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Journalism of Courage
India’s biggest festival, Diwali — the festival of lights — is just around the corner. Much like Holi, which I feel cuts across regions, Diwali is celebrated across India for the pure joy it brings. Friends get together, families meet, and small pujas are held both on Choti Diwali and Diwali itself, conducted by individual families in their homes. There’s a certain personal touch to this festival, a warmth and bonhomie that makes it special. It’s also a festival of giving and sharing sweets. For a few days, even the most devout set aside divisions and open their homes and kitchens to anyone visiting to wish them well.
I want to step away from the usual descriptions of Diwali and share some of my favourite sweets — including unique ones that you might not easily find but are certainly worth tasting. Interestingly, I’ve seen many of these served at homes across India during Diwali and other festivals.
One of my favourites, always served as prasad during Durga Puja, Kali Puja, Saraswati Puja, and many other festivals, is Nokul Dana — tiny opaque sugar balls kept on the puja platter. Another is batasha, small disc-shaped sugar confections. They can also be made from jaggery and are perfect for keeping children engaged during long rituals, thanks to the sweet reward at the end.
The Rajasthani version of the Bengali malpoa is a treat worth trying. These flat, thick, round dumplings are flavoured with fennel seeds, soaked in syrup, and made from paneer, sugar, ground nutmeg, cornflour, saffron, ghee, almonds, and pistachios. Lighter in colour than the Bengali version, they are equally delicious.
In East Bengal, Shab-e-Barat — the night when destinies for the coming year are believed to be written — is marked with bread served alongside various halwas. These can be made from carrots, flour, arrowroot, ground chana dal, gourds, and even meat or eggs. Dimer halwa is particularly unique: eggs, sugar, evaporated milk, ghee, cardamom, cinnamon, and saffron are whisked together and cooked slowly until granular, then mixed with dried fruits.
For barfi lovers, there’s an egg-based version documented in The Life and Food in Bengal by Chitrita Banerji. Here, egg whites are whipped stiff and combined with yolks, sugar, and ghee, then flavoured with saffron, rosewater, or both. The mixture is cooked until sticky, poured into a tray, cooled, and cut into diamond-shaped pieces.
If ladoos are what you crave, try Parsi favourites like khaman na ladoo (cornflour dumplings stuffed with sweetened coconut, almonds, and raisins), kopra pak (coconut fudge), varadh vara (semolina cakes), and audh (a coconut-milk sweet). Parsi Sev — a sweet version of Muslim sevaiyan — is made by sautéing vermicelli in butter, then simmering in sweetened milk with rosewater, dry fruits, nutmeg, and cardamom until the vermicelli absorbs the milk.
Crossing religious lines, the Bohri malai na khaja is a layered, deep-fried pastry soaked in sugar syrup, reminiscent of baklava with possible Iranian roots. Malido, similar to dimer halwa, is made from grains, nuts, dried fruits, and eggs, cooked slowly to a fudge-like consistency.
My personal favourite is the Parsi-style baked custard. Unlike the classic British version, it includes rosewater, cardamom, nutmeg, and flaked almonds — a Caramel Custard that honours both its heritage and its home in India.
From modaks and pedas during Ganesh Chaturthi to Rajasthan’s Doodhiya Kheench, a sweetened wheat porridge made during winter and Akshaya Tritiya; or Dilkhusar/Mohanthal, a gram-flour, khoya, and nut sweet cut into squares — India’s regional sweets are as diverse as they are delicious.
This Diwali, while opening your homes to friends and family, open your palates to the many unique sweets India has to offer.
Next week, to balance out all the sugar, I’ll be writing about my favourite namkeen and savoury snacks from across India — from mathri to murukku to namak para and more.
