Page |1

INDIAN SWEETS

INTRODUCTION
 When it comes to Indian Cuisine and food one thing cannot be
overlooked...Our love for Sweets!
 Most Indians have a sweet tooth or a mouthful of them to say the least. It's
not uncommon to see huge crowds at Sweet stores across the Country. And
with the variety and sheer number of sweets available it's no wonder that it's
such an important part of an Indian's lives.
 Sweets are part of any Indian celebration or festivity of any kind.
 They are prepared in Indian households not only for special feasts and
occasions, but also for simple celebrations like birthdays, anniversaries,
graduations or even any other concocted reason.
 Every event big or small, calls for the sharing sweets with the whole
neighbourhood.
 One can get a beautiful scene of colourful sweets in any Indian sweet shop.
 Sweets are symbol of good gesture in India. Hence, sweets are first tasted
when any new thing happens or if important decisions are taken.
 In most countries sweets are the last course of a meal. In India though they
are served with the rest of the meal and in some traditions especially during
celebrations, people start eating a meal only after having had a bite of the
sweet on the plate, to signify the celebration.
 Indian sweets are known as 'Mithai'. They rely heavily on sugar, milk and
condensed milk and frying, however the bases of the sweets vary by region.
 Page |2

 They more intense and sweeter than western sweets and desserts and quite a
bit heavier since they're made mainly in Ghee which is clarified butter.
 The sweets of India are not as simple as the western desserts. The Indian
Desserts are made with variety of Ingredients that are different in each state.
 They require a lot of expertise, as their essence lies in the texture and
appearance.
 The quality of the ingredients varies from vendor to vendor, and hence the
recipes are to be altered accordingly.
 India is a land of festivals and these festivals are incomplete without any
sweet.
 During Diwali, it is very common to see sweet shops along roadsides.
 In India, sweets are also associated with good news or message and it is for
that reason that the famous sweet in Bengal was named a Sandesh [meaning
message].
 Page |3

Origin and History of Indian Sweets

 We have read and discussed about various regional cuisines of India and
how people from all over the world came to the country during different
time periods and some even settled here.
 Travellers and Invaders influenced the eating habits of the locals. However,
Indians did bring about some flavoursome changes to suit their palate and
something that they could relate to.
 It would be quite surprising for us that India got sugar from China.
 Indian cuisine used jaggery and raw sugar known as boora that is still
commonly used in Indian sweets.
 History reveals that technology of making raw sugar by boiling down the
sugarcane juice into dark brown crystals was developed in India around
500BC.
 The tradition of Indian sweets is as old as 3000 years and has been
mentioned in history books and epics as well.
 Every culture has a typical sweet associated with it and this is probably due
to the ingredients available, climatic conditions, and also the cultural
diversity of the people.
 The sweets made in northern India are made up of reduced milk called as
khoya, whereas in Bengal, the sweets are made with fresh cottage cheese
known as chenna. Khoya is hardly used in Bengali sweets. The southern
India uses rice, jaggery and coconut in their sweets.
 Indian cuisine is often referred to as the sweet cuisine all over the world. In
states like Gujarat, the sweets are consumed before starting the meal.
 Page |4

 The Gujarati food also has a sweet taste, as sugar is added to many savoury
dishes. Even the Bengali food has a slight touch of sugar in its savoury
dishes.
 The preparation of Indian Sweets and savouries is an art and has developed
over many centuries.
 The sweets of Goa have a strong influence of Portuguese and Puduchery in
southern India has French Influence, as it was a French colony for a long
time.
 The Iranians also brought the subtle ways of sweets through the Parsi
community.
 The tradition of making and eating sweets is probably very old. However,
the recorded history from the seventh century BC talks about the
developments of communities and social networking.
 It also stated that during this era, elaborate rituals such as marriages, child
birth and even death came into existence. Social religious functions such as
moving into a new house or offering made to Gods in temples and during
festivals became a part of life.
 In all these occasions, one thing was common which was food and sweets.
The sweets offered to the Gods are known as naivaida or bhog. The same is
distributed among the public as parshad, which literally means blessings
from God.
 Lord Ganesha in Hindu mythology is believed to have fascination for sweet
called Modak .
 All the sweets and savouries made today have their roots in the past. The
only difference is that in some cases their names have changed.
 Page |5

