With a day left for the festival of Diwali, which is on November 4, people are geared up to prepare a luxurious feast for the joyous occasion. The houses are decorated along with office spaces and the festive fervour can be felt no matter which part of the nation one might be in.
Diwali, which is celebrated to mark the day when Lord Rama returned home after vanquishing the demon Ravana, is all about spreading joy and cheer and eating traditional food to the heart’s content.
Annually, people prepare a variety of mouth-watering sweets and savoury dishes for this festival of lights. From the Bengali sandesh to Punjabi gajar ka Halwa, a plethora of traditional mouth-watering treats are on offer across India.
Regardless of whichever might be your favourite, most people will agree that Diwali is a festival of indulgence and if you are someone who prefers to treat your family to homemade delicacies, then we have rounded up this list of sweet delicacies that will sweeten your Diwali celebrations and will most definitely satisfy that sweet tooth of yours.
1. Mawa Kachori
When we think of food during the Diwali celebrations, we typically think of sweets. Soan papdi and a box of dry fruits are commonly gifted to friends and relatives. However, this year do try the wonderfully crunchy Mawa kachoris, which are packed with dry fruits and khoya while dipped in sweet sugar syrup. Every bite of it will elevate your food experience up by a notch.
2. Phirni
What would a discussion of rich traditional festival sweets be without mentioning phirni? Since time immemorial, the rich and delectable phirni has been a part of our celebratory delights. This signature dish, which is milky and creamy, can also be made without sugar.
Garnished with pistas and crushed almonds, this delicious and aromatic sugar-free dessert, covered with rose essence, is destined to capture your heart all over again.
3. Sandesh
Sandesh comes in a wide variety of variations, the majority of which include chenna. The simplest version, known as makha sandesh in Bengal and Odisha, consists of chenna softly stirred with sugar over low heat.
However, more extravagant preparations are customary for Diwali. The chenna is dried and pressed, then flavoured with fruits, coloured, and shaped into intricate designs like elephants, conch shells, and fish to create a delicacy that is both beautiful and tasty.
4. Mohanthal
This decadent brown sweet is popular in the western states of India like Gujarat and Rajasthan. Prepared from sweetened gram flour and ghee and studded with nuts, it is cooked slowly until it thickens into a dense fudge, then flavoured with saffron and cardamom. If you really subscribe to the philosophy of ‘made-from-scratch,’ you can even go as far as to make your own ghee.
5. Payasam
Rice pudding, also known as kheer in the north and payasam in the south, is a popular dessert in India. The word payasam is claimed to be derived from a word that means ‘ambrosia’, and this dessert isn’t far off from that either.
Usually made by boiling rice, sugar and milk together, some variants also use tapioca, bulgar wheat, or other grains. Desiccated coconut, cardamom, cashews, and other dried fruits and nuts are then added to the mixture to complete this savoury dessert.
6. Puran Poli
Though it is claimed to have originated as oliga in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh, this sweet flatbread has different variants of it all across India. Known as puran poli in Maharashtra, this delicacy is created using wheat flour, ghee, and water, then filled with lentils, jaggery, or sugar. Cooked on the griddle until golden brown, puran poli comes apart with a satisfying gooey deliciousness.
7. Shahi Tukda
Originating in the city of Hyderabad in the southern state of Telangana and credited to the monarchs of the area, shahi tukda is truly a dessert fit for kings, after all, the term shahi literally means royal in Persian. Fried, sugar syrup-coated bread is soaked with sweet rabri and topped with dried fruits to make this creamy, crunchy delight.
Among the several things that Diwali is synonymous with, food is certainly on top of the list. People eat a variety of sweets and savouries on the day and also the days leading up to it. Hence, share the joy of festive celebration with your near and dear ones, and make this Diwali a bit sweeter with our list of dessert options. (ANI)
