RAG Demo

Tag: Dessert

  • Jalebi

    Jalebi likely arrived in India from West Asia, where a similar sweet called zalabiya is described in medieval Arabic cookbooks. By the fifteenth century it was well established in Indian kitchens, and today it is the quintessential halwai sweet of North India, fried in great spirals in front of the shop every morning.

    Proper jalebi is crisp on the outside, with hollow tubes filled with warm syrup that bursts when bitten. The batter is fermented, traditionally overnight, which gives a slight tang that balances the sweetness. A little saffron or food colour gives the bright orange tint, and the syrup is scented with cardamom and a touch of lemon to stop it crystallising.

    It is eaten hot for breakfast with rabri or milk in Uttar Pradesh, with poha in Indore, and as a festival sweet on Dussehra and Independence Day. It is best within minutes of frying. At home, a squeeze bottle makes piping easy, and the batter can be fermented overnight so the jalebis are ready for breakfast. The syrup should be warm but not boiling, and the jalebis should be crisp before they go in.

    At a glance

    RegionUttar Pradesh
    CuisineUttar Pradesh
    DietVegetarian
    CourseDessert
    Prep time20 minutes
    Cook time30 minutes
    Total time50 minutes
    Serves6
    Spice levelMild
    DifficultyHard
    Gluten-freeNo
    Key ingredientsmaida / curd / sugar / ghee / saffron

    Ingredients

    For the batter

    • 1 cup maida
    • 1 tbsp fine sooji or 1 tbsp cornflour
    • 2 tbsp sour curd
    • 1/4 tsp baking soda (only for the quick method)
    • About 3/4 cup lukewarm water
    • A pinch of turmeric or a few saffron strands for colour

    For the syrup

    • 1 1/2 cups sugar
    • 3/4 cup water
    • 1/2 tsp green cardamom powder
    • A pinch of saffron
    • 1 tsp lemon juice

    For frying

    • Ghee or oil for shallow frying (about 3 cm deep)
    • A squeeze bottle or a thick cloth with a small hole

    Method

    1. Whisk maida, sooji, curd, colour and water into a smooth, thick batter, about the consistency of pancake batter that flows in a steady ribbon. Cover and leave in a warm place for 10 to 12 hours to ferment; it should be bubbly and slightly sour.
    2. For the syrup, boil sugar and water on medium until it reaches one-string consistency, about 6 to 7 minutes – a drop pressed between thumb and finger forms a single thread. Add cardamom, saffron and lemon juice. Keep it warm.
    3. Beat the fermented batter well for 2 minutes. If it has thinned, add a spoon of maida. (Quick method: add the soda now and use immediately.)
    4. Heat ghee in a wide, flat pan on medium, around 170 C. A drop of batter should rise steadily without browning instantly.
    5. Fill the squeeze bottle. Holding it just above the ghee, pipe 6 to 8 cm spirals from the centre outward, finishing with a cross stroke to hold them together.
    6. Fry 1 to 2 minutes per side, turning once, until crisp and light golden. They should feel firm, not soft.
    7. Lift out, drain for a second, and drop into the warm syrup. Soak 30 to 60 seconds, turning once, then lift out. Serve hot.

    Tips

    • Fry in small batches so the ghee temperature stays steady and every jalebi crisps evenly.
    • Too thin a batter spreads flat; too thick and it will not pipe smoothly.
    • Ghee gives the classic halwai flavour, but a neutral oil makes them crisper for longer.

    Serve with

    Hot with rabri or a glass of warm milk.

  • Rabri

    Rabri is the slow-cooked milk sweet of Varanasi, Mathura and the Braj region, where halwais reduce huge iron kadais of milk over wood fires and gently fan the surface so cream forms in layers. Those layers, or lachhas, are lifted onto the sides of the pan and folded back in at the end, giving rabri its distinctive flaky, lacy texture.