 The very famous jalebi, eaten around India, has been referred to as
kundalika in the texts written between fourth and second century BC.
 Jalebi was especially prepared during the marriage feast. It is made in other
parts of the world too, such as Iran and the Arab countries.
 Page |6

Ingredients used in Indian sweets

 A variety of commodities are used along with sweeteners to create the
delicacies that have become famous around the world.
 Most of the sweets are made from dairy products, grains, or beans/lentils.
 The most common beans used are garbanzo beans [channa]. Dried fruits
such as raisins and nuts [especially pistachios and almonds] are used for
garnishing and texture.
 Savoury spices, such as cardamom seeds, fennel seeds, nutmeg and
cinnamon are used for aroma.
 A flowery scent is added from sandalwood, khus khus [vetiver], screw pine
[kewra] and rose water.
 Page |7

Common Ingredients Used:

Cereals:

Name Description Examples

 Rice is commonly used in desserts

in almost all the states of India.
The most common dessert is
kheer, which is prepared by
cooking rice and milk along with
sugar and flavourings.

 The flavourings of kheer can

Rice: payesh, kheer and
differ from one region to another,
ada pradaman.
Rice depending upon the flavor profile.
Rice flour: Modak and
Phirnee.
 Generally, the small starchy
variety of rice is used for making
sweets. Powder form of rice is
also used for making dessert.

Lentils  Lentils are commonly used in Paruppu payasam,

 Page |8

south of India and in the state of Puran poli,

Maharashtra to make sweets. Besan ke ladoo,
 Channa dal is the most common Mysore pak,
lentil used for making Indian Sohan Halwa,
sweets. Motichoor ladoo,
 In south, the channa dal is Moong dal ka halwa,
combined with coconut milk and Imarti
jaggery to make paruppu
payasam, and in Maharashtra,
boiled channa dal and jaggery
mixture is stuffed in whole wheat
flour dough to make puran poli.
 Besan, which is prepared from
grinding channa dal, is used for
making famous Indian sweets like
besan ke ladoo and Mysore Pak.
 It is added in jalebi batter to give
crisp texture to the final product.

 Besan batter is also used to make

boondis, which are soaked in
sugar syrup to make boondi ke
ladoo.

 There are two types of besan

 Page |9

available:
* Mota besan: this is slightly
coarse and is used for making
ladoo or pinnis.

* Patla besan: this is a fine

powdered form and is used for
making Mysore pak, patisa and
motichoor ladoo.

 Moong dal is ground to a paste

form, which is commonly known
as pithi, and cooked in ghee, sugar
and milk to make a pudding called
moong dal halwa.

 Urad dal is ground into a paste

and made into a dessert called
Imarti.
Flour and  Both refined and whole wheat Jalebi,
 P a g e | 10

its by- flour are commonly used for Balushahi

products making Indian sweets. Flour is Panjiri
used in many forms. Pinni
 Some desserts are made from its Suji ka Hulwa
batters and some made from its
dough.
 In some cases, the flour is roasted
in ghee and then combined with
sugar and ghee to make ladoos.
 Other by- products of flour such
as semolina, or broken wheat, is
also used in making halwas and
other Indian sweets.
Sweeteners:
 Granulated sugar is the most
commonly used sweetener in
Indian desserts. It is combined
with water to make syrup that is
commonly called as chasni.
Sugar
 The technology has evolved from
using raw sugars to refined sugar;
however, the method to check
sugar density has remained the
same over these years.

Honey
 Honey is a natural sugar obtained
 P a g e | 11

from bees. The color and the

flavor of honey will vary with its
source.
 Some commercial honey farms
allow the bees to suck the nectar
from only one particular flower to
produce honey of that flavor.
 One can use honey in making
most of the baked products, but
care should be taken as honey can
caramelize even at lower
temperatures.
 Honey is used in Indian sweets
that have been influenced by
Mughals and Arabs.
 It is used in Khubani Ka Meetha,
a popular sweet from Hyderabad,
in which apricots are stewed in
honey.

Jaggery
 Jaggery is produced from sugar
 P a g e | 12

cane and is healthy and nutritious

as the whole sugarcane juice is
cooked with molasses.
 The color of the jaggery or gur
can be light or dark depending on
the degree of cooking.
 Jaggery is made from things other
than sugarcane also. Palm sugar
jaggery is traditionally made from
the Palmyra palm or the date
palm. It is extensively used in
Asian cuisine, especially Thai.
 In Bengali cuisine, a special kind
of jaggery, known as Nolen gur, is
obtained from palm tree. This
jaggery is only available in
winters.
 There are 3 different varieties of
Jaggery made from the date palm
sap:
*Solid Chunks[Patali]
*Grainy [Jhola gur]
*Liquid [Nalen gur]

Boora  Boora is the powdered raw sugar.

