A Bonanza of Desserts from the Indian Pantry 

Indulge your sweet-tooth with this lavish desert spread

Intro

Food being the best comforter and with the festive season just round the corner missing out on showcasing some of the best deserts is a cardinal sin! 

“Desserts are the fairy tales of the kitchen, a happily ever after to supper." - Terri Guillemets 

‘Kuch meetha ho jaay’ (let’s have something sweet) is not just a tagline of a famous chocolate brand but also a common refrain in most Indian households as deserts provide a befitting royal end to any meal – in case nothing is available then even a piece of jaggery will suffice! In a country notorious for its sweet cravings deserts made of sugar, milk and khoya are a staple fare which are oft offered at places of worship be it the variety of laddus served at temples or the khada prasad at Gurudwaras 

Complementing India’s plethora of state-wise festivals is the platter of niche sweets prepared to celebrate the same. Foodism brings you a peek into some of the popular sweet dishes in alphabetical order. 

Gaajar Ka Halwa

A hot favourite during winters this pudding made from grated carrots, milk, sugar, nuts ghee (clarified butter) and khoya (dried milk) has its origin in Northern India and Pakistan.  It can be consumed both piping hot and chilled.

Gulab Jamun

It owes its name to – gulab (rose) and jamun (the purple-coloured jamun berry fruit) and is believed to have originated from Arabia. A must-have at weddings this is made with khoya, fried golden (in ghee!) and finally dipped in saffron tinted sugar syrup.

Jalebi

These are deep-fried coils of dough made from refined flour and soaked in saffron sugar syrup. With its origin traced back to the Middle East, this freshly sizzling and sinfully delicious sweet tastes awesome with milk!

Kaju Ki Barfi

A rich gift for Indian households on festivals and everyone’s childhood favourite this diagonal-shaped barfi is prepared from milk, sugar and cashew nuts encased in silver varq (foil).

Kesar Peda

A soft milk fudge prepared from milk, saffron, cardamom and sugar (heated and thickened); it is believed to have originated from Mathura, the holy birthplace of Lord Krishna, in Uttar Pradesh.

Khaja

A traditional North Indian dessert it’s wafer-like texture is its USP. Made from dough of flour, sugar and ghee this is deep-fried in oil until golden and crispy. 

Kheer

A creamy rice pudding prepared by boiling rice, wheat, or tapioca with milk and sugar; and a rich sprinkle of dry fruits, cardamom, and saffron; this is believed to have originated 2000 years ago in the Lord Jagannath Temple in Orissa and can be consumed round the year.

Kulfi

A sinfully-rich, creamy frozen dessert for the scorching summers, its ingredients comprise - milk, saffron, cardamom, pistachio and almonds. Kulfi is purported to have been invented by the ancient inhabitants of the Himalayas during the Mughal Empire era. It has less air and is denser than the modern ice cream.

Laddu

A ball-shaped festive sweet this one’s a staple for all special occasions with every region coming up with its own specialty. This is generally prepared from chickpea flour, ground coconut, or semolina; with milk, sugar, ghee and dry fruits. 

Malai Ghevar

This traditional disc-shaped dessert from Rajasthan is a mandate for Teej. Prepared from refined flour, ghee, milk and sugar syrup; and sprinkled with saffron, dry fruits and the silver varq. 

Mango Shrikhand

This hung curd desert is from Garvi Gujarati – in sync with the cost conscious mind-set of the community it offer great flavour with just a few ingredients! Mango pieces are added to slightly sweetened yogurt…quick, easy and simple to prepare! 

Mishti Doi

A best seller from Bengal this comprises of curd thickened to creamy consistency and sweetened with jaggery.

Modak

A steamed offering from Maharashtra to mark Ganesh Chaturthi this comprises of dumplings stuffed with coconut, jaggery, nutmeg and saffron. Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh too have their own customized versions of this desert. 

Payasam

A lip-smacking creamy concoction; this rice and milk pudding adorned with cashews and raisins is an offering from South India and a must-have on Onam and Vishu.

Phirni

A North Indian favourite Phirni is made with ground rice that's cooked in milk; with almonds, saffron, and cardamom adding to its earthy flavour. Traditionally served in small clay bowls, phirni tastes best when well-chilled and garnished with rose petals.

Puran Poli

An easy and quick-to-make desert from Maharashtra devoured on Gudi Padva and Ganesh Chaturthi this is basically flat bread stuffed with a sweet lentil filling made from gram and sugar. 

Rabari

Sweetened and thickened milk with layers of cream, cardamom, saffron and nuts this is a runaway hit when had in conjunction with deserts like jalebi and gulab jamun

Ras Malai

An offering from West Bengal this spongy, tender and aromatic sweet is prepared from white cream, sugar, milk, cardamom-flavoured paneer cheese known as chhena paneer, almonds, cashews and saffron.

Rasgulla

A traditional milk-based desert prepared from chhena paneer dumplings and semolina dough, cooked in sugary syrup. Both West Bengal and Odisha claim to be the birthplace of this sweet

Sandesh

This one’s a big hit with the Bengali community. Prepared with cottage cheese, cardamom and saffron it simply melts in the mouth!

Shahi Tukda

History claims that Mogul cuisine invented this recipe in the nineteenth century to utilize unused bread – quite innovative yeah! A tribute to India - the land of milk and honey – this bread, milk, honey desert infused with saffron makes for an awesome desert. 

Soan Papdi

A melt-in-the-mouth, flaky and light, North Indian dessert comprising of a mixture of gram and refined flour, sugar syrup, ghee, and milk. Cardamom and nuts are optional. 

All of the above Indian desserts and many more are prepared as offerings to God and to celebrate occasions and festivals. During the forthcoming festive season go ahead and prepare your customized versions of these which are light on calories and replete with nutrition…!