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| Kaju Katli and Kesar Pedha |
Most people can't undetstand how a foodie like me doesn't like desserts. Whilst I dont have an obvious sweet tooth the only dessert I enjoy in the Mithai
Mithai
comes from the word Meetha which means sweet. Mithais form most of Indias
desserts and are bite sized sweetmeats which are available in shops and in
homes around the nation.Depending on the geographical condition of the land
each state has its own special mithai which is made in its own unique
way.Having said that it is important to know that there are a few generic
mithais which are available universally through out India and whose origins it
is hard to find. Ladoos which are round sweet balls made of different flours
sugar and ghee, Jalebis which are thin deep fried cobweb shaped sweets as well
as barfis which are a mixture of mava, sugar and some nuts cut in squares with
a silver sheet decorating it.Though every region has its own mithai some cities
in India are especially famous for some mithais which literally are responsible
for putting those cities on the Culinary map of India- such as Agra’s Petha or
Mathura’s Padhas or Nagpur’s Orange Halwa.
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| JALEBIS |
Sweetmeats
in India
are an unusual dichotomy of decadence and minimalism. Indian cuisine bombards
the senses with its use of spices and condiments but at the same time Indian
desserts are simple in the sense that they have a flavor is uncomplicated and
effective.Different spices like nutmeg,mace,cardamom and cinnamon are used with
nuts and dried fruits to create a symphony of sweetness and sensuality.A
curdled Mixture of milk called chenna is used as well as a reduced milk product
called Khoya or Mava. Besan or gramflour and Maida or supersifted white flour
are all the key ingredients to make mithais along with a key rule- ghee
(clarified butter) and not oil must be used. No self respecting Halwai (A
mithai shop seller) would even thing of frying their sweets in oil and it is
almost blasphemous to even think of doing so as it corrupts the flavour of the
sweet. Some Sweetmeats use only sugar and some form of mlk so that they may be
eaten in fasts and different mithais are served on different occasions. One
interesting thing to note is that since mithais are used in several Hindi
rituals and special festivities,all mithais are purely vegetarian and don’t
contain even a drop of egg unlike the west whose desserts are heavily dependant
on it..
If
one wants to start the journey to disover the mthais of India then everyone knows that the Holy Grail of
Mithais is the state that has not only made mithais a national obsession but
also an art form - West Bengal. Mishty does
not just mean sweet to the Bengalis but it also translates into all aspects of
their beings. It stands for their natures, their lyrical language and also
their favourite part of the meal-dessert naturally. They are the kings of
Mithai with a dazzling array of Mithais that are enjoyed by all of India. Their
mouth watering Sandeshs made with Chenna and sugar or jaggery are light
and delicate appeasing the particular Bengali Pallate. There are various types
of Sandesh, each with a different flavour and even texture but they all are
subtle and elegant.nAnother Bengali marvel is Mishty Doi. It’s essentially Yoghurt sweetened traditionally with
jaggery but now with sugar. It’s set in earthen pots and even though as a dish
is simple it is almost impossible to master. Lesser known more traditional
sweets like Kheer Kodom (sweet kheer filling in a round mava
ball)
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| BENGALI TRADITIONAL MITHAI |
and Kheer Samosas (sweet kheer filling in a samosa pastry) are only
just finding their way to other areas of India.To break away from these time-honored
sweets a Bengali named Nobin Chandra invented Rasgullas which are boiled spongy Chenna balls in sugar syrup. His
son KC Das furthered his fathers business and gave the rasgulla a new
avatar-the Rasmalai by adding the
rasgulla balls to sweetened and spiced milk. Bengalis also have several sweets
known as Cham Chams. These are
various types of sweetmeats with dry boiled Chenna pieces sandwhiched together
with sweetened cream. They often have silver leaves on top of them, chopped
pistachios or even flvoured cream. They are also known as Malai Sandwhiches. There are also the deep colored Gulab jamuns which are often thought to
be Punjabi inventions because of its immense popularity in Punjabi restaurants.
Elongated Gulab Jamuns are called Langhcha.
