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We have always wondered what has pushed the pua into oblivion. Is it the deep frying that scares the health conscious or is it that the poor thing is a Plain Jane lacking glamorous frills? We may never get the answer but will always miss the anise-flavoured, mildly sweet stuff that had a tantalising two-in-one texture — crisp on the outside, soft and spongy within. In Punjab, gulgule come close to puye in Uttarakhand. During a recent visit to Devaria, we were served puye. Imagine our surprise when our host told us that the recipe had travelled all the way from Uttarakhand with the ancestors of our host. Puye Ingredients
Curd ½ cup Milk ½ cup Sugar 2-3 tbsp Saunf 1tsp Kishmish (opt) 1 tsp Oil to deep fry Method Sift suji into a bowl and mix with curd and sugar. Blend well. Whisk with a fork adding little milk slowly to obtain a thick pakora-like batter of pouring consistency. Add saunf and kishmish. Keep aside in a cool place for three to four hours. Heat oil in a karahi. When it reaches smoking point, reduce flame to medium. With a ladle or large spoon, pour the batter into the karahi carefully. Deep-fry the puye in batches, turning carefully once, till these are rich golden brown. Remove with a slotted spoon and place on an absorbent paper to drain excess oil. Ideally, the pua should puff up as it rises up from the bottom of the karahi to the top. But don’t worry, even if the dumplings fail to puff up. These taste equally good. Enjoy without a guilty conscience.
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THERE is an old Hindi
lullaby that has been haunting us for past few days. It runs, "Chanda
mama dur ke, puye pakain pur ke!"Puye is the plural of
pua that can lay claim to a most ancient lineage. Apupani
are mentioned in Vedic literature and scholars have identified these
as forefathers of puya. Nowadays one rarely comes across puya;
it is the more pretentious and richer (sweeter and more fat-laden) malpua
that has fared better. It rests in a syrupy bed draped with khoya,
dark hued and seductive amid more hot selling chhena sweets,
assorted barfi and laddu. In our childhood, puye
were commonly cooked as a breakfast treat and always on birthdays and
other auspicious occasions.
Suji 1 cup