Tuesday, January 7, 2014

Kele aur Saunf ka Pua | Deep Fried Sweet Dumplings | Kumaoni Recipes


Kumaoni cuisine is unique in its ingredients, recipes, and taste. The recipe for Kumaoni Puas | Deep Fried Sweet Dumplings also carries the unique taste of bananas and fennel.

Sweet fried dumplings are found in pretty much every cuisine! Today I am sharing a family recipe for Pua or a sweet fried dumpling from the beautiful hills of Kumaon!! These Puas are unique in that that are made with bananas and fennel and so packed with nutrition and energy needed to survive the cold winters in the hills. My grandmother always made these delicious Puas or Puae as a Prasad on certain festival days. But they were made more frequently to requests by her grandchildren who just love their taste and enjoyed munching them as a snack after school or sports!!

These fried dumplings are a perfect treat for Sankranti or Makar Sankranti too. I make them every year for this festival to symbolically celebrate the festival of Spring celebrated in Uttarakhand. We are nowhere near Spring in my adoptive home town but Puas being in the category of comfort food for me are filled with beautiful memories. They are also one of the few Kumaoni recipes that I am actually able to recreate here as all the ingredients for making them are easily available:)


These fragrant and delicious Kumaoni Puas are a real treat, very easy to rustle up even when you receive unexpected visitors. Enjoy them with a hot cup of tea or milk and they will become a part of your frequently used recipes.

Ingredients:
1 cup atta (Indian Chappati Flour)
1/2 cup sooji (cream of wheat)
3 over rive bananas
1 tsp saunf (fennel seeds)
1/2 cup raw sugar
1/2 cup plain yogurt
Oil for deep frying

Method:
  1. Mash the bananas in a large mixing bowl.
  2. Add the saunf, sugar, and yogurt. Whip until smooth.
  3. Now add the atta and sooji. Mix well ensuring there are no lumps.
  4. Set aside for about half an hour.
  5. Heat the oil for deep frying to a moderately high temperature, then reduce heat to a medium.
  6. Scoop teaspoonfuls of the batter and drop gently into the oil.
  7. Fry until golden brown. Remove from the fryer and drain on a kitchen towel.
  8. Enjoy warm or cold.
Good to Know
  • Puas can be make in larger quantities. They survive without refrigeration in a cool spot of the kitchen for up to 5 days.
  • They can also be frozen. Just defrost in microwave, warm on a griddle or oven until crisp and enjoy.
  • You can replace the fennel seed with cardamom powder if preferred. However to get the authentic Kumaoni flavour, try this recipe with fennel seeds.
Like this recipe. Tried it. Leave me a comment:) 

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4 comments:

  1. pua looks super yumm perfect snack :) looks so tempting !!

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  2. they look so very yummy , we make a very similar dish but without saunf and call it mulka in konkani...

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hello Aparna,
    Ummmmm....I can smell puas ....We will be making around Sankranti. There is a procession on Makar Sankranti and next day will be pooja when puas will be made along with til laddo!
    You've made them typically Kumaoni way. Perfect!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hey Namita! Puas were always my favourite! And Kumaoni puae ki baat hi alag hai!

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