    The taste is pure milk, deepened by long cooking, sweetened lightly and perfumed with cardamom, saffron and sometimes rose water. Rabri is thick but spoonable, with soft shreds of malai throughout. It is served chilled in kulhads, clay cups that add their own earthy aroma. The flavour is gentle and milky.

    It is eaten on its own after a meal, or poured over jalebi, malpua or gulab jamun. It is a festive offering on Janmashtami and Holi in Braj, and a winter-evening treat across Uttar Pradesh. Making it at home takes time but little skill; the trick is a wide pan and patience. Buffalo milk, with its higher fat, gives the thickest rabri and the most generous layers.

    At a glance

    RegionUttar Pradesh
    CuisineUttar Pradesh
    DietVegetarian
    CourseDessert
    Prep time5 minutes
    Cook time90 minutes
    Total time95 minutes
    Serves4
    Spice levelMild
    DifficultyMedium
    Gluten-freeYes
    Key ingredientsfull-cream milk / sugar / cardamom / saffron

    Ingredients

    • 1.5 litres full-cream milk (buffalo milk is best)
    • 1/3 cup sugar
    • 1/2 tsp green cardamom powder
    • A pinch of saffron soaked in 1 tbsp warm milk
    • 1 tbsp pistachios, slivered
    • 1 tbsp almonds, slivered
    • 1/2 tsp rose water (optional)

    Method

    1. Pour the milk into a wide, heavy kadai and bring to a boil on medium heat, stirring so it does not catch.
    2. Lower to a gentle simmer. Do not stir the surface; let a layer of cream form, 2 to 3 minutes.
    3. With a flat spatula, gently push the cream layer to the side of the kadai so it sticks there. Repeat each time a new layer forms, occasionally fanning the surface to speed up the skin.
    4. Every few minutes, scrape the bottom gently to prevent scorching, without breaking the floating cream.
    5. Continue for 70 to 80 minutes until the milk reduces to about a quarter of its volume and the sides are thick with cream layers.
    6. Add sugar and stir gently until dissolved, about 2 minutes. Scrape the cream from the sides into the milk with the spatula, keeping the layers in pieces.
    7. Stir in cardamom, saffron and rose water, cook 2 more minutes and switch off.
    8. Cool, then chill for at least 3 hours. Serve in kulhads garnished with pistachios and almonds.

    Tips

    • A wide pan gives more surface area for cream layers to form.
    • Add sugar only at the end – added early it prevents good malai formation.
    • If time is short, a little khoya or milk powder thickens rabri faster, though the lachhas will be fewer.

    Serve with

    Chilled in kulhads, or poured over hot jalebi or malpua.

  • Malai Kulfi

    Kulfi dates to the Mughal era, when milk thickened with sugar and nuts was packed into metal cones and frozen in pots of ice and saltpetre brought down from the Himalayas. Lucknow, Delhi and Agra still have old kulfi shops, and in summer the kulfiwala with his red cloth-covered matka is a fixture of North Indian evenings.

    Unlike ice cream, kulfi is never churned or whipped. Milk is reduced for a long time until it is thick and slightly caramelised, giving a dense, chewy texture and a deep cooked-milk flavour. Cardamom, saffron and pistachio are classic, and malai kulfi celebrates the cream itself with little else added.

    It is served on a stick, sliced into rounds on a leaf plate, or with falooda and rose syrup. Making it at home takes patience at the stove but no special equipment. The secret is patience: slowly reduced milk gives the dense, caramelised texture that sets kulfi apart. Clay matkas give the most traditional look and a faint earthy aroma, but small steel cups or even paper cups work perfectly well.

