Malpua Rabdi Bites with Mini Jalebi Cups
Individual Holi dessert cups with instant ricotta rabdi, syrup-soaked mini malpua, and mini jalebi added at serve time.
Equipment
- Wide heavy-bottom nonstick pan
- Blender
- Small frying pan or kadai
- Squeeze bottle or piping bag (for mini jalebi)
- 12 to 16 small clear serving cups
Ingredients
For instant rabdi
- 15 oz (425 g) full-fat ricotta cheese (about 1½ cups)
- 12 oz (354 ml) evaporated milk (1 can)
- ½ cup minus 1 tbsp granulated sugar
- Generous pinch saffron threads
- 3 green cardamom pods, crushed
- 1 tbsp almond flour (optional, recommended)
- 1 tsp ghee
- ¼ cup slivered pistachios or almonds
- 1 tsp rose water (optional)
- Dried rose petals or edible silver leaf (optional garnish)
For mini malpua
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup fine semolina (rava), optional
- ½ cup warm milk, plus 1 to 2 tbsp as needed
- 2 tbsp granulated sugar
- ½ tsp fennel seeds, lightly crushed
- ½ tsp cardamom powder
- Pinch salt
- ¼ tsp baking powder
- Ghee or oil for shallow frying
For sugar syrup
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup water
- 2 green cardamom pods
- 1 tsp lemon juice
For mini jalebi (optional homemade)
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tbsp besan (gram flour)
- ¼ cup thick yogurt or curd
- 2 to 3 tbsp water, as needed
- Pinch turmeric (for color)
- Pinch baking soda
- Ghee for frying
For assembly
- Store-bought jalebi, if not frying homemade
Instructions
Make instant rabdi (start 1 day ahead)
- In a wide nonstick pan, whisk ricotta and evaporated milk until smooth over medium heat.
- Cover and cook 4 minutes; stir once midway so nothing sticks.
- Uncover and bring to a gentle boil. Add saffron and crushed cardamom.
- Reduce heat, add sugar, and stir often while scraping the pan sides until slightly thickened but still pourable.
- Stir in almond flour if using; cook 2 to 3 minutes more. Stir in ghee.
- Transfer to a bowl and cool completely at room temperature.
- Blend about one-third of the cooled rabdi until creamy; fold back into the bowl with rose water and most of the nuts.
- Cover and refrigerate at least 6 hours or overnight.
Make sugar syrup
- Simmer sugar, water, and cardamom until one-thread consistency.
- Stir in lemon juice and keep warm.
Make mini malpua
- Whisk flour, semolina if using, sugar, fennel, cardamom, salt, and baking powder.
- Add warm milk gradually until you have a thick, pourable batter. Rest 15 minutes.
- Heat ghee in a small pan. Pour 1 to 1½ tbsp batter per malpua; fry until golden on both sides.
- Dip briefly in warm syrup, drain on a rack, and cool completely.
Make mini jalebi (optional)
- Whisk flour, besan, yogurt, water, turmeric, and baking soda into a thick flowing batter. Rest 15 to 30 minutes.
- Heat ghee, pipe small coils, fry until crisp, then dip in warm syrup and drain.
Assemble cups (day of Holi)
- Spoon chilled rabdi into each cup.
- Add one mini malpua per cup.
- Just before serving, top with one mini jalebi (fried fresh or cut from store-bought).
- Garnish with remaining nuts and rose petals.
Notes
Rabdi must chill at least 6 hours for the right thickness in cups.
Keep rabdi and malpua assembled without jalebi until serve time.
Store-bought jalebi works well when cut small and warmed lightly before topping.
Fully assembled cups are best eaten the same day.
This recipe is dairy-forward and not designed for dairy-free swaps.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!