“Desserts are the fairy tales of the kitchen—a happily-ever-after to supper.”
Every Indian state has recognized speciality in sweets and Mumbai is renowned for its sweets from all the parts of the city. Desserts are possibly the most pleasant thing about any meal. The savouryflavours and sweet indulgence grants pleasure to your soul and appetite. And as the quote says, desserts are the perfect way to complete your supper.
Desserts are the most crucial part of auspicious occasions, festivals, birthdays, weddings, and parties. I’m among the people who has a sweet tooth and obsession with desserts. Being a great dessert lover, I get the opportunity of deciding and ordering from the sweet shop near me, on various occasions for both my family and friends. Here is a guide for all the dessert lovers out there to try the best ones.
Different types of Sweets
Call it whatever desserts or sweets or mithais, all of us have a significant amount of love towards them, and they are an indispensable part of our cuisine. Here’s a list of the favourite sweets from across India:
1. Gulab jamun
Gulab jamun is a soft berry sized ball traditionally made from khoya, milk solid and flour. They are deep-fried and immersed in the sugary syrup later, which is usually saffron and rose water flavoured. The modern recipes use milk powder instead of Khoya since it is not available everywhere. This sweet is widely famous and used in most of the Indian weddings.
2. Kajukatli
Kajukatli is similar to a fudge made with cashew nuts, milk, sugar solution topped with a silver varq and is also known as Kaju Barfi. It is traditionally diamond-shaped, which is also among the most expensive sweets in the country. This sweet is usually exchanged with family and friends during special occasions and festivals.
3. Laddu
Laddu is a sphere-shaped sweet ball originated from south India and is the most popular festive treat. They are made of flour, sugar, fat-like Ghee, oil, & butter topped with chopped nuts and dried raisins. They come with a different version, and the most famous is motichoor which is the common sweet offering to the god.
4. Sandesh
Sandesh is a famous Bengali dessert traditionally made from chenna or a residue of curdled milk and sugar. The sweet is believed to be inspired by the cheese ball dishes which was brought in India by the early Europeans. The variety of Sandesh is available as Ice-cream Sandesh, Mango Sandesh, and so on.
5. Rasgulla
Rasgulla is a popular Bengali, and Odisha sweet, and these two states have been feuding over the claim of invention. The sweet is made of Cheena which are spherical dumplings of Cottage cheese and semolina dough. The spongy soft balls later immerse in the sugar and are among the common festive sweets.
6.Soan papdi
Soanpapdi is a popular Indian dessert believed to be originated from western Maharastra. It is cube-shaped, which has a crisp and flaky texture that melts in your mouth like cotton candy. The sweet is made of gram flour, sugar, milk, Ghee, cardamom which comes with flavours and the new mango, chocolate, pineapple flavours have been introduced.
7.Jalebi
Jalebi is among the favourite Indian
desserts and is also famous in South and Middle Asia. It is made by deep-frying
the maida flour, saffron, Ghee and later soaked in sugary syrup. They are
handmade Criss cross-web lines, served with rabdi and curd most of the
times.
8. Kheer or Firni
Firni or Kheer are among the different milk-based puddings prepared during festive occasions in India. It is made by boiling milk, sugar, rice and later garnished with saffron, cashew, almonds, cardamom, raisins and other nuts. The alternative of Kheer in south India is known as payasam, and when the rice is replaced with vermicelli, it becomes seviyan.
9. Kalakand
Kalakand or Mishri-mawa or qalaqand is made out of solidified chenna, sweetened milk Khoya and garnished with dry fruits. The milk is continuously stirred until it turns thick. The variations of this dessert include Ajmeri kalakand, Alwari kalakand, milk cake and they are also famous in Pakistan and Bangladesh.
10. Ras malai
Ras malai is another popular Bengali dessert. It is a combination of two words; Ras means juice and Malai means cream. The dessert is made of the balls of channa soaked in creamy thick sweetened condensed milk. It is among the most famous north Indian desserts.
Regional sweets
Mithai holds a special place in every cuisine and the Maharashtrian sweets are the mainstream of occasions like Ganesh Chaturthi and Sankranti.
– PuranPoli
PuranPoli, a flatbread stuffed with a sweet filling called Puran, and the recipe vary from one household to another. It is made from Chana, Maida flour or Wheat flour, Jaggery, Ghee and cardamom powder. PuranPoli is widely prepared during the festive occasions like Sankranthi, Ganesh Chaturthi and Diwali.
– Shrikhand
Shrikhand is made of dahi (yoghurt), sugar, and cardamom. It is a chilled curd dessert with a sweetened creamy delicacy, flavoured with saffron and nuts. It also comes in the mango flavour or aamkhand during the summer.
– Karanji
Karanji is a traditional sweet fried dumpling dessert popularly prepared during Diwali. It is made with Semolina, Maida flour or Wheat flour, stuffed with coconut, Khoya and dry fruits. The similar dishes are made in various parts of India such as Gujiya, Ghagra, Purukiya with different stuffings.
My favourite- Motichoor laddu
We all have that one favourite dessert which we would not miss for the world. It is the most popular festive sweet and comes in different varieties such as Besanke laddu, Boondike laddu, Til laddu, Murmura laddu, Nariyal laddu, Modak and Motichoor laddu is atop among them.
The sweet hails from the north, and now it became one of the most loved desserts in the country. It is commonly offered as prasad, and once you start having it, it’s next to impossible to hold back at one. The laddu is sphere-shaped made from tiny balls of besan, the chickpea flour fried in Ghee or oil and later soaked in sugary syrup.
All in All
Life is unpredictable, so eat your dessert first. And a little dessert now and then would not hurt. What is your favourite dessert? Let us know in the comments section if we missed your favourite one.