    At a glance

    RegionUttar Pradesh
    CuisineMughlai
    DietVegetarian
    CourseDessert
    Prep time15 minutes
    Cook time75 minutes
    Total time90 minutes
    Serves8
    Spice levelMild
    DifficultyMedium
    Gluten-freeYes
    Key ingredientsfull-cream milk / sugar / cardamom / saffron / pistachio

    Ingredients

    • 1.5 litres full-cream milk
    • 1/2 cup sugar
    • 1/2 tsp green cardamom powder
    • A generous pinch of saffron soaked in 1 tbsp warm milk
    • 2 tbsp pistachios, finely chopped
    • 1 tbsp almonds, finely chopped
    • 1/4 cup khoya, crumbled (optional, for richness)

    Method

    1. Pour the milk into a wide, heavy-bottomed kadai and bring to a boil on medium-high, stirring.
    2. Lower the heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring every few minutes and scraping the sides and bottom. Pull the malai that forms on top and on the sides back into the milk.
    3. Continue for 60 to 70 minutes until the milk reduces to about one-third (500 ml), turns pale cream in colour and coats the back of a spoon thickly.
    4. Add sugar and khoya and cook 5 to 7 more minutes until dissolved and the mixture thickens again.
    5. Stir in cardamom, saffron milk, pistachios and almonds. Switch off and cool completely, stirring now and then so no skin forms.
    6. Pour into kulfi moulds, small clay matkas or steel cups. Cover with foil and freeze 8 hours or overnight.
    7. To unmould, roll the mould between your palms or dip it briefly in warm water, then slide the kulfi out. Slice or serve on sticks.

    Tips

    • A wide pan reduces milk faster; a heavy base prevents scorching.
    • For a quicker version, add a tin of condensed milk to 1 litre milk and reduce for 25 minutes.
    • Kulfi keeps for 2 weeks in the freezer, well covered.

    Serve with

    On its own, or with falooda and rose syrup.

  • Gajar ka Halwa

    Gajar ka halwa arrives with the long, deep-red Delhi carrots that appear in North Indian markets from December to February. Punjabi families grate kilos of them at a time, often on the terrace in the winter sun, and cook the halwa in large heavy kadais for weddings, Lohri and everyday winter evenings.

    The carrots are simmered in milk until the milk is completely absorbed, then roasted in ghee with sugar until glossy and deep orange. The result is sweet, rich and slightly grainy, with the carrot flavour still distinct. Khoya adds a creamy, fudgy texture and cardamom gives the familiar aroma. Nuts are fried in ghee for crunch.

    It is served warm, sometimes with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a spoon of rabri, after dinner or with tea. It keeps for a week in the fridge and reheats well with a spoon of ghee. The orange carrots available year round work too, though they need extra sugar and give a paler halwa. A pressure cooker can shorten the first stage, but slow cooking in a wide kadai gives the best texture.

    At a glance

    RegionPunjab
    CuisinePunjabi
    DietVegetarian
    CourseDessert
    Prep time30 minutes
    Cook time75 minutes
    Total time105 minutes
    Serves6
    Spice levelMild
    DifficultyMedium
    Gluten-freeYes
    Key ingredientscarrots / milk / ghee / sugar / khoya

    Ingredients

    • 1 kg red Delhi carrots, peeled and finely grated
    • 1 litre full-cream milk
    • 4 tbsp ghee
    • 3/4 cup sugar (adjust to the carrots' sweetness)
    • 100 g khoya (mawa), crumbled
    • 1/2 tsp green cardamom powder
    • 12 cashews, chopped
    • 12 almonds, slivered
    • 1 tbsp raisins
    • 1 tbsp pistachios, chopped

    Method

    1. Put the grated carrots and milk in a wide heavy-bottomed kadai and bring to a boil on high, stirring.
    2. Lower the heat to medium and cook uncovered for 40 to 50 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes and scraping the sides, until the milk has evaporated completely and the mixture is thick.
    3. Add the ghee and cook on medium for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring often, until the carrots look glossy and turn a deeper red.
    4. Add sugar. It will melt and make the halwa runny again; keep cooking 10 to 12 minutes until it thickens and the ghee starts to show at the edges.
    5. Stir in the crumbled khoya and cardamom powder and cook 3 to 4 minutes until it blends in.
    6. Meanwhile, fry the cashews, almonds and raisins in 1 tsp ghee until the nuts are golden and raisins puff.
    7. Mix most of the nuts into the halwa and use the rest with the pistachios to garnish. Serve warm.

