Top 10 Exotic Sweets & Mithai of India
Updated: Jun 3, 2022
Diversity in culture and cuisines is the most splendid feature of our country. A popular saying "A way to a man's heart is through his stomach", still stands true no matter whichever geographical location we talk about.
Festivals or any special occasion, a scrumptious Indian cuisine is incomplete without sweets aka "Mithai". A plethora of several mouth-watering sweet dishes ornate our Indian cuisine.
Here are some sweet delicacies that will make your taste buds tingle for a long time!
Paan Petha
Petha is a crystalline pumpkin candy, a jewel in Agra's cuisine. The conventional paan ingredients like pan chutney powder, Gulkand, Meethi Supari, and crunchy dry fruits are wrapped in a soft outer covering of petha. The succulent taste of Paan Petha is refreshing and leaves you enamored by this royal Mughal specialty.
Mango Rasmalai
Mango Rasmalai is a Bengali exotic sweet delicious cheesecake without a crust. The creamy, spongy Rasmalai is a sweet chenna disc that is sweetened with thickened milk and flavored with a rich aroma of cardamom and saffron. The savory taste of this sugary delight is heightened by adding mango flavor. The dish is garnished with dry fruits to complete the look.
Elaneer Payasama
Elaneer Payasam means "Tender coconut pudding" or "Cream of Tender coconut ", a mouth-watering delicacy in Tamil Nadu and Kerela. It is prepared from tender coconut pulp and coconut milk, sugar, and condensed milk.
Young unripe coconut water is used to cook this dessert. It is garnished with Ghee, cardamom powder, and nuts. Elaneer Payasama is served chilled during hot summer days. It's a dessert with a treasure trove of wholesome nutrients and potent antioxidants.
Parwal Mithai
Parwal, although a veggie, is turned into a sweet dish in Bihar. Parwal or pointed gourd or green potato is scrapped to remove the skin, sliced longitudinally, deseeded, and stuffed with khoya or Mewa along with nuts.
It is boiled and imbibed with sugar syrup to give a scintillating effect to your taste buds. Enriched with essential minerals this dessert changes your perception of the veggie forever.
Chhena Poda
Chhena Poda (baked cheese) is a smoky flavored cheese dessert from the Indian state of Odisha. It is believed to be the favorite dessert of Lord Jagannath in Puri, Odisha. This savory sweet originated in the Nayagarh district by Sudarshana Sahoo. It has an interesting story attached to how this dessert came into existence.
Not wanting to throw the leftover cottage cheese (chhena) in his kitchen, Sudarshana mixed some sugar and nuts into it and placed it inside the oven (at low heat) overnight. Surprisingly in the morning, he found an amazingly caramelized sweet cake. Since then Chhena Poda became one of the most popular sweet delicacies from Odia cuisine.
Putharekelu
Putharekelu or poothareku, a popular sweet from Andhra Pradesh, is a paper-thin dessert made from rice/gram flour, sugar/jaggery, and clarified butter. This mouth-watering treat is known for its crispiness. The delicacy is wrapped in a paper-thin rich starch layer and is stuffed with sugar, dry fruits, and nuts. It's a popular sweet dish for festivals, religious occasions, and weddings in the Telugu state.
Malaiyo/Makhan Malai
Makhan Malai or Malaiyo is a sweet snack made from milk cream during the winters in many regions of Uttar Pradesh. This sugary delight is prepared by boiling cow milk in a huge cauldron and fresh cream is added to it.
The interesting fact about the dish is that it is left to cool under the dewy sky in winter for 4 to 5 hours. The dew exposed milk is then churned for 3 hours in the morning. Seasoned with powdered sugar, saffron, and cardamom powder, Makhan Malai is an epitome of patience enjoyed with the sweetness of hard work.
Kharvas
Kharvas is a unique Indian milk pudding. It is made from cow or buffalo colostrum which is the first form of milk produced within the first few days of giving birth. Popular in Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh, Kharvas is prepared by steaming a mixture of colostrum milk and sugar/jaggery until it coagulates into a soft solid. Flavored with cardamom, saffron, nutmeg, and sesame seeds it's a delicacy with health benefits.
Madhurjan Thongba
A Manipuri delight, Madhurjan Thongba, stands true to its name. It's a simple yet elegant sweet dish made from gram flour /besan dumplings. These besan dumplings are deep-fried and served with sweetened milk. The milk is reduced and flavored with crushed cardamom, cinnamon sticks, and bay leaves. Grated coconut can be used to garnish this delectable sweet dessert. It could be served either chilled or steaming hot depending upon the weather.
Rose Gulkand
Gulkand, as the name suggests is a sweet preserve of rose petals. Originated in the Indian Sub-continent, gulkand is prepared with Damask roses, China rose, French rose and Cabbage rose. The pink rose petals are slow-cooked with sugar till their juice attains a thick consistency. This incredible summer coolant dessert has many health benefits. This sugary delight is a powerful antioxidant and a great rejuvenator.
Cakes, chocolates, desserts, and puddings are some most loved desserts but nothing can replace the flavor and joy of eating Indian Mithai. While you figure out your favorite Indian Mithai, get hold of India’s most premium snacks in our latest box for the month of April which is full of exciting flavors and combinations!
Happy Snacking!
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