gulabi puvvalu

Gulabi Puvvulu ~ Eggless Rosettes

Addictive munchies that are not only loved by kids but adults alike. It derives it names from the much loved gulabi puvvu aka rose flower. The mould aka ‘achu’ is dipped into the rice flour based batter, then placed in hot oil, when the batter begins to harden taking the shape of the achu, slowly separating itself from the mould (by gently shaking the mould) and deep fried to a golden shade. A traditional sweet, down South and is popular in Kerala as ‘Achappam’, the batter consisting of maida, coconut milk and eggs.
A traditional classic recipe where food art is at its best, thanks to the mould. These are eggless version and call for maida/all purpose flour, rice flour, sugar, cardamom pwd and water. Makes for a great festive Christmas/New Year sweet treat for kids.

Gulabi Puvvulu Recipe

Prep & Cooking: 1 hr

Cuisine: Andhra

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Ingredients:
1 cup maida
1 3/4 cups fine rice flour
3/4 cup sugar
water as required (or coconut milk/milk)
1 tsp cardamom pwd
1 tsp sesame seeds (optional)
salt to taste
oil for deep frying

1 Put together rice flour, maida, cardamom pwd, salt, sugar and water and combine. Slowly add water little by little to make a smooth batter. It should be a pouring consistency and not as thick as dosa batter. Leave a aside for 15-20 mts.
2 Heat a wide heavy bottomed vessel with enough oil for deep frying. Take the achu aka mould and place in it in the oil so that it also gets heated along with the oil. Check the heat of the oil by dropping a drop of the batter into the oil, if it sizzles and comes to the surface, the oil is ready for deep frying.
3 Remove the mould from the hot oil and dip into the batter, till a little over three fourth of the mould. Do not dip the mould completely into the batter. As you dip the hot mould into the batter, you will hear a slight sizzle sound. Now place this achu into the hot oil and leave alone for a little less than a mt. Gently shake the mould so that the cookie is released off the mould. If the cookie isn’t releasing easily off the mould, use a fork/skewer to gently push it so that is releases into the hot oil. Adjust the flame while frying to ensure even cooking and to achieve that golden color and crispness.
4 When the gulabi puvvu turns a golden color, turn over to the other side and let it also cook till it turns a golden shade. Use a slotted ladle to remove onto an absorbent paper and cool. They will harden on cooling. Repeat the same process till the rest of the dough is through. After the cookie has separated from the mould and is cooking, continue to place the mould in the hot oil. Just ensure that the mould is hot enough before dipping into the batter.
5Cool completely before storing in an air tight metallic container.

Note:

You have to ensure the mould is just hot enough to hold the batter. If its too hot, the batter will not stick to the mould. Making these rosettes takes some practice. First timers, do not get disappointed if they do not come out perfect on the first few attempts. I’ve messed up too and am yet to perfect it.