    Tips

    • Use the finest side of the grater; coarse shreds stay chewy.
    • Add sugar only after the milk has reduced – adding it early slows evaporation and can make the carrots tough.
    • No khoya? Add 1/2 cup milk powder with a little milk at the same stage.

    Serve with

    Warm, on its own or with vanilla ice cream or rabri.

  • Sakkarai Pongal

    Sakkarai pongal, or sweet pongal, is the dish at the centre of the Tamil harvest festival of Pongal. Freshly harvested rice is cooked with moong dal and jaggery in a new clay pot, often outdoors in the sun, and the moment it boils over is celebrated with shouts of pongalo pongal. It is also a common temple offering.

    The flavour is rich and sweet, with the earthy depth of jaggery, the fragrance of cardamom and a hint of edible camphor. Generous amounts of ghee give it a glossy, soft texture, while fried cashews and raisins add crunch and bursts of sweetness. It is festive and rich. Ghee is never measured sparingly here.

    Sakkarai pongal is eaten as a festive dessert or offering. It is best served warm, and a small spoonful of ghee on top makes it even richer. On the festival day, families cook it in a decorated clay pot outdoors, offering it to the sun god before sharing it. Leftovers are eaten cold the next day.

    At a glance

    RegionTamil Nadu
    CuisineTamil
    DietVegetarian
    CourseDessert
    Prep time10 minutes
    Cook time35 minutes
    Total time45 minutes
    Serves4
    Spice levelMild
    DifficultyEasy
    Gluten-freeYes
    Key ingredientsrice / moong dal / jaggery / ghee

    Ingredients

    • 1/2 cup raw rice
    • 2 tbsp moong dal
    • 2 1/2 cups water
    • 1/2 cup milk
    • 3/4 cup (150 g) grated jaggery
    • 1/4 cup water for jaggery
    • 4 tbsp ghee
    • 10 cashews
    • 1 tbsp raisins
    • 1/2 tsp cardamom powder
    • A tiny pinch of edible camphor (pachai karpooram)
    • A pinch of nutmeg

    Method

    1. Dry roast the moong dal on low heat for 2 minutes until fragrant. Wash with the rice.
    2. Pressure cook the rice and dal with water and milk for 4-5 whistles until very soft. Mash lightly.
    3. Melt the jaggery in 1/4 cup water on low heat, strain to remove impurities, and simmer for 2-3 minutes until slightly thick.
    4. Add the jaggery syrup to the cooked rice and dal and stir on low heat for 5 minutes until combined and thick.
    5. Add 2 tbsp ghee, cardamom, camphor and nutmeg and stir.
    6. Fry the cashews and raisins in the remaining ghee until golden and plump, and pour over the pongal.

    Tips

    • Use a very tiny pinch of edible camphor; too much is overpowering.
    • The pongal thickens on cooling; add warm milk to loosen.
    • Dark jaggery gives a deeper colour and flavour.

    Serve with

    Served warm on its own or alongside ven pongal and vada.

  • Bebinca

    Bebinca is the most celebrated Goan dessert, made for Christmas, Easter, weddings and other feasts. Legend says it was created by a nun in Old Goa who wanted to make a dessert with seven layers, representing the seven hills of Lisbon and Old Goa. Traditional bebinca has many more, often sixteen layers, built up one at a time.

    Each layer is a thin pour of a batter of coconut milk, egg yolks, sugar and a little flour, flavoured with nutmeg and cardamom. It is cooked under a top heat until golden, then brushed with ghee before the next layer is added. The result is a dense, rich, caramelised cake with distinct brown and pale stripes.

    Bebinca is served in thin slices, sometimes warm with vanilla ice cream. It keeps well for a week, making it a good dessert to prepare ahead for a feast. Goan households often take pride in their own bebinca, and many families still bake it in a clay oven with coconut husk embers on top, as their grandmothers did.