It is refined sugar and is
 P a g e | 13

commonly used in Indian desserts

and chats.

 Grain sugars have some impurities

and are visible when boiled along
with water. To remove these
impurities in the syrup, small
amount of milk and lemon juice
are added and the syrup is boiled.

 The acid of the lemon curdles the

milk, which in turn traps all the
impurities of the sugar.

 The impurities are then skimmed

off, leaving a clear sugar syrup.
This process is called as
Clarification.

Dairy Products:
 Usually cow milk is the most
Milk
preferred to prepare Indian sweets.
 P a g e | 14

Freshly extracted cow milk, which

is not homogenized, is referred to
as sweet milk. Although hygiene
is a concern at times, this yields
the best results. Buffalo milk has a
peculiar smell and the fat content
is also high. It is used for making
khoya or rabri.
 Khoya or mawa is used in making
many sweet dishes and gravies as
well.
 In India, khoya is rarely made at
home and is procured from the
stores that sell dairy products.
 It is prepared by boiling and
reducing the milk to a semi solid
stage .
Khoya
 There are three types of khoya:
* Batti ka khoya: This is solid
and moulded form of khoya. It is
known as pindi khoya and is made
from full cream buffalo milk. The
milk is boiled in a large kadhai on
a high flame and stirred
occasionally. A litre of milk will
yield 200 Gms of Khoya. This
 P a g e | 15

khoya is used to make barfis and

ladoos.
*Daab ka Khoya: This is made
with low fat buffalo milk. It is
loose and sticky in consistency
with higher moisture content. It is
suitable for making Gulab jamun
and gajar halwa.
*Danedar Khoya: This is made
from full fat buffalo milk. While
boiling , a pinch of tartaric acid is
added which curdles the milk.
Thus making it in a granulated
form which is soft in texture. It is
used in making sweets like
Kalakand.

 Mostly used in making Bengali

desserts. The main difference
Chenna
between the sweets of northern
India and Bengali sweets.
 P a g e | 16

 Ideally chenna is made by

curdling cow’s milk with the
previous day’s whey, but can also
be curdled using tartaric acid. It is
always advisable to buy chenna
rather than making it in-house.
 Curd is also used in some of the
Indian Sweets. Fresh curd is hung
Curd and mixed with powdered sugar to
make shrikhand, which is very
popular sweet from Gujarat.
 Milk is heated in a fairly shallow
pan over an open fire and is
allowed to simmer. It is neither
stirred nor allowed to boil.
 There are two types of Rabri’s:
Rabri
*Lachedar Rabri: this rabri is
like thick flakes.
*Danedar Rabri: This is the
normal cooking process of rabri
where the entire mass is stirred.

Chemicals used:
Chemicals used in Indian Sweets:
Name Description
Tartaric acid  It is also known as tantri or nimbu ka sat in Hindi. It is a
 P a g e | 17

white colored salt that is used as a preservative and also

to add sourness to certain products.
 It is a natural organic acid that is extracted from fruits
such as grapes, bananas and tamarind. It is also known as
cream of tartar.
 It is an organic salt extracted from citrus fruits, especially
Citric Acid lemon and lime. Citric acid is used to make sweets such
as Kalakand etc.
Sodium  It is also known as Baking soda.
Bicarbonate  It is used in variety of Indian sweets such as jalebis.
 It is also known as naushadar in Hindi and is used as a
Refined alum
cooling agent in savouries such as saunth chutneys
 It is typically used in providing aeration and flavour. It is
commonly used in a north Indian sweet called as balu
Ammonium –Bi- shahi.
Carbonate  The dough is leavened with ammonia bicarbonate , and
the small dumplings are deep fried in ghee.
 The dumplings are then poached in sugar syrup.

