel and anarosh'er chutney with it.

There is no rocket science to that recipe, it’s simple with tempering of shorshe/mustard seeds +1 whole dry red chilly in mustard oil. Add all the cut fruit pieces of figs+apple+pineapple+purple onion+raisins+cashews. Stir/fry them for about a minute and then add in a tsp of vinegar with sugar to taste and let it simmer for sometimes till all the fruits are cooked well and becomes mushy. Store in refrigerator once it gets cooled and it stays fresh for 7-10 days or may be even more.
Here is fig malpoa or Dumur diye Malpoa for you all from our kitchen. And then dear daughter asked can we have chocolate malpoas, and when kids make wishes can we say no that. I don’t know what goes in the mind of kids; they want everything made of chocolate. God knows someday they will ask chocolate korola-bitter gourd coated with chocolate, and I may surrender to that even.

But for the time-being, dear daughter is satisfied with her share of chocolate glazed + aamsotto malpoas, as she suggested this reminds her of Krispy –cream chocolate doughnuts, to that I don’t know what should I interpret – it being as compliment or need to improve a bit so that it ends up being replica of doughnuts, as in doughnuts fennel seeds are not added which is somewhat, is the key of making malpoas. And these home-made doughnuts are fresh that we know for sure and also what goes into making it.
To the recipe now
Fig and Chocolate Malpoa 
(Dumur diye Malpoa)
Makes 10-12 approx
Recipe requirements

• 4-5 figs-poached
• ½  cup very fine semolina/sooji
• ¾ cup of self raising flour
• 5-6 tbs of whole milk powder
• 120 gms of evaporated milk ( ¾ portion of small evaporated milk can)
• 1 tsp of fennel seeds
• 2 small and green cardamom crushed
• Raisins (optional)
• 1 cup of cooking oil for frying purpose
• For chocolate glaze/icing
• 2-3 tbs of chocolate powder
• 5-6 tbs of icing sugar
• 1 tbs of butter
• ¼ tsp of lemon juice
• For sugar syrup
•       1 and ½ cup of sugar
•       ½ cup of water
•     1 green cardamom crushed

Method

1. Wash and clean figs well and then poach them in ample water. Take them out after 7-10 mints and pass the pulp from sieve to collect the fig puree/anjeer/Dumur puree. Figs have small seeds, and it’s quite difficult to get rid of them, unless they don’t bother you much, you can use whole of the poached figs in making malpoas.
2. Now take a big mixing bowl.Since we are using self raising flour there is no need to add baking soda or any kind of raising agent. Mix very fine semolina well. It would be nice if you can soak up semolina in lukewarm water fro about 10-15 mints so that they become soft.
3. In a separate bowl mix in whole milk powder and evaporated milk.Mix them well until they become sticky. This forms our “instant khoya”- however if you have fresh khoya then replace instant khoya with this.
4. Mix in all and add in fennel seeds and raisins if you are keen to use them. Just crush fennel seeds over cooking board with rolling pins, this way they impart lovely flavor.Do same with green cardamoms and add them to the flour mixture.Mix khoya with the flour mixture and then add in rest of the evaporated milk, just enough to make a smooth batter.
5. Keep this mixture aside for half an hour to develop lovely texture and flavor.
6. Meanwhile the batter of malpoas are resting we will prepare the sugar syrup and chocolate glaze.
7. Dissolve about 1 -1 ½  cups of sugar in ½ cup of water, add in one crushed cardamom. And make the sugar syrup.
8. Now make chocolate glaze- for this mix in 2-3 tbs of chocolate powder with 5-6 tbs of icing sugar+1 tbs of butter.Mix in well and then put this mixture to microwave cooking for just to melt the sugar>take out and then mix in well.Add in ¼ tsp of lemon juice.After adding lemon juice don’t cook it.Tis chocolate glaze gets solidify easily , so make the glaze ,when all the malopoas are ready after they have dunked in sugar suyrup and are cooled off ,not before that.
9. Now heat up a deep bottom fry pan, add in cooking oil. Let it heat up properly, check the hotness of oil , drop some fennel seeds, if it sizzles then the oil is heated enough to make the malpoa.
10. We will deep fry them, slowly at low flame so that they evenly get cooked. Please do not hurry this process as the middle of the malpoa won’t cook well.
11. Gently drop in the mixture with the help of a large spoon. Turn the sides after 3 -4 mints and keep on frying them. When they turn deep brown in color, remove them and drain over kitchen towels, this way they absorb all the excess oil.
12. Now drop them in sugar surup, while the syrup should be left on cooking at very low flame. After 2-3 mints remove them, place them over a serving plate to cool off. Once all the malpoas are done like this way, let them cool off.
13. Now put the chocolate glaze over them, I have done the glaze with half of them and left other batch plain. Both the way it tasted wonderful.

And with this here is Bijoya platter for you all ....

Happy Cooking and Shubho Bijoyadashmi