From time to time there are posts that come out on Facebook and other social media platforms that suggest people to stop consuming “Maida”. Agreed it has lower proteins compared to other flours, but that does not make the flour unhealthy. If you consume this flour in moderation it will not have any hazardous side effects on your health. Now, as an Indian, it is quite impossible to stop using Maida. Maida is wheat flour that is commonly used to make or bake most of the Indian food that we relish today. Whether it is a home-cooked snack or a delicious plate of street food from a street vendor, it is guaranteed that at least two items served will be made out of Maida.
I am sure you already know a few recipes you can use to make the perfect breakfast, lunch, dinner or snack meal, but let us face the reality, we all need some inspiration at some point. This article is the inspiration you need to walk into your kitchen and make some delicious snacks or meals with Maida flour
1. Kunukku
Kunukku
This is a traditional south Indian fritter, usually made by frying lentils. Back in the days, women used to soak lentils, mix it with another batter and then deep-fry it in oil, which proved to be very cumbersome for the modern day working woman. This brought in a change in the way this snack is made and now it has become extremely convenient. All you need is Idli batter, Maida flour, cooking soda, onion, and green chillies, curry leaves, mustard seeds, asafoetida powder and oil for deep-frying the Kunukku. You chop all the ingredients and add them to the batter, which is a mix of Idli batter and Maida. Make tiny balls and deep-fry the Kunukku till it is golden brown. This is a perfect snack for your delicious tea break and can be served with mint or tomato chutney or simply eaten as it is.
2. Kulcha
Kulcha
If you are in India there is no way that you wouldn’t know what a Kulcha is. It is the perfect breakfast, lunch and dinner dish that can simply be served with curd or pickle if you are not in the mood to make the famous Amritsari Chole. The beauty about making a Kulcha is that you can use any stuffing you like. It could be cottage cheese (paneer) or potato, even onion if you prefer the taste. Kulcha can be easily made with Maida flour, and using this flour helps you make crispy yet soft Kulchas. All you need is Maida, curd, sugar, baking powder, oil and water to make soft dough for the Kulcha. Once you leave it to rest for two hours, you can flatten the bread with a rolling pin and slowly cook it on a griddle. You will have a perfectly cooked batch of Kulchas that are crispy as well as soft.
2. Maida Biscuits
Maida Biscuits – Image Source: Times Food
Teatime cannot be made more perfect; these biscuits are the best when served with a warm cup of tea. Maida biscuits are easy to make and are quite easy to digest when compared to the other heavier biscuits. Since these biscuits are small in size, I feel like fair warning needs to be given: You may tend to overeat. All you need is Maida, ghee, powdered sugar, cardamom, oil (depending on your requirement), baking soda, and a pinch of salt. These are the only ingredients you need to make a crunchy batch of delicious Maida biscuits.
4. Sweet Dal Poli or Puran Poli
Sweet Dal Poli or Puran Poli – Image Source: Chitra’s Food Book
Be it on a festive occasion, or a simple sweet craving, Puran Poli is the sweet you need to be making. The stuffing in this Poli is generally Chana dal or Bengal gram, cardamom powder and sugar. For the dough you will require Maida flour, ghee and salt to enhance the taste. Puran Poli is easy to make, the only component that is time-consuming in this recipe is boiling the dal. This sweet dish can be found across India made in different iterations, called different names. It is absolutely delicious and can be eaten when it is warm and even when it is cold. Down south, this simple dessert Poli is eaten with Kheer (another milk based sweet dish), and I must say, they make an amazing combination.
5. Farsi Puri
Farsi Puri
This is a famous Gujarati snack known to be crispy and very flaky. It is popularly made during the festival of lights (Diwali), but that shouldn’t stop you from indulging in this flaky goodness on any other ordinary day. It takes only about 30 minutes to make these snacks and all you need is Maida flour, ghee, cumin seeds, black pepper, water and a pinch of salt. They are fairly easy to make, and some people like making a stuffed iteration of these little snacks. Again they can be enjoyed with tea or coffee, and make sure to store them in airtight containers.
6. Luchi
Luchi
I am sure that you guys are looking at the photo and thinking, “this looks just like a plate of pooris”. This is indeed similar to a poori, but unlike poori, this is made with Maida flour. This is a staple breakfast flatbread in states like Assam, West Bengal, Orissa, and Bangladesh as well. Making a Luchi is easy; all you need is Maida, salt, ghee, and water. Once you mix and knead the dough, you can deep-fry it to make the perfect little Luchis. They go well with any vegetable gravy and curry, and kids often love to eat this with no condiments at all.
7. Mangalore Bonda
Mangalore Bonda
It is colloquially referred to as the Goli Baje and is a famous street side and homemade snack in the city of Karnataka. This snack is, however, not restricted to Karnataka city and is enjoyed across India. It is a very simple recipe and does not take too long to make. All you need is Maida flour, rice flour, salt, asafoetida, pepper, ginger, curry leaves, green chillies, sugar, curd, and baking soda. Once you chop and mix these ingredients, all you have to do is deep-fry the balls made from the batter. You can easily enjoy a crispy snack served with a warm cup of tea at any time of the day.
8. Maida Dosa
Maida Dosa
We all have had a regular rice dosa, but you can actually twist things up in the kitchen and make a crunchy Maida dosa. It is almost like an instant dosa batter where you can just mix Maida flour with water and pour it over a griddle to make a perfect meal. If you want to experiment with flavours, you can always add ingredients like green chillies, diced onions or coriander leaves to help it compliment your dosa. As you all know, dosa is just not a breakfast dish, and so even a Maida dosa can be eaten as a hearty meal for dinner.
9. Shankarpali
Shankarpali
This is a sweet snack common in the northern parts of India. These are sweet diamond cuts that are commonly made during festive occasions. It is commonly known as Shakkar pare in North India because of its sugar content. Shankarpali is the Maharashtrian version of these diamond cuts. All you need is Maida flour, semolina, sugar, powdered sugar (I mean it needs to hold true to its name right?), warm milk, ghee and a pinch of salt. All you have to do is make dough with these ingredients and deep-fry it in ghee. That’s how easy it is for you to make a plate of Shankarpali.
10. Kulkul
Kulkul
Our final recipe is yet another sweet snack. Kulkul is a sweet snack prepared during Christmas time and is loved by all. This recipe works well with egg as well as without egg. All you need is Maida flour, egg (optional), coconut milk and sugar. If you want it crispier, then you can also add semolina flour to this ingredient list. After deep-frying these little snacks, you can always dust it with powdered sugar. Now, you can enjoy a perfect bowl of Kulkuls. If you are not calorie conscious you can have a treat with this ravishing snacks. Maida, as mentioned before, needs to be eaten in moderation. However, this flour is perfect for making such snacks and other baked goods because of its high gluten content. This gluten increases the elasticity of the dough and makes it ideal baking/cooking flour for such Indian snacks. This article covers some of the most delicious Maida flour recipes, so forget about your calorie intake for a day and make yourself a bowl of snacks.
Disclaimer – “Views expressed in the blogs, are exclusive thoughts of the author and are not necessarily aligned to Samrat India’s policies”.