, India
Adhirasam Adhirasam is a sweet similar to a
doughnut originating from
Tamil cuisine made from rice flour,
jaggery, butter and pepper.
Bal mithai Bal mithai is a brown chocolate-like fudge, made with roasted
khoya, coated with white sugar balls, and is a popular sweet from
Kumaon. It is said to be invented in
Almora bazaars in early twentieth century and since then has become a symbol of
Kumaoni cuisine.
Barfi Barfi is a sweet made from milk solids (
khoya) or condensed milk and other ingredients like ground cashews or pistachios. Some barfis use various flours such as
besan (gram flour). Barfi may be flavored with pastes or pieces of fruit such as mango, banana, berries, or coconut. They may also include aromatic spices such as cardamom and rose water as flavorings. Other than almonds, cashews, walnuts, sesame and other seeds, varieties of chikki are also prepared from puffed or roasted
Bengal gram, puffed rice, beaten rice, puffed seasonal grains, and regional produce such as Khobara (
desiccated coconut). Like many Indian sweets, Chikki is typically a high protein delicacy.
Chomchom Chomchom is a traditional Bengali sweet, prepared from flattened
paneer (a form of curdled milk solids, cheese) sweetened in syrup.
Gajar Pak or Gajrela Gajar Pak, also called
Gajrela, is a seasonal pudding-like sweet made from carrots. It is popular in the
North India. It is made by slowly cooking shredded carrots with
ghee, concentrated and caramelized milk, mawa (khoya) and sugar; it is often served with a garnish of aromatic spices, almonds, cashews or pistachios. The recipes vary by region. Gajrela may be cooked without ghee and can include cottage cheese or other milk solids for a sophisticated mix of flavors. It is common in Indian and Pakistani restaurants and is a seasonal street and cafe food served during the post-monsoon season through to spring festive celebrations.
Gulab jamun Gulab jamun is a common sweet found in the
Indian subcontinent. It is made out of fried
chenna (milk solids and cheese) balls soaked in sweet rose-water flavoured syrup.
Jalebi and Imarti Jalebi and Imarti is made by deep-frying a fermented batter of wheat flour with yoghurt, in a circular (coil-like) shape and then soaking it in sugar syrup. Imarti is a variant of Jalebi, with a different flour mixture and has tighter coils. Typically Jalebi is brown or yellow, while Imarti is reddish in colour. The sweet is often enjoyed with milk, tea, yogurt or
Lassi. In classical Sanskrit literature,
jalebis have been referred to as
kundalika or
jalavallika.
Kesari bhath Kesari bhath is a sweet dish made of
semolina,
sugar,
ghee. Its origins are attributed to
Kannada cuisine. It has the consistency of a grainy soft
halwa. Semolina is roasted and boiled with very little water when it loses its water content sugar and ghee are added. Often
cardamom and
Cloves are added for the aromatic smell.
Khaja Khaja is a sweet of India. Refined wheat flour, sugar, and oils are the chief ingredients of khaja. It is believed that, even 2000 years ago, Khaja was prepared in the southern side of the Gangetic Plains of Bihar. These areas, which are home to the sweet, once comprised the central part of the Maurya and Gupta empires. Presently, Khajas are prepared and sold in the city of
Patna,
Gaya and several other places across the state of Bihar. Khajas of the Silao and Rajgir are known for their puffiness. Khajas have traveled to other parts of the Indian subcontinent, including Andhra Pradesh and
Odisha. The Khaja of Kakinada, a coastal town of Andhra Pradesh, is famous in South India and Orissa. This Khaja is dry on the outside and full of sugar syrup on the inside. The Khaja of
Puri is also very famous. Khajas are made by first mixing a batter of wheat flour,
mawa and oil. The batter is then deep fried until crisp. Next, a sugar syrup is made which is known as "pak". The crisp croissants are finally soaked in the sugar syrup until they absorb the liquid.
Kheer/phirni/payasam Kheer is a pudding, usually made from milk, sugar and one of these ingredients: vermicelli, rice, bulgur wheat, semolina, tapioca, dried dates, or shredded white gourd. It is also known as
payasam.
Phirni is a popular variation of kheer. Payasam has been a cultural dish throughout the history of the Indian subcontinent and is usually served during ceremonies, feasts and celebrations. In many parts of India, ancient traditions maintain that a wedding is not fully blessed if payasam is not served at the feast during traditional ceremonies like marriage, childbirth,
annaprasan (first solid feed to child), and other occasions. Other than sweet yogurt, some families serve kheer during the last meal, as auspicious food, before a family member or guest departs on a long journey away from the home.
Kozhukatta Kozhukatta is a traditional sweet dumpling from
Kerala and
Sri Lankan Catholics. It is made up of thickened rice flour and variations of the filling may include using
coconut,
jaggery or sugar. It is closely associated with
modak and
mochi.