Fats and Oils used

Fats and Oils used:
Name Description
 P a g e | 18

 It refers to the ghee obtained from cow’s milk. The fat

collected from cow’s milk is heated until all the moisture
evaporates leaving chunks of burnt milk and clarified
Desi Ghee
butter.
 Ghee can be used as shortening in savouries as well as
sweet doughs and can be used for frying.
 With the exception of mustard oil, various kind of
vegetable oils, such as corn oil, groundnut oil, sunflower
Refined Oil
seed oil, or cottonseeds oil, cottonseed oil, can be used to
prepare Indian sweets.
 It is an emulsion of water and oil. It is mainly vegetable
oil that is saturated by addition of hydrogen.
 Hydrogen makes the oil more stable and increases its
Vanaspati melting point.
 The handling of this fat becomes easier at warmer
temperatures as it can cream very well to give more
structure and short texture to the final product.

Nuts Used
Nuts used:
Name Description
Almond  Almonds are used to prepare sweets such as badam ka
 P a g e | 19

Hulwa and badam barfi.

 They can also be used as garnishes.
 A special variety of badam called as mamra is used to
make Badam Hulwa as it has high oil content.
 Usually bright green colored pistachios are used .
 Either used as a paste to give flavor and body and as a
Pistachio
garnish.
 Can also be used for stuffing.
 Either used as a paste to give flavor and body and as a
Cashew Nut garnish.
 Can also be used for stuffing.
 Coconut can be used in various forms.
 Freshly desiccated or even dried coconut known as
Coconut
copra is used in Indian sweets.
 Coconut milk is commonly used in south India.
 Commonly used for garnish in puddings.
 These are either added to kheer while it is being
Raisins
cooked, or are fried in ghee and then added to the
pudding.

Flavouring and Spices

Flavourings and Spices:
Name Description
Cardamom  Green cardamom is commonly used in Indian sweets. It
 P a g e | 20

can be either used as whole to flavor milk or used in the

ground form. One has to be careful in using it in ground
form as the flavor is much stronger when crushed.
 Black cardamom seeds are also used in many sweets
around Bengal.
 Saffron depicts purity and richness and is added to
many Indian sweets. Saffron strands or saffron water is
Saffron
used as flavouring, but is mostly used to garnish and
add color to the sweets.
 Kewra is the essence obtained from the screw pine
leaves and is used in various desserts that have a
Kewra
Mughal influence. It gives an aromatic sweet flavor to
puddings.
 Gulab Jal is the essence obtained from rose petals. The
Gulab Jal
subtle flavor of rose is used to add perfume to sweets.
 Rose does not need any description.
 In Indian cooking, rose has been closely associated
with Mughlai cuisine.
Gulkand
 Fresh rose petals are used to garnish desserts.
 Sometimes these petals are ground and mixed with
honey and flavourings to make Gulkand.
 Cloves give a very pleasant aroma to desserts. A very
Cloves common dessert from Bengal known as lavang latika is
prepared using cloves as the major flavouring spice.
 Cinnamon is another spice that is associated with
Cinnamon
sweets because of its sweet flavor and smell.
 P a g e | 21

 It can be used whole or in the powdered form.

 When using whole, it must be taken out before the
dessert is served.

EQUIPMENT USED:
Equipment used:
Utensils & tools Description
Kadhai  Also known as halwai kadhai. It is made of cast iron
 P a g e | 22

and the surface is always clean and polished.The kadhai

used for making sweets is heavy and thick bottomed.
 These are small metal tubs which are used to store the
Nunko
sweets in syrups.
 It is an equipment used for stirring milk. It has very
Khoncha sharp and thin edges that are used to scrape off the
kadhai while reducing the milk.
 It is basically a strainer used for straining excessive oil
Jhara or ghee from the dishes like boondi or jalebi. It is
available in variety of sizes as well as the perforation.
 This utensil is made of cast iron and is only 3 inches
deep and quite wide. Ghee is filled up to the half of the
Jalebi Tawa
utensil and the batter is dropped through a cloth pouch
in circular rings.
 It is a thick square piece of the cloth that has a hole in
Ratna
the centre. It is also known as jalebi cloth.
 This equipment is basically used to sift the flours to
Channani
remove impurities.
 Lagans are shallow copper utensils with a thick bottom.
Lagan
 Commonly used in Mughlai cooking.

