This month my firstborn turns 10 years old. Looking back at how she’s grown, I can’t help but look into my growth as a mother. And then past that, to look into my own childhood around my mother.
If you meet my mom, you would find her to be gentle and very easy to talk with. And once you get to know her, you’ll appreciate her humor, wit, grace, and genius common sense. Much to my delight, she’s constantly giving me feedback and ideas for this blog. She loves to read; I have memories of her reading the newspapers every morning and relaying the world’s events to my siblings and I. Even now, she knows of things going around in my neck of the woods faster than I do.
I’ve been wanting to include her recipes here for a while. But the thing is, although her food might seem simple enough to make (perhaps because she’s so quick), her recipes are layered and nuanced. Unlike my dad, my mother sticks to traditional cooking – her food is complex, aromatic and finger licking good.
Growing up, my mom made these crepes a lot. In our hometown, they’re known as ‘Theek Malpura’. It’s a savory crepe that we have for breakfast or, sometimes even dinner. My mom used to make us breakfast for dinner long before it became fashionable. My kids devour these as well, my six year old likes to roll it up and pretend its a wand:-).
I hope my children enjoy hanging out with me when they’re older, as much as my siblings and I like spending time with our mom. I know everyone likes to say it, but hands down, my mom really is the best:-)
Here’s the recipe for the malpuras :
1. Blend together one extra large egg (or 2 medium), 1 cup of all purpose flour, and 1 +1/4 cup water.
2. Pour the batter into a mixing bowl. Add 2 tbsp cooked onions, 1 tbsp chopped cilantro, 1/2 tsp oil, 1 tbsp semolina, and 1/2 tbsp grated ginger to the batter.
3. Measure out 1/4 tsp cumin powder, 1/4 tsp coriander powder, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/8 tsp chilli powder and 1/8 tsp pepper. Add to the batter and mix well to incorporate all the ingredients.
4. Heat a non-stick pan. Take a piece of paper towel, dab it with some cooking oil and wipe it along the pan. 
5. Keep the pan on medium heat. Pour 1/4 cup of the batter into the pan, and swirl it to cover the entire surface (it’s okay if it’s not perfectly round).
6. In about a minute, when the sides start to pull away, drizzle a little oil or butter over the crepe and flip it over. Cook till the reverse side is crispy and golden brown.
7. Repeat until batter is finished. This recipe makes about 8-10 crepes. Serve hot.
Note : Semolina is optional and makes the crepes more crispy. My mom adds 1/4 cup leftover shredded chicken or minced meat to these sometimes, for additional flavor.
For sweet crepes, substitute half the water for milk in Step 1. Proceed to Step 4 and top off your cooked crepes with nutella, sugar or fruit.