In fact Rasgullas, Gulab jamuns and Rasmalis are more popular in North India
and the Metros of India then West Bengal who
to some extent are more partial to their traditional desserts…
Other
States from Northeast India like, Jharkand and Assam
are influenced by their Mithaisavvy neighbors West Bengal
but have a variety of their own sweet surprises. They have taken the Gulab
Jamun and reinvented it as the Kala Jamun
and Pantua. Kala Jamun is a dryer
sweetmeat with a darker outer texture and a more intense flavour and Pantua is
a sweeter gulab jamun that is four times its regular size. Chamchams are
popular here too though they are less elaborate then their Calcutta cousins. Jharkand is also famous for
its Chenna Jalebi which regular
jalebi with a soft creamy filling of Chenna. Orrisa is known for its Chenna Payas which are cubes of chenna
dipped in malai cream with chopped nuts. Since this belt is a rice eating one its only fitting that their
desserts use rice as a central ingredient. Thus an interesting variety of
mithais hailing from the Northeast are called Pitha. These are mithais that use rice flour with sugar and ghee
with a host of other ingredients with different cooking methods to give us
different Pithas. Arsa Pitha is Jaggery and Rice flour fried in ghee whereas
Ashka Pitha are the same ingredients steamed. Tilkoot Pitha and Anarsa Pitha
are the same as Arsa Pithas but with the addition of sesame seeds in the former
and sesame seeds and khoya in the latter. As one goes further into these
regions normal jaggery is replaced with Khajoor
Gud. Khajoor Gud which loosely
translates as Date Jaggery is a deeper, richer jaggery with a strong intense
flavor and a a resonance that cant be imitated by jaggery from any other
region.
If
one moves further West to Bihar one has a bevy
of Mithais which are rather rugged and basic. There is Khaja which 5-6 layers of white flour deep fried and dipped in
sugar. There is the Balushahi which
is like the Indian egg less donut made from maida and khoya deepfried golden
brown and sticky with sugar syrup. There is Gaja
which is just simple cottage cheese and sugar and there is the Thekva or Khajoor which is like a fried
cookie. All these mithais are simple in their thought and execution and along
with more popular mithais are served in all religious and festive occasions.
One very unusual delicacy from this region is the Parval Chop. This is the unusual combination of dessert and
vegetable. A baby gourd is taken and boiled. The insides are scooped out and
filled with sugar and khoya. This is a popular dish served at weddings. Uttar
Pradesh is more elaborate with its Mithai and due to its strong dairy culture
has lots of milk based Mithais. The Pedhas
from Mathura are renowned all over India. Bal mithai which a dark jaggery based
mithai covered with sugar balls like one gets in homeopathy. This most unusual
confectionary is available only in the hills of Nainital and it provides its
natives with heat. Lucknow
is famous for its Shahi tukda which
is fried bread soaked in reduced milk with nuts and spices. Gujjiyas which are mostly served in Holi
here are also made in Bihar as Pedakiya. These are ornately pleated
fried round pastry shells with stuffing’s of coconut, semolina and sugar or
khoya and nuts.
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| MALAI PEDHAS AND MOTICHOOR LADOOS |
Punjab which is a state known for its robust and boisterous people has its
desserts which are similar to its nature. The desserts are hearty and rich much
like all their food . They have invented several halwas which are essentially a
flour or grated vegetable sauted with ghee, sugar and reduced milk. Suji Halwa is a made from Semolina and
liberally garnished with raisons and almonds. It is served after all Hindu Pujas and in the Sikh
Gurudwaras as Kada Prashad. Gajar ka Halwa
or Carrot Halwa is almost an international favourite as the Punjabis have taken
it with them to London and Canada and
everywhere else they have migrated. Dudhi
ka Halwa or Bottlegourd Halwa is perhaps the most enjoyable way to eat the
vegetable and no one can tell that the dish contains a pumpkinlike vegetable. Kulfi or the Indian Icecream is served
with piping hot Gulab Jamuns at weddings and Moti choor Ladoos ( ladoos made from miniscule sweet besan balls called Boondi) are key players in any Punjabi Wedding. Punjabis are
obsessed with milk and milk products and therefore its no surprise that a major
portion of their sweets contain khoya. Delhi
which is the capital of the country is also the capital of Halwais serving
Khoya mithais and every shape color and flavor is available. Punjab
also is influenced by Muslim cusines and has adopted the Malpua (a flat maida puri dipped in sugar syrup) for occasions like
Lodhi and Karvachauth.as well as the Firni
which is like a thick milk milk reduction is claypots with silver varak and
chopped pistachis as a garnish. A preparation called Kanjeeri is made for nursing mothers with a mixture of several
grains,ghee,sugar and flaxseed to induce lactation. Though Sindh is no longer a
part of India, Sindhis are
an integral part of India
society and share common culture with the Punjabis. They do however have a few
very unsual mithais like Singhar which is a combination of yellow salty sev and
mava and a mithai called Tocha Patisha which are half moon pastry filled with
nuts,dried fruits and mava is fried and dipped in sugar syrup and are served in
Holi to celebrate Spring time. They make a heavy pistachio halwa which eaten
with milk.Overall the North of the country has rich desserts keeping with their
hearty behavior and love for good taste.