DETAILS OF SOME VERY COMMON

INDIAN SWEETS:
 Barfi - This is a popular Indian sweet. Plain Barfi is made using the basic
ingredients of sugar and condensed milk until the concoction solidifies. Barfi
can be divided into kaju Barfi (cashew nut Barfi), kesari pedha (saffron
 P a g e | 23

Barfi), Pista Barfi (pistachio Barfi), cham cham (pink and white Barfi),
doodh peda (kewra oil and pistachio), chocolate Barfi , badam pak (almond
Barfi), walnut Barfi and also gajar Barfi (carrotbarfi). It is customary
forbarfi to be covered with an edible metallic leaf known as “vark”.
 Balushahis are made of maida flour, and are deep-fried in clarified
butter and then dipped in sugar syrup.
 Badushahs are made from a stiff dough made with all purpose
flour, ghee and a pinch of baking soda. One-inch-diameter (25 mm), 1⁄2-inch-
thick (13 mm) discs are shaped with hands, fried in ghee or oil and dunked
in thick sugar syrup so that there is a sugar coating. They are very sweet, but
tasty with a slightly flaky texture.
 Basundi - is an Indian dessert mostly in Bihar, Maharashtra, Gujarat and
Karnataka. It is a sweetened dense milk made by boiling milk on low heat
until the milk is reduced by half. Heavy cream may be added during the
boiling process to hasten the thickening process. Once reduced, a little sugar,
cardamom, Buchanania seeds also known as Charoli and/or saffron are
added. Basundi is served chilled, often garnished with slices of almonds and
pistachios.

 Bebinca: The most famous Goa's sweet is bebinca also known as bibik.
There is a legend that says that Bebinca was made by a nun called Bibiona
of the Convento da Santa Monica in Old Goa. She made it with seven layers
to symbolise the seven hills of Lisbon and Old Goa and offered it to the
priest. But, he found it too small and thus the layers were increased. There
are some claims that it is made with 20 layers. But, ideally it is 14 or 16
 P a g e | 24

layers. According to some culinary experts this is a modified version of

bebingka made in Malaysia, Philippines and Indonesia.

It is a wonderful concoction made from layer upon layer of coconut pancakes. The
extract of coconut milk is added to flour, sugar, eggs and ghee and other delectable
ingredients are used to make this delicacy. Each scrumptious layer has to be baked
before the next one is added, traditionally it has 16 layers but can be made with
less or more. The dessert is baked in a specially-made clay oven, with hot coal as a
source of heat, placed above. Though the process of making bebinca is tedious
process the dessert is a mouth-melting dream.
 Batica: Batica is a Goan sweet dish or dessert is prepared by first peparing a
batter of grated coconuts, rawa, sugar, eggs and butter. The batter is mixed
thouroughly and kept overnight. It is then poured into a baking dish and
baked the next morning.
 Chena Murki - This sweet which is made from milk and sugar is available
in Orissa. To make this sweet, the milk has to be boiled for a long period of
time until it becomes condensed. After that, sugar is added and the sweet is
made into a round shape. Another name for this sweet is Pera .

 Chhena jalebis - is a sweet dish originally from coastal Orissa in eastern

India, a state known for desserts made of chhena. Its popularity has spread
beyond coastal Orissa. These are made in a manner very similar to regular
jalebis which are popular throughout India. However, the basic ingredient is
cottage cheese, or chenna. Fresh chhena is thoroughly kneaded and rolled up
into shapes similar to pretzels, before being deep fried. The fully fried
 P a g e | 25

chhena pretzels are then soaked in a sugary syrup. Chhena jalebis are served
either hot or chilled.
 Chhena poda - is the quintessential cheese dessert from the state of Orissa
in eastern India. Chhena poda literally means burnt cheese in Oriya. It is
made of well-kneaded homemade cottage cheese or chhena, sugar, cashew
nuts and raisins, and is baked for several hours until it browns. Chhena poda
is the only well known Indian dessert whose flavor is predominantly derived
from the caramelization of sugar.
 Cham cham or chum chum - is a traditional Bengali sweet that is popular
in Pakistan, India and Bangladesh. It comes in a variety of colors, mainly
light pink, light yellow, and white. It is also coated with coconut flakes as a
garnish. The main ingredients are flour, cream, sugar, saffron, lemon juice,
and coconut flakes.
 Chikki - This is a traditional sweet made from groundnuts and jaggery. A
variety of ingredients can be added to the chikki such as puffed rice, sesame
and desicated coconut. Some chikkis are made from pistachios, almonds and
cashew nuts. To make chikkis, one needs to prepare the hot syrup made from
jaggery. The nuts are then transferred using a wooden mould and then the
chikkis are further rolled into 6-8mm using a wooden roller. Once cooled
and hardened, the chikkis are then cut into squares.
 Double ka meetha - is a dessert of Hyderabad and made from hot crisp
fried roundels of bread, soaked in saffron and cardamom-flavoured syrup,
topped with cream. It is similar to of Shahi tukre. It is called 'Double ka
meetha' because it is made from Bread which is called 'Double Roti' in
Hindi.
 P a g e | 26

