Indians swear by confectioneries,
desserts and sweetmeats and this we see through the hundreds of desserts and
sweets that line sweet meat shops, weddings and houses during festival season.
We provide you with a list of desserts from the varied culture, history and
tradition that is India and it will most certainly make your tummy happy!
1.
The
carrot fad - Gajar Ka
Halwa (carrot pudding). This grated carrot, cashew and
clarified butter mix is one of the best known and sought after sweet of all
time. If you have EVER attended an Indian wedding without having Gajar Ka Halwa with a dash of vanilla
ice cream mind you, you have seen nothing! Not even a traditional Indian
wedding. Notwithstanding it’s awesome taste, the thing is healthy as any sweet
can get, because carrots.
2. ONE of those round things – One
thing everybody must know about the sweets from the Indian sub-continent is the
fact they are either square and flat or round. On some occasions you might find
sweets that resemble a pudding but it’s all about the shapes people. Now Gulab Jamun is the ROUND thing. Think,
batter shaped like a ball dipped in very, very sweet sugar syrup and Voila! Gulab Jamun has to be the favorite
dessert dish for at least half the population of India to be sure.
3. Those pudding like things – The Payasam. Agreeable on any and every
occasion. This semi-solid dessert consists of rice, cinnamon, cashews and
raisins with many other variations depending on the occasion. Payasam is usually referred to as the
south Indian version of Kheer, another
sweet that dominates the northern states of India.
4. The diamond shaped things – Yes
we know we ascertained to the fact that Indian sweets either come in the form
of squares or circles but we were not thinking of these diamond pieces of
heaven! Kaju Ki Barfi is a dessert
that is mainly made out of flour, loads of cashew and loads of sugar. That is
one yummy combination don’t you think?
5. Those that come in a pot – Phirni’s are
everybody’s favorite! This delicious delicacy is a sort of pudding that is made
using milk, assorted dry fruits like almonds and cashew, spices like cardamom
and cinnamon and rice. It is usually THE dessert for festivals like Eid.
6. Those that come in a stick – Cut
us some slack here. The limited number of shapes we mentioned earlier is sort
of weathering us down. Ok, we admit. Sweets in India are made in more than two
shapes. There. We said it. Kulfis sort
of fit into this category. Usually eaten on a stick this dessert is another variation
of what constitutes a milk dessert.
7. The round ones again! – Yes
we’re back to the same-old, same-old but we promise. You will not regret
reading this. Til Ladoos are the
best. These balls filled with sugar and delight is made using powdered rice, Jaggery,
sesame seeds, desiccated coconuts, peanuts and sugar. Something that one could
munch on at any time of the day.
8. The flat and round ones – Ras Malai. Literally
translated as juice and the substance that forms when you heat milk repeatedly.
These yellow, flat, round circles of delight are a favored by the people of
north India but the others don’t have an aversion to it. The dessert that is
made of milk is soaked in a sweet, yellow substance also made of milk. Yes, we
know, we deal with milk a lot.
9. One of those square ones –
Coconut Burfi. Although coconut
related delicacies are not everybody’s favorite, this one has to make the list
due to its sheer deliciousness. Only made with limited ingredients, this
dessert makes a mean dessert for every sort of meal.
10. From the lands of Mysore!
– If you guessed Mysore Pak, you
guessed right. This dessert is a combination of a truckload of clarified butter
and milk and other things that make it absolutely yummy. Oh, and they are
square shaped things!
11. Are those Momos? – No,
they certainly are not. Although Kajjikayas
look like momos, they are anything but. The outer skin is shaped like a
momo and it is made out of a flour mixture. The stuffing consists of coconut,
Jaggery and some spices that add to the flavor.
very nice
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