Sweets from the Indian subcontinent

Indian sweets or Mithai, are a type of confectionery that rely heavily on sugar, milk and condensed milk, and cooked by frying, however the bases of the sweets vary by region. In the Eastern part of India for example, milk is a staple, and most sweets from this region are based on milk products.

Varieties of Indian Sweet

Parwal ki Mithai

Parwal Ki Mithai is a dry sweet made of parwal. The outer covering is made of parwal, and the filling is made of milk products. It is rather popular in Bihar, but is also found in Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.

Khaja

Khaja is a sweet delicacy of Orissa and Bihar state, India. Refined wheat flour, sugar and edible oils are the chief ingredients of khaja.

It is believed that, even 2000 years ago, Khajas were prepared in the fertile land on the southern side of the Gangetic Plains of Bihar. These areas which are home to khaja, once comprised the central part of 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, yet Khajas of Silao and Rajgir areas have a distinct superiority over khajas of all other places. Silao and Rajgir are the places where one can get puffy khaja, which melts in the mouth.

From Bihar and Orissa, Khajas have travelled to some other parts of India, including Andhra Pradesh. Khaja of Kakinada, a coastal town of Andhra Pradesh, is famous. First,a paste is made out of wheat flour, mawa and oil. It is then deep fried until crisp. Then a sugar syrup is made which is known as "Pak". The crisp croissants are then soaked in the sugar syrup until they absorb the sugar syrup. The speciality of Kakinada Khaja is that it is dry from outside and full of sugar syrup from inside and is juicy. It melts as soon as one puts it in one's mouth.

Chena Murki

A sweet made from milk and sugar available in Indian province of Orissa. The milk is boiled for a long time and condensed. Sugar is added and the sweet is given a round shape. It is also known by many Bangladeshi and Guyanese people as pera.

Rasgulla

Rasgulla is one of the most popular relished sweetmeats in India, originated in Orissa,an Eastern province of the country. This dish is produced by the boiling of small pops of casein in sugar syrup, and its effeminate image has become the stuff of ridicule of the Indian people. This sweet dessert can be found in almost all Eastern Indian households.

Payasam

Payasam (or Kheer as it is called in Hindi) has been an important cultural dish throughout the history of India, being usually found at ceremonies, feasts and celebrations. In Southern India, ancient traditions tell that a wedding is not fully blessed if Payasam is not served at the wedding feast, this tradition being kept alive with each generation, still being practiced by newly married couples, mostly in the southern regions, from where the tradition started in the first place.

The best and most popular Payasam dishes are found in the temples of Guruvayoor and Ambalappuzha. In the Ambalappuzha temple, Payasam is served as part of a tradition, based on an ancient legend. The legend states that Lord Krishna (the eight avatar of Vishnu, playing a major role in the Hindu religion) took the form of an old sage and challenged the great king who ruled over that region to a game of chess. Being a true chess player and a master of the mind game’s tricks, the king gladly accepted the sage’s invitation. Asking what the sage wanted in case he wins the game, the king remained bedazzled by the sage’s request: an amount of rice grains for each square of the chess board, each pile having double the number of grains than the previous pile. So the first square would have only one grain of rice, the second would have 2 grains, the third would have 4 grains, the fourth would have 8 rice grains and so on, each pile growing at a geometrical progression from the past pile of rice grains. Hearing this request, the king was shocked that the sage wanted only what he taught were a few piles of grain, when he could have betted for his whole kingdom or the immense riches that he held. Naturally the king lost, and started placing grain piles on each square, starting with only one grain. He soon realized that the sage’s demand was not entirely what he thought of, when the number reached one million grains of rice by the 20th square. By the 40th or so square, the entire kingdom’s rice reserve was depleted and when he got to the last square he calculated that he would have to pay the sage 18,447,744 trillions of tons of rice, which he could never have paid off. The sage then revealed his true form, that of Lord Krishna, and said that the debt did not have to be paid immediately, but the king would have to serve Payasam freely in the temple of Ambalappuzha, to pilgrims, homeless or whoever comes there for peace of mind and prayer or for those seeking shelter. This is how the Payasam became famous, integrating in the Hindu culture. The tradition of freely serving Payasam in Ambalappuzha still lives today and pilgrims all over India have an easier ride knowing that a hot bowl of the sweet dessert awaits them at the end of their journey.

Laddu

File:Sohan papdi.JPG

Sohan papdi

Laddu is a popular sweet in India. It is made of flour and other ingredients formed into balls that are dipped in sugar syrup. The popularity of Laddu is due to its ease of preparation. In fact the laddu is so popular that it can be used as a lighthearted nickname for chubby children in South Asia.

Variations in the preparation of Laddu result in diverse tastes. Laddu is often made to celebrate festivals or household events such as weddings. 'Tirupati Laddu', the most famous laddu made at Tirumala in Andhra Pradesh is immensely popular for its great taste.

Motichoor

Main Article: Motichoor Motichoor Ka Ladoo is a sweet delicacy of the central Bihar made from grilled gram flour flakes which are sweetened, mixed with almonds and pressed into balls and fried in ghee. Originally from Maner, a small town near Patna, it is now made and enjoyed throughout India and Pakistan. It is a traditional gift at weddings, engagements and births. Some of the original families who made the Ladoo in Maner have now shifted to Patna and sell it in the city..

Pathishapta

This 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 also popular in Thailand.

Narkel Naru

A dessert from Bengal. These are ball-shaped sweets made from khoa/condensed milk and coconut, a traditional favourite during pujas such as the Lakshmi Puja celebrated throughout India.

Malpoa

Several versions are prepared in different parts of India, including one from Bengal and Orissa that is typically a cream pancake deep fried with raisins and sugar syrup.

Shrikhand

Shrikhand is a famous creamy dessert made out of strained yogurt, from which all water is drained off, leaving the thick yogurt cream by itself. Adding exotic dry fruits like mangoes enhances the Shrikhand’s taste. This great dessert is one of Western India’s most popular traditional dishes, since it has ancient roots in the Indian cuisine.

Other Indian Sweets

Other important traditional Indian sweets and desserts, famous throughout the history of Indian food, include the following: Gulab Jamun (a popular Indian dessert made out of fried milk balls in sweet syrup), Mysore Pak (a dessert made out of ghee, sugar and chick pea flour), Halwa(Persian dessert or Halva in modern English spelling; made out of flour, butter and sugar, the Halwa is one of the most popular Indian desserts that have spread in every corner of the World), the Kulfi (often referred to as Indian ice cream, the Kulfi is made out of boiled milk and a wide variety of mango, kesar or cardamom flavors), the Jalebi and Jangiri. In Orissa, several chhena based confections, such as Chhena Kheeri, Chhena Jalebi, Rasaballi, and Chenna Poda are very popular.