Soft fried sweet pancakes made from rice flour, mashed banana and jaggery — a beloved festival and daily snack of Jharkhand eaten with yogurt or on its own.
Ingredients
1 cup rice flour
1 ripe banana — well-mashed
1/3 cup jaggery — powdered
1/4 tsp cardamom powder
1/2 tsp fennel seeds
1/4 cup water — adjust to make thick batter
Oil or ghee for shallow frying
Method
Mash the banana: Peel 1 fully ripe banana (the more spotted and ripe it is, the sweeter the pua will be). Place in a bowl and mash thoroughly with a fork until completely smooth with no lumps. Ripe banana acts as a natural sweetener and binder.
Combine dry ingredients: Add 1 cup rice flour, 1/3 cup powdered jaggery, 1/4 tsp cardamom powder and 1/2 tsp fennel seeds to the mashed banana. Mix thoroughly.
Make batter: Add water gradually — start with 3 tbsp and add more as needed. Mix to form a thick, smooth batter similar to thick pancake batter. It should fall slowly and thickly from a spoon. If the batter is too thin the pua will spread too thin; if too thick it will be dense.
Rest: Let the batter rest for 10 minutes. The rice flour will absorb moisture and the batter will thicken slightly.
Heat oil: Heat 2 tbsp oil or ghee in a flat pan on medium heat. Ghee gives the best flavour.
Pour batter: Pour 2 to 3 tbsp of batter per pua into the pan. It will spread slightly on its own into a round about 8 cm wide.
Cook first side: Cook on medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes until the edges look set and the bottom is golden.
Flip: Flip with a spatula. Cook the second side for 1 to 2 minutes until golden.
Fry until golden: The pua should be golden on both sides, soft inside and slightly crispy at the edges. Do not press too hard with the spatula or the interior will be dense.
Serve: Serve warm on their own or with fresh yogurt or a drizzle of honey.