    At a glance

    RegionGoa
    CuisineGoan
    DietEggetarian
    CourseDessert
    Prep time30 minutes
    Cook time120 minutes
    Total time150 minutes
    Serves10
    Spice levelMild
    DifficultyHard
    Gluten-freeNo
    Key ingredientscoconut milk / egg yolks / sugar / ghee

    Ingredients

    • 10 egg yolks
    • 2 cups (400 ml) thick coconut milk
    • 1 1/4 cups (250 g) sugar
    • 1 cup (125 g) maida
    • 1/2 tsp grated nutmeg
    • 1/2 tsp cardamom powder
    • A pinch of salt
    • 1/2 cup (100 g) ghee, melted, plus more for greasing

    Method

    1. Stir the sugar into the coconut milk until it dissolves completely, warming gently if needed. Cool.
    2. Whisk the egg yolks until smooth and pale. Add the coconut milk gradually, whisking.
    3. Sift in the maida with nutmeg, cardamom and salt, whisking until there are no lumps. Strain the batter.
    4. Preheat the oven grill to high (around 220 C) with the rack in the upper third. Grease a 7-inch round tin with ghee.
    5. Pour 1 tbsp melted ghee into the tin and heat under the grill for 2 minutes. Pour in about 1/2 cup batter to form a thin layer. Grill for 8-10 minutes until the top is set and golden brown.
    6. Remove, brush with 1 tsp ghee, pour in another 1/2 cup batter and grill again until golden. Repeat until all the batter is used, about 12-14 layers.
    7. After the final layer, bake for 5 more minutes. Cool completely in the tin, then invert onto a plate and slice thinly.

    Tips

    • Patience is key; each layer must be golden before adding the next.
    • Use thick, fresh coconut milk for the richest flavour.
    • Rotate the tin halfway through each layer for even browning.

    Serve with

    Thin slices on their own or warm with vanilla ice cream.

  • Ukadiche Modak

    Ukadiche modak are the steamed sweet dumplings offered to Lord Ganesha, said to be his favourite food. During Ganesh Chaturthi, Maharashtrian and Konkani homes make them by the dozen, traditionally twenty-one as the first offering. The name comes from ukad, the cooked rice flour dough that forms the delicate shell.

    Inside is saran, a filling of freshly grated coconut cooked with jaggery, cardamom, nutmeg and sometimes poppy seeds, until sticky and fragrant. The shell is thin, soft and slightly translucent after steaming, pleated into a peak that looks like a closed lotus bud. A spoon of ghee is poured over each modak before eating.

    Shaping takes practice, but moulds are widely available for beginners. Modak are best eaten warm on the day they are made, as the rice shell firms up when it cools. Steaming them on turmeric or banana leaves adds a gentle aroma. Fried modak, made with a wheat flour shell, are a popular alternative in some homes.

    At a glance

    RegionMaharashtra
    CuisineMaharashtrian
    DietVegetarian
    CourseDessert
    Prep time45 minutes
    Cook time30 minutes
    Total time75 minutes
    Serves6
    Spice levelMild
    DifficultyHard
    Gluten-freeYes
    Key ingredientsrice flour / fresh coconut / jaggery / ghee

    Ingredients

    For the filling (saran)

    • 2 cups freshly grated coconut
    • 1 cup (180 g) grated jaggery
    • 1 tsp ghee
    • 1/2 tsp cardamom powder
    • A pinch of grated nutmeg
    • 1 tsp poppy seeds, lightly roasted (optional)

    For the dough (ukad)

    • 1 cup fine rice flour (preferably ambemohar or basmati)
    • 1 cup water
    • 1/4 tsp salt
    • 1 tsp ghee
    • Turmeric or banana leaves for steaming (optional)
    • Ghee to serve