 Doodhpak - is a dessert dish, a kind of rice pudding made from milk, rice,
saffron and nuts, accompanied by pooris. The milk is slow-boiled to
thickened and sweetened and the dish is garnished with chopped almonds.
Doodhpak originates from Gujarat.
 Dodol: Dodol is another famous Goan sweet, traditionally eaten at
Christmas time, and made with rice flour, coconut milk, black jiggery of
coconut palm and cashew nuts. It is usually cooled in a flat pan and served
in slices, and is very sweet. (The Hindus call it Alvo and use a lighter colour
jaggery made of sugarcane).
 Halva (or halwa, halua) refers to many types of dense, sweet confections,
served across the Middle East, South Asia, Central Asia, West Asia, North
Africa, the Horn of Africa, the Balkans, Eastern Europe, Malta and
the Jewish world.
The term halva, meaning "sweet", is used to describe two types of desserts:
 Flour-based – This type of halva is slightly gelatinous and made from
grain flour, typically semolina. The primary ingredients are clarified
butter, flour, and sugar.
 Nut-butter-based – This type of halva is crumbly and usually made
from tahini(sesame paste) or other nut butters, such as sunflower seed
butter. The primary ingredients are nut butter and sugar.
Halva may also be based on numerous other ingredients, including sunflower
seeds, various nuts, beans, lentils, and vegetables such as carrots, pumpkins, yams,
and squashes.
 Gulab jamun is a popular dessert in countries of the Indian Subcontinent
such as India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Bangladesh. In Nepal it is
widely known as Rasbari, served with or without curd, which is a popular
 P a g e | 27

dessert on all occasions. Traditionally, khoya, an Indian milk product

(buffalo milk) is rolled into a ball together with some flour and then deep
fried, but at a low temperature of about 148°C. It is then put into a sugar
syrup flavored with cardamom seeds and rosewater, kewra or saffron.

 Jalebi: It is made by deep-frying a partially fermented wheat-flour batter in

pretzel or circular shapes, which are then soaked in sugar syrup. The sweets
are served warm or cold. They have a somewhat chewy texture with a
crystallized sugary exterior coating. Citric acid or lime juice is sometimes
added to the syrup, as well as rosewater or other flavours such as kewra
water. Kesar can be added to ot to make kesariya jalebi.

 Imarti (Emarti or Jangiri) is a dessert from Rajasthan made by deep-frying

urad flour batter in a kind of pretzel or circular shape, then soaked in sugar
syrup.

N.B: Difference between jalebi and imarti..... First, they are made with different
flours: jalebi is made with maida (all purpose) flour and jangiri with ground urad
dhal. Jalebi batter is also supposed to be left to ferment (giving it a faint tangy
flavour) while jangiri is not. There is also a difference in their appearance – the
swirls of jalebi are more chaotic, while jangiri resembles a more organized flower
pattern.
 P a g e | 28

Those with a trained palate will also notice the slight crunchiness of jalebi,
distinguishing it from the chewy, gooiness of jangiri. In most sweet
shops, jalebi also appears a little shinier and more on the brown side
(and jangiri more orange).

 Kalakand, or Qalaqand is a popular Indian sweet made out of solidified,

sweetened milk and cottage cheese. It owes it origin to the milk-rich Braj
region of Uttar Pradesh. Kalakand is famous in Alwar, Rajasthan, India.
 Kalojam: it is a traditional Bengali sweet in which the enriched flour
dumplings are deep fat fried to a dark brown colour (and so is the name) and
then soaked in a slow simmering sugar syrup.
 Khaja - This sweet is made from refined flour, sugar and oil. This sweet is a
delicary of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Orissa and West Bengal. This sweet is said
to be the favourite sweet of Lord Jagannath. In South India, a similar sweet
is known as Badusahi. When Khaja is stuffed with dried fruits, it is then
known as Chandrakala (half round) or Suryakala (full round). In
Kutch, Namkeen khaja is taken but as a savoury as it is salty.