Kulfi , flavoured frozen sweet dish made from milk. Kulfi is traditional South Asian ice-cream. It is made using flavored milk that is first condensed and caramelized by slow cooking along with a small quantity of rice or seasonal grain flour; once condensed, dry nut pastes and aromatic spices are added and the mix frozen in small earthen or metal cans. This creates a dense form of frozen dessert; it is typically served between −10 and −15 °C when it is easier to spoon and eat. Kulfi comes in a variety of flavors such as mango,
saffron, pistachios,
badam (almond), coconut and plain. It is also a street side summertime snack and festive sweet, which food hawkers carry around in a big earthen pot and play a particular horn music to attract customers. These vendors are known as
kulfiwalla (those who sell kulfi).
Laddu Laddu (sometimes transliterated as laddoo or laadu) is made of varieties of flour, grains, pulses, semolina, regional or seasonal fruits, dry fruits, and other ingredients cooked with sugar. These are then shaped into bite-size or larger spheres. Laddu is mentioned in ancient Sanskrit documents as temple offerings, and is referred to as . It is popular all over India, is easy to prepare, and comes in dozens of varieties. Laddu is often served during festivals, religious ceremonies, or household events such as weddings. One example of laddu is
Motichoor ka Ladoo. It is a sweet food popular in states like
Bihar. It is made from roasted
gram flour flakes which are sweetened, mixed with almonds, rolled into a batter and then cast into mini balls and fried in
ghee. Every mini ball, called
boondi, melts like a fresh sweet. The mini balls are combined with aromatic spices and then formed into bite-size spheres, which are called
motichoor ka ladoo. With each bite, the mini balls distribute a burst of flavor throughout the mouth. Other examples include
Tirupati laddu, so popular that over a million
laddu are distributed every week from a single temple of Lord Venkateswara.
Malpua Malpua is a deep fried wheat or rice flour pancake soaked in sugar syrup. It is popular in Bangladesh,
East India, and Nepal.
Pathishapta Pathishapta is a Bengali dessert. The final dish is a rolled pancake that is stuffed with a filling often made of coconut, milk, cream, and jaggery from the date palm. These desserts are consumed in Thailand as well.
Pongal Pongal is a sweet dish traditionally made on
Pongal, the
Tamil harvest festival.
Rasgulla Rasgulla is a popular sweet in the Indian subcontinent. It comes in many forms, such as
Kamalabhog (orange rasgulla),
Rajbhog (stuffed with dry fruits and khoya inside),
Kadamba (often served with
kheer), and
Rasamundi,
Raskadamba. Some are white in color while others are cream, brown, gold or orange. They are called
Rasbari in
Nepal. This dish is made by boiling small dumplings made of a mixture of
chhenna and semolina in sugar syrup. Once cooked, these are stored in the syrup, making them spongy. Increasing the semolina content reduces the sponginess of the dessert and hardens them, creating a variety of textures. Some
Rasgulla are stuffed inside with treats, such as dry fruits, raisins, candied peel, and other delicacies to create a variety of flavors. Some versions, called
danedhar, are removed from the syrup and sugar-coated into different fruit shapes and other creative designs. These are festive foods found year-round in many parts of India.
Ras malai Ras malai consists of flattened balls of
chhena (cheese curds) soaked in
malai (clotted cream) flavored with cardamom. Its name comes from the Hindu/Urdu
ras, "juice," and
malai, "cream."
Sandesh Sandesh is a
Bengali sweet made from
chhena (cheese curds) kneaded with sugar. A variation called
nolen gurher sandesh is made from date molasses instead of sugar.
Sel roti Sel roti is a Nepali home-made circular-shaped bread or rice donut that is prepared during
Tihar, a widely celebrated
Hindu festival in
Nepal and India (
Sikkim and
Darjeeling regions). It is made of
rice flour and incorporates customized flavors. A semi liquid rice flour dough is usually prepared by adding together milk, water, sugar, butter,
cardamom,
cloves as well as other flavors based on personal choice.
Shrikhand Shrikhand is a traditional
Gujarati and
Marathi dessert made from strained
yogurt, sugar, saffron, and cardamom. It has a smooth, creamy texture and is served chilled.
Soan papdi Soan papdi is a predominantly sugar based sweet that is pulled to create thin strands resembling cotton candy. It is flaky and has a crisp texture and melts in the mouth. It is usually packaged in cubes and served garnished with chopped pistachio nuts, or in a rolled paper cone. There are many different flavorings that can be added, including mango, strawberry, pineapple and chocolate.
Tiler Khaja Tiler Khaja is a type of confectionery made from
sesame seeds produced in
Kushtia District of
Bangladesh.
Other sweets . Other traditional Indian sweets and desserts famous throughout the history of Indian food include: •
Mysore pak (a dessert made out of ghee, sugar and chick pea flour) •
Halwa (or
Halva in modern English spelling); made out of flour, butter and sugar •
Jangiri •
Jhajariya •
Dharwad pedha •
Karadantu ==See also==