The arid belts of Rajasthan and some parts of
Gujarat force the people of the land to innovate with the lack of dairy in
their mithai and therefore rely on Besan and pulses as their chief ingredient.
The climate is scorching and only Besan mithais keep here. Besan ladoos of
different varieties as well as Mithais like Soan
Papdi are very popular. Badam Pista
launj combines dry fruits and sugar for a durable and rich sweetmeat. The
more special the occasion the more ingredients like dry fruts and saffron are
used.In Gujarat Besan mithais called Golpapdi
or Sukhdi as it is known in
Saurashtra combines jaggery, ghee and besan/flour to form this hot warm sticky
mixture which cooled and cut into diamond shapes. There are several mithais
known as Paks which means cooked in Gujarati. Mithais like GundarPak which are made from the sap of Gum tree and BadamPak which is a barfi made with almonds
are not just available in shops but are also available n homes depending on the
season. Gundarpak is very beneficial to the bones and is also given to pregnant
women for nutritive purposes. There are several green patches in Gujarat and these patches have a lot of dairy. Gujarat thus also has a vast variety of milk based
mithais. Pendas Or Pedas are a
speciality here and this is a food that can be eaten on most fasts. Its served
at tea-time,in Pujas, special occasions as well a staple at weddings. Other
mithais like Basundi, Doodh pak are
milk reductions thickened with rice powder and cream are made more at home then
out.
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| MODAKS |
In
Maharasthra most mithais are centered around festivals so whether it is the
seseame Ladoo or Til Ladoo for Makar
Sakranti or Modaks for Ganesh Chathurthi
all the mithais have some cultural significance and meaning to them. Their Puranpolsi (sweet roti)and Shrikhand (sweet and flovured hung curd)
are eaten at weddings and they are famous for their Rava (Semolina) ladoos and
Coconut Pak (like its Gujarati counterpart) which are made and kept for special
occasions or for serving guests. South India
which is again a rice eating belt has a large coastal area and has a strong
influence of coconut in their mithais. Though most of their desserts like
Payasams and kheer are made at home by the women of the house mithai shops do
serve the conventional fare of ladoos, pedas,barfis and halwas. One interesting
hybrid is their jalebis which unlike the jalebis is the north that are
yellow,thin and crispy, are fat and red much like the Orange giant Parsi
Jalebis available in Mumbai and Gujarat. Elada
is a mithai made of sugar milk riceflour paste and coconut milk whereas Appam
is a brown mithai made of jaggery and grated coconut.
Though
majority of Mithai is thought to be from Hindu families that is not true. Bori
Muslims from Gujarat and Parsis from Gujarat
adapt Hindi mithais to have their own concoctions which stay well with in the
definition of Mithai. From Kashmir to
Kanyakumari mithais are delectable way to ends one meal. But the mighty mithai
is changing with tastes and needs of the people. Health freaks and diabetics
and have fat free and sugar free ranges of Mithai for them and western
ingredients are evolving (mutating?) the mithai into another being. One now sees
stores servng fruit jalebis,strawberry halwas, watermelon pedhas and chocolate
barfis and one marvels at its metamorphisis. However the throngs of people who
line up at the halwai shops prove the age old adage that old is gold and the
mithai will sta
Nachos ,American Corn Cheese Balls, Enchiladas,Onion rings, Nachos,Tacos,Pizza...did I mention Nachos....
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