 Kheer (Bengali: Payesh , Malayali: Payasam) is a rice pudding, which is a

traditional South Asian sweet dish. This is an Indian pudding made from
milk, vermicelli rice, semolina and tapioca. It is known by a variety of
names across India, ie, Payasam in South India or Payesh in Bengal. Once
the basic ingredients of milk, rice, ghee, sugar or jaggery are added,
additional ingredients such as pistachios or almonds can be added to the
mixture.
 P a g e | 29

 Kulfi or Qulfi is a popular frozen dairy dessert from the Indian

Subcontinent. Kulfi has similarities to ice cream in appearance and taste, but
is denser and creamier. It comes in various flavours, including cream
(malai), raspberry, rose, mango, cardamom (elaichi), saffron (kesar or zafra
n), and pistachio, the more traditional flavours, as well as newer variations
like apple, orange, strawberry etc. Unlike Western ice creams, kulfi is not
whipped, resulting in a solid, dense frozen dessert similar to traditional
custard based ice-cream. Thus, it is sometimes considered a distinct category
of frozen dairy-based dessert. Due to its density, kulfi takes a longer time to
melt than Western ice-cream.

 Laddu: Laddu comes from the Sanskrit word transliterated as ladduka or

lattika meaning a small ball. Laddu is made of flour and sugar with other
ingredients that vary by recipe. It is often served at festive or religious
occasions. Common flours used for laddu include besan (chickpea flour),
rava (wheat semolina) and ground coconut. These are combined with sugar
and other flavourings, cooked in ghee and moulded into a ball shape.

 Malpoa - This sweet is an ancient home made sweet of India. There are
different variations of this sweet in different parts of India. This sweet is
widely available in Bengal, Bihar, Orissa and Mahashtra. Its main
ingredients are plain flour, rice flour, sugar and coconut. This dish is an
Indian version of the pancake.
 Modak - is a sweet dumpling popular in Western and Southern India. It is
called modak in Marathi and Konkani as well as Gujarati language,
modhaka or kadubu in Kannada, modhaka or kozhakkattai in Tamil, and
kudumu in Telugu. The sweet filling inside a modak is made up of fresh
 P a g e | 30

grated coconut and jaggery, while the soft shell is made from rice flour, or
wheat flour mixed with khava or maida flour. The dumpling can be fried or
steamed. The steamed version, called ukdiche modak, is eaten hot with ghee.
 Mysore Pak - This sweet dish is a native of Karnataka and it is made with
ghee, sugar and chick pea flour. It is believed that this dish was created in
the kitchens of the Mysore Palace. It became known as the "Royal Sweet' of
Mysore.
 Narkel Naru - This sweet dish is from Bengal. It is made from khoya,
condensed milk and coconut. This dish is consumed throughout India.
 Peda, Pheda or Pera: Origin or popularity of Peda may be credited to the
Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, and the variety from the city of Mathura in that
state was considered to be the best is a sweet from the Indian subcontinent,
usually prepared in thick, semi-soft pieces. The main ingredients are khoa,
sugar and traditional flavourings, including cardamom seeds, pistachio nuts
and saffron. The colour varies from a creamy white to a caramel colour. The
word pera is also generically used to mean a blob of any doughy substance,
such as flour or (in the case of the sweet) khoa.
 Parwal Mithai - This sweet dish is made from parwal (pointed gourd or
green potato) while the filling is always from dairy products. This sweet dish
is popular in Bihar,Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.
 Pathishapta - This dish is a rolled pancake filled with coconut, milk, cream,
jaggery and date palm. This dish is a Bengali dessert.
 Pantua - is a local confection of eastern India and Bangladesh. It is a
traditional Indian sweet made of deep-fried balls of semolina, chhana, milk,
ghee and sugar syrup. Pantuas range in colour from pale brown to nearly
black depending on how long they are fried. The name ledikeni is a
 P a g e | 31

