At times it sounds so funny when you and somebody from the other side of your country are discussing about food and both of you start talking about one of those favorites of yours, only to find out after about 15 minutes of discussion that the two are the same except that they are called by different names.
That is what happened with “Pua”, which is one of my favorite sweet dishes. Come Holi (the festival of colors) and Pua is a must as a part of the celebration, especially in Bihar.
I was in a casual discussion with my sister-in-law about this recipe, its taste and the method of preparation. After about 10 minutes of discussion we realized that this is very similar to “Unniappam” and “Neiyappam” both of which are specialties of South India.
And this is true for a lot of other recipes in India, which you would have seen in some of my earlier posts as well. While we refer to it as diversity, there is so much that is similar. I am sure, I am still at the early stages of exploration and there will be many more that will come.
With that let us get onto today’s recipe – GUR KA PUA…
Ingredients
- Wheat Flour - 1 cup
- Rice flour - 1 tbsp
- Water – just enough to combine the ingredients to form a batter
- Milk - 1/4 cup optional
- Crushed Jaggery Gud – 1/2-3/4 cup
- Dry fruits cashew nuts, raisins – 2 tbsp (finely chopped)
- Dry or fresh coconut – 1 tbsp finely chopped
- Cardamom powder - 1/4 tsp
- Oil/Ghee – for deep frying
Instructions
- Dissolve jaggery in minimum quantity of hot water and set aside.
- Strain them to remove any impurities and let it cool down.
- Now in a mixing bowl combine the wheat flour and rice flour.
- Stir in the jaggery water, milk and mix.
- Add a little water again if needed, till the time the batter reaches dropping consistency.
- The mixture for pua has to be thick like the one used for pakoda or pan cake.
- Cover the mixture and let it rest for 4-5 hours.
- Now add dry fruits, fennel seeds, chopped coconut, cardamom powder and mix well.
- Now in a wok or kadhai, heat enough oil for deep frying.
- Using a ladle, pour the batter carefully in circular motion with each circle being a little bigger than the earlier one.
- Do it until the Pua is about 3 inch in diameter. Take care not to redo it over the earlier layer again and again. The shape of the Pua should look like a roti or, appam with the only difference that it will be a little thicker. (fry one pua at a time)
- Fry the pua using slotted spoon.
- As it fries, the batter will (on its own) flatten out into disk shape and the edges will start to crisp up.
- After a minute or so, when the pua has browned from the bottom, turn it over and fry on the other side.
- Once the pua is fried, use the spatula to press the pua on the side of the kadhai to release its excess oil.
- Take the fried pua out of the pan and place it on absorbent paper. Repeat the same process for the next pua.
Notes
If you want you can also add ripe banana to this mixture.
MY PICKS FOR THIS RECIPE
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and then
These are one of my all-time favorites! Drooling right now…..
Thank you for your sweet comment….
Puja, this looks so delicious! I love how you can tell just from looking at the photos that these fritters are extra crispy. 🙂
Thank you Demeter, Glad you liked it!!! 🙂
These look incredible. Love the recipes on your site!
Thank you so much for your kind words Katie. 🙂
Fast and delicious!!!thanks for your recipe will try it soon!!!!!!!!!!
Thank you for the love and comment. 🙂
These look so delicious puja. I love how healthy and delish they are.
Thank you Anu. 🙂
Like this gur ka pua…
Thanks Amrita!!!
I’m not familiar with pua, but these do sound amazing, Puja! I’m pretty sure I want to grab one and nibble on it right now. 🙂
Hahaha, sure why not all yours!!!
Thankyou David. 🙂
These look so perfectly golden brown and crispy! I love that there’s coconut in these, too!
Thank you Marcie for your lovely comment. 🙂
I’ve never tried anything like these before, but they look delicious! I love the coconut in them too 🙂
Thank you so much Danielle, I really appreciate you taking the time to comment. 🙂
This is something new to me. Love how beautiful and delicious they look. YUMMY!
Thank you Kushi. It tastes very good, especially when it is cold.
Mniam, mniam! Looks super nice. They actually remind me of a traditional recipe for “placki ziemniaczane” – that’s a Polish dish. Enjoy it!
Thanks Agness!!!
These fritters look amazing Puja! Such a delicious recipe! I can’t wait to try it! 🙂
Thank you Harriet. 🙂