    Method

    1. Heat ghee in a heavy pan on medium-low, add coconut and jaggery and stir. The jaggery will melt and the mixture will turn wet.
    2. Cook for 8-10 minutes, stirring often, until the moisture evaporates and the filling looks glossy and comes together. Add cardamom, nutmeg and poppy seeds. Cool.
    3. Bring the water, salt and ghee to a rolling boil in a pan. Lower the heat and add the rice flour all at once, stirring quickly to combine.
    4. Cover and leave on the lowest heat for 2 minutes, then turn off and keep covered for 5 minutes to steam.
    5. Transfer to a plate and, while still hot, knead with a bowl of cold water beside you for dipping your hands. Knead for 4-5 minutes until perfectly smooth and soft. Keep covered with a damp cloth.
    6. Take a lime-sized ball, oil your fingers and press it into a thin cup about 3 inches across, keeping the centre slightly thicker. Pinch the edge into 9-11 small pleats.
    7. Place a spoonful of filling inside, gather the pleats together and press them to a point at the top. Place each finished modak on a damp cloth.
    8. Line a steamer plate with leaves or a damp cloth, arrange the modak, and steam on medium-high for 12-15 minutes until the shells turn slightly glossy and translucent. Serve warm with ghee.

    Tips

    • Knead the dough while it is hot; cold dough cracks when shaped.
    • Use fresh coconut, not desiccated; the moisture keeps the filling soft.
    • Dip modak briefly in cold water before steaming to prevent cracking.

    Serve with

    A spoon of warm ghee poured over each modak.

  • Puran Poli

    Puran poli is the festive sweet bread of Maharashtra, made for Holi, Gudi Padwa, Ganesh Chaturthi and Pola, the bullock festival. Chana dal is cooked with jaggery until it becomes a thick, fragrant paste called puran, which is wrapped in a very soft dough and rolled thin. Karnataka has obbattu, Gujarat has vedmi, but the Maharashtrian poli is known for being paper-thin.

    The dough is made very soft and pliable with plenty of oil, often with maida mixed into wheat flour so it stretches without tearing. Inside, the puran is sweet, smooth and perfumed with cardamom and nutmeg. Each poli is roasted dry on a tawa until speckled and then brushed with ghee.

    It is eaten warm with a generous pour of ghee or with a cup of milk. The dal water is never thrown away: it becomes katachi amti, a thin, spiced dal served alongside. Making puran poli is a family effort and a skill passed down through generations. Leftover polis are often eaten the next morning.

    At a glance

    RegionMaharashtra
    CuisineMaharashtrian
    DietVegetarian
    CourseDessert
    Prep time40 minutes
    Cook time60 minutes
    Total time100 minutes
    Serves6
    Spice levelMild
    DifficultyHard
    Gluten-freeNo
    Key ingredientschana dal / jaggery / wheat flour / ghee

    Ingredients

    For the puran

    • 1 cup (200 g) chana dal, soaked 2 hours
    • 3 cups water
    • 1 cup (200 g) grated jaggery
    • 2 tbsp sugar
    • 1/2 tsp cardamom powder
    • 1/4 tsp grated nutmeg
    • 1 tsp ghee

    For the dough

    • 1 cup (120 g) fine whole wheat flour
    • 1/2 cup (60 g) maida
    • 1/4 tsp turmeric
    • A pinch of salt
    • 1/4 cup oil
    • Water as needed