rendition of "Lady Canning" and was first used by confectioner Bhim Nag
when he renamed his pantuas specially prepared on the occasion of the
birthday of Countess Charlotte Canning, wife of Governor-General Charles
Canning. Rose water, cardamom or other flavourings are sometimes added
to the sweet.
 Phirnee: It is a traditional dessert served normally during the summer
months. Soaked rice is ground into a paste and then added to boiling sweet
milk. This is cooked until thickened and poured into terracotta pots. The
extra moisture from the pudding is soaked by the earthenware pot and thus
the pudding sets soft yet firm. It is then garnished with slivers of pistachio
and strands of saffron
 Puran poli - is a classical Marathi dish, which is a dessert served during
auspicious occasions and during important festivals such as Holi, Padwa in
Maharashtra. Although it resembles like a roti, a poli is actually very
different. It is made mostly during holi when the bonfire is lit. The stuffing
is known as puran and the outer cover is known as poli. The puran is made
by boiling chickpea lentils with a pinch of turmeric for color. When the
lentils are cooked and soft, the broth is removed and kept aside.Sugar is
added to the chickpeas and cooked till they are soft. Then the stuffing is
removed and sieved through a utensil made specifically for puran to achieve
a smoother consistency. Saffron, cardamom, and nutmeg is added for
additional flavor. The outer cover is made by making a dough by mixing
refined flour, milk and ghee. Equal number of balls are made of the dough as
well as the stuffing. The puran is stuffed inside the dough and then rolled out
flat using a rolling pin. The poli is then coked on a hot griddle and served
with ghee and a soup made from the surp.
 P a g e | 32

 Ras Malai is a sweet dessert originating in Eastern India and popular

throughout the Indian subcontinent. Is served after a meal. It is popular
throughout South Asia. The name Ras Malai comes from two parts in Hindi:
Ras, which means Juice/Juicy, and Malai, which means cream. Ras Malai
consists of sugary white, cream or yellow colored balls (or flattened balls) of
paneer soaked in malai (clotted cream) flavored with cardamom.

 Rasgulla - is a very popular cottage cheese-based, syrupy sweet dish

originally from the Indian state of Orissa but highly popular in Bengal. It is
popular throughout India and other parts of South Asia. The dish is made
from ball shaped dumplings of chhena (an Indian cottage cheese) and
semolina dough, cooked in light syrup made of sugar. This is done until the
syrup permeates the dumplings.

 Shankarpali is a snack popular in Maharashtra, India. It is traditionally

enjoyed as a treat on the Diwali holiday.
 Shahi Tukra - Truly a royal dessert, as its name suggests, Shahi Tukra is a
rich bread pudding with dry fruits, flavoured with cardamom.
 Pitha : Various kinds of Pitha (a pancake like sweet base of semolina or
flour which is rolled around a variety of fillings like coconut and kheer and
fried in ghee - chandrapuli, gokul, pati shapta, chitai piţha, aski pithe, muger
puli and dudh puli). Pithas are usually made from rice or wheat flour mixed
with sugar, jaggery, grated coconut etc. These are usually enjoyed with the
sweet syrups of Khejur gur (Date tree molasses)/ they are usually fried or
 P a g e | 33

steamed – the most common ones include bhapapitha (steamed), Pakanpitha

(fried) and Pulipitha (dumplings)
 Sohan Halwa or Sohan Halva is a traditional Indian and Pakistani sweet,
which is a variety of dense, sweet confection or halwa and believed to be of
Persian origin, linked with Iranian sweet Sohan. It is made by boiling a
mixture of water, sugar, milk and cornflour until it becomes solid. Saffron is
used for flavouring. Ghee is used to prevent it from sticking to the pan.
Almonds, pistachios and cardamom seeds are added. Unlike most other
halwa dishes in the subcontinent, it is solid by texture.

 Sandesh - This is an Indian confectionery which originated in Bengal. Its

main ingredients are milk and sugar. Some recipes of Sandesh call for the
use of chhena (Indian cheese) or paneer instead of milk. Some people in the
region of Dhaka call it Pranahara (literally, heart 'stealer') which is a softer
kind of sandesh, made with mawa and the essence of curd.
 Shrikand - Shrikhand is an Indian sweet dish made of strained yogurt. It is
one of the main desserts in Indian cuisine. Preparation of this dish is very
simple but it takes some time to process yogurt properly. To prepare
shrikhand, yogurt is tied in a cotton cloth and left under pressure to drain. In
the past, it used to be hung from a wall to achieve the desired thickness. The
strained yogurt, referred to as "Chakka", and sugar are mixed thoroughly in
a deep bowl. Cardamom, saffron, and any other flavors are then added and
mixed. It is then left in the refrigerator for the sugar to dissolve. The dish is
served chilled. Another variation of this dish can be found in Mahashtra is
known as Amrakhand which is a mixture of mango pulp together with the
yoghurt. In Gujarat, a variation of this dish is known as Matho.