Food lovers are not only main course fanatics but crazy droolers for desserts too. Yummy desserts attract all our love. The main course food does not authenticate its completion without sweet dishes being served after them. Our stomachs have been routined with starters then main course and the ultimate which is our favourite, dessert. Desserts are made of different things but if they are milk–based, we would drool uncontrollably.
1.Chaler Payesh
‘Chaler Payesh’ is a very famous preparation from the Bengali Kitchen. We all are in love with this sweet dish which is mostly prepared during auspicious events like marriages, birthdays, etc. It is a dessert made using milk, sugar/jaggery and rice. Milk is boiled for a long time till it attains a thick state, then rice is added with the suitable amount of sugar or jaggery and left to boil a little longer. Tastes best when served cold.
2.Chachi
‘Chachi’ is another recipe of the ‘mishti’ lovers, that is the Bengalis. Chachi is a sweet dish enjoyed as stuffings for ‘Pati Sapta’ or ‘Pitha’ or sometimes simply that. This is another sweet delicacy which involves milk and sugar only. The milk is first left to boil for a long time. When it becomes very thick, then sugar is added and stirred for some time and then left to boil until it forms lumps. Cool it and soothe your taste buds after heavy spicy main course.
3.Kalakand
This sweet dish traces its origin to Alawar in Rajasthan. Kalakand is basically of two variations like the Ajmeri Kalakand and the Alawari Kaland. The main ingredients used to make Kalakand are milk, paneer and sugar. This is made from solidified and sweetened milk and paneer. Few people also add dry fruits to it.
4.Dudh Puli
‘Pithe Puli’ is a famous preparation made especially during ‘Makar Sankranti’. These are some of the very traditional sweet dishes from Bengal. This ‘Doodh Puli’ uses a unique stuffing of coconut or date palm jaggery which is then boiled in thickened milk. The next day when it thickens even more and settles down, it becomes a paradise for the sweet fanatics.
5. Rasmalai
‘Odisha’ is the place that gifted our taste buds with the dessert named ‘Rasmalai’ or ‘Rossomalai’. This sweet dish just melts in the mouth. We all long for this dish. The basic ingredients needed are chenna/paneer, sugar syrup and milk. The paneer is first shaped then boiled in sugar syrup, the milk attains a creamy thick texture called ‘rabri’ then those shaped balls are dunked into the ‘rabri’.
6.Basundi
‘Basundi’ is a sweet dish of Gujarat, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu. This dish has got a different name in the north, called ‘rabri’. The main ingredients are milk, sugar, cardamom, saffron. It is made by boiling milk on a low flame then adding sugar and it is ready to be served, hot and warm or chilled.
7.Peda
Our so loved ‘Peda’ originated from the region of UP. This dessert is prepared using khoa (evaporated milk), sugar and traditional flavours like cardamom seeds, saffron, nuts and others. The condensed milk is mixed with ghee, milk powder, crushing cardamoms and then put inside the microwave till it becomes sticky, then shaped into balls by applying ghee or oil.
8.Rabri Falooda
‘Rabri Falooda’ originated from our capital city. It is an old Delhi street dessert. Rabri is made first from milk, meanwhile vermicelli is cooked with milk; rose syrup is added and left for cooling. To prepare it, finally, falooda is kept in the bottom of a glass, the rabri then is layered over it, scooped it with ice cream and garnished with almonds.
9. Sewai
‘Sewai’ is a traditional Eid dessert. Milk is left for boiling and cardamom seeds are fried in ghee. Then the mixture is poured in the milk. Dry fruits are then added to it, then the resins, vermicelli and at the end sugar and cardamom powder is mixed well and served hot.
10.Malpua
This dessert traces it birth to the regions of Rajasthan, Odisha, Bihar and UP. ‘Malpua’ has become one of the most loved desserts of all regions. The main ingredients in making malpua are plain flour or rice flour, coconut, sugar and milk adds the softness to it.
11.Barfi
Barfi is a famous sweet of India. It is made using milk, sugar and other ingredients. The milk is thickened with sugar and other dry fruits then cut in shapes. Barfis are also ornated using silver foils.
12.Bundiya Payesh
‘Bundiya Payesh’ is one of the easiest Bengali desserts. One just needs bundiya, milk, sugar cashews and pista to decorate it. The milk is boiled with sugar; bundiya is then mixed with it and finally decorated using cashews and pista.
13. Pista Kulfi
There are many variations in Kulfi. One of them is ‘Pista Kulfi’. ‘Pista Kulfi’ is a famous sweet dish of the Mughal Empire. It is the traditional Indian ice-cream. It takes very little time to get prepared. Cardamom and pista are added.
14.Coconut Kheer
‘Coconut Kheer’ is a dessert recipe that originated from the Indian subcontinent. The milk is left to boil for sometime, then grated coconut is fried and added to the boiling milk along with sugar and left to boil at low heat.
15.Phirni
‘Phirni’ is a lovely sweet dish which requires rice, milk, sugar, saffron, almonds and cardamom for its preparation.
16.Bhapa Sandesh
‘Bhapa Sandesh’ is also commonly known as steamed sandesh. The making of Bhapa sandesh requires paneer, cardamom powder, saffron, nuts to garnish and milk which should be condensed and sweetened.
17. Milk cake
The very famous and loved milk cake is easy to make at home. The milk is first boiled, then tartaric powder and lemon juice are added to it pinch by pinch till the milk curdles. Corn flour is added to it in sprinkles and then layered on transparent sheets.
18. Besan Ki Barfi
A sweet desert from the Marwari kitchen. The gram flour is sauteed in ghee then mixed with sugar. Add dry fruits too and leave it to settle down. Cut them into pieces and enjoy the dessert after the main course.
19.Suji ka Halwa
‘Suji ka Halwa’ is the most common halwa made in Indian homes. It is made using suji or semolina, cashew nuts, ghee, milk, sugar. This sweet dish is also made by adding saffron to it.
20. Malai Cham Cham
The name sounds funny but this sweet is awesome and one of the most loved sweets in Bengal. It is made using coconut, khoya, etc. It is made from milk which is stuffed with dry fruits and given an oval shape.
Desserts are our all time favourite. These sweet dishes are very easy preparations. Make them soon and enjoy. If you are diabetic don’t feel sad simply replace sugar or sugar syrup by artificial sweeteners available within your reach.