    For rolling and roasting

    • Rice flour for dusting
    • Ghee to serve

    Method

    1. Make the dough: mix flours, turmeric and salt, add water gradually and knead to a very soft, sticky dough. Pour 2 tbsp oil over it and knead for 5 minutes until it absorbs. Add the rest of the oil, cover and rest for at least 1 hour.
    2. Pressure cook the soaked chana dal with 3 cups water for 3-4 whistles until it mashes easily between your fingers but is not mushy.
    3. Drain the dal in a colander for 10 minutes, saving the water for katachi amti.
    4. Put the dal and jaggery in a heavy pan on medium heat. The jaggery will melt and make it loose. Stir continuously for 15-20 minutes until it thickens; it is ready when a spoon stands upright in the centre.
    5. Add sugar, cardamom, nutmeg and ghee. While still hot, pass the mixture through a puran yantra or mash smooth with a masher. Cool completely, then divide into 12 balls.
    6. Oil your hands, take a lemon-sized piece of dough, flatten it into a cup and place a puran ball (about twice the dough's size) inside. Bring the edges up, seal and pinch off excess dough.
    7. Dust generously with rice flour and roll gently, without pressing hard, into a thin 8-inch circle. Rotate often and dust again if it sticks.
    8. Roast on a medium-hot tawa for about 1 minute until light brown spots appear underneath, flip and roast the other side. Do not add ghee while roasting. Brush with ghee and serve warm.

    Tips

    • If the puran is not cooked thick enough, it will ooze out while rolling. Do the spoon test before turning off the heat.
    • A very soft, well-oiled dough is the key to thin polis; rest it for at least an hour.
    • Polis keep for 2-3 days and can be warmed on a tawa.

    Serve with

    A spoon of ghee, warm milk, or katachi amti on the side.

  • Shrikhand

    Shrikhand is the strained-yogurt dessert of Maharashtra and Gujarat, made by hanging curd until it becomes chakka, a dense, cream-cheese-like mass, then beating it with sugar and flavourings. It is the centrepiece of Gudi Padwa lunches in Maharashtra and appears at weddings and festivals across both states. Amrakhand, with mango pulp, is the summer variation.

    The texture is smooth, thick and spoonable, cool on the tongue and gently tangy beneath the sweetness. Saffron gives a pale gold colour, cardamom and a little nutmeg add warmth, and chopped pistachios or charoli bring crunch. Good shrikhand is never grainy; passing it through a sieve after sweetening is what gives that silky finish.

    Shrikhand-puri is the classic pairing, with the hot, puffed puris used to scoop up the cold dessert. It is also served as a side in the festive thali next to batata bhaji and masale bhaat. Made at home it keeps well chilled for four days. Elaichi, kesar and mango versions are also sold in tubs across Maharashtra.

    At a glance

    RegionMaharashtra
    CuisineMaharashtrian
    DietVegetarian
    CourseDessert
    Prep time20 minutes
    Cook time0 minutes
    Total time20 minutes
    Serves4
    Spice levelMild
    DifficultyEasy
    Gluten-freeYes
    Key ingredientscurd / sugar / saffron / cardamom

    Ingredients

    • 1 kg fresh full-fat curd (yields about 450 g chakka)
    • 3/4 to 1 cup powdered sugar, to taste
    • A generous pinch of saffron soaked in 2 tbsp warm milk
    • 1/2 tsp cardamom powder
    • A small pinch of grated nutmeg
    • 1 tbsp chopped pistachios
    • 1 tbsp charoli (chironji) or sliced almonds

    Method

    1. Line a large sieve with a clean muslin cloth and set it over a bowl. Pour in the curd, gather the corners and tie into a bundle.
    2. Hang the bundle from a tap or place the sieve with a weight on top in the refrigerator for 8-10 hours, or overnight, until the curd is thick and no longer drips. It should hold its shape like soft paneer.
    3. Scrape the chakka into a bowl. Add the powdered sugar and mix with a spatula until the sugar dissolves completely; the mixture will loosen at first.
    4. Push the mixture through a fine sieve or a puran yantra with the back of a spoon. This step removes any lumps and makes it silky.
    5. Stir in the saffron milk, cardamom and nutmeg. Taste and add a little more sugar if needed.
    6. Fold in half the nuts, transfer to a serving bowl and top with the remaining nuts. Chill for at least 2 hours before serving.

    Tips

    • Hang the curd in the fridge, not on the counter, or it will turn too sour in warm weather.
    • Use powdered sugar rather than granulated so it dissolves without leaving grains.
    • Keep the drained whey; it is excellent for kneading chapati dough or in kadhi.

    Serve with

    Hot puris and batata bhaji, as part of a Gudi Padwa thali.

  • Ghevar

    Ghevar is the monsoon sweet of Rajasthan, made in the weeks around Teej and Raksha Bandhan and rarely seen the rest of the year. Halwais in Jaipur and Ajmer pour a thin ghee-and-flour batter in streams into a deep ring mould set in hot ghee, building up a lacy, porous disc. Brides traditionally receive ghevar from their parents during Sawan, which keeps the sweet tied to the season.

    The plain disc is crisp, airy and nearly flavourless, a sponge for what comes next. Dipped in sugar syrup it becomes sweet and crunchy; topped with thickened rabri it turns rich and soft at the centre while keeping crunch at the edges. Malai ghevar, the most popular version, carries a thick layer of rabri, saffron and slivered nuts.

    Making it at home is about technique rather than fancy equipment. A small heavy pan, a steel ring or a narrow tall vessel, ice-cold batter and very hot ghee are enough. The first disc is usually a practice run, so make extra batter. Sweet shops sell it by the kilo in August, and a plain disc bought from them can be finished at home with fresh rabri.

    At a glance

    RegionRajasthan
    CuisineRajasthani
    DietVegetarian
    CourseDessert
    Prep time20 minutes
    Cook time45 minutes
    Total time65 minutes
    Serves4
    Spice levelMild
    DifficultyHard
    Gluten-freeNo
    Key ingredientsmaida / ghee / sugar / milk

    Ingredients

    For the batter

    • 1/4 cup (50 g) ghee, solid but soft
    • 4-5 ice cubes
    • 1 cup (125 g) maida
    • 1/4 cup cold milk
    • About 1 1/2 cups ice-cold water
    • 1 tsp lemon juice

    For the syrup

    • 1 cup sugar
    • 1/2 cup water
    • 4 green cardamoms, crushed

    For the topping

    • 1 litre full-fat milk, reduced to rabri with 3 tbsp sugar
    • A pinch of saffron soaked in 1 tbsp warm milk
    • 2 tbsp slivered almonds and pistachios

    To fry

    • About 500 g ghee

    Method

    1. Put the ghee and ice cubes in a bowl and rub together with your palm for 4-5 minutes until the ghee turns white and creamy. Remove any remaining ice.
    2. Add the maida in two parts with the cold milk, whisking until smooth. Gradually whisk in ice-cold water until the batter is very thin, like buttermilk. Add the lemon juice. Keep the bowl over ice.
    3. Make the syrup: boil sugar, water and cardamom for 6-7 minutes to a one-string consistency. Keep warm.
    4. Heat ghee in a deep, narrow pan or in a pan holding a 6-inch steel ring until it is very hot, filling it to about 3 inches deep. A drop of batter should sizzle hard and rise instantly.
    5. Pour 2 tbsp batter in a thin stream from a height of about a foot into the centre. It will froth violently. Wait until the froth settles, about 15-20 seconds, then pour the next stream into the centre again.
    6. Repeat 6-8 times, always into the centre, so a hole forms in the middle and the disc builds up in lacy layers. Cook on medium-high for 2-3 more minutes, ladling hot ghee over the centre, until golden and firm.
    7. Lift out the disc with a skewer through the centre hole and drain upright for a few minutes. Make the remaining discs the same way.
    8. Just before serving, dip each ghevar in warm syrup for a few seconds or pour syrup over it. Spread rabri on top, drizzle saffron milk and scatter nuts.

    Tips

    • The batter must stay ice-cold and the ghee very hot; that temperature shock is what produces the honeycomb.
    • If the batter stops forming lace and just sinks, it has become thick. Whisk in a little more cold water.
    • Plain fried discs keep for a week in an airtight tin; add syrup and rabri only on the day.

    Serve with

    Served on its own, cut into wedges, ideally with chilled rabri on the side.