1. Gulab Jamun:
This fried dumpling made with khoya is one of the favorites of adults and childrens alike. The soft texture just melts in the mouth and the flavor of the khoya at the center comes as a sweet surprise. This soggy ball in sugar syrup is an absolute delight and must have during the Diwali festival. It is one of the sweets that are easy to prepare and is often made at home.
2. Kaju Barfi:
This mouth watering sweet is made from Cashews, rich in taste and are expensive compared to other sweets. These Barfis are made using cashew nut powder along with sugar, powdered cardamoms, milk powder and milk. It is famous for the diamond shape it is cut in and pretty much the entire country adheres to this shape.
3. Rasgullas:
This is an all time favorite of so many. It is a Bengali milk sweet that is predominantly gifted and loved by many. The Rasgullas are made using strained solids from curdled milk. The texture and taste of these squeaky balls are different and gives them an advantage over the others. These soft and flavorful balls are soaked in different flavored syrups like rose, mango and saffron or served with plain sugary syrup.
4. Ras Mallai:
This is one of India s famous sweet dessert. The name of the sweet is derived from two words which mean Juice and Cream . As the name suggests, it is a milk sweet and closely follows Rasgulla s preparation. Paneer or solids from curdled milk are used here along with refined flour, sugar and milk. Here a creamy, sweet gravy is the base for the Paneer balls.
5. Carrot Halwa:
This is a simple yet delicious sweet that can be made easily at home. Grated carrots are cooked in milk along with ghee and sugar, and is garnished with almonds and cashews. This is an immensely loved pudding kind of sweet and the simplicity of the ingredients and the process of preparing it makes it a dish appropriate for any celebrations.
6. Mysore Pak:
This is a popular sweet that originated from Karnataka. This was served to the royalties in the Mysore palace and hence got its name. It could also have possible arose from the word Masoor as masoor dal is the key ingredient. This sweet just melts in the mouth if made the right way. Sugar, ghee and gram flour are used along with the key ingredient to make it soft and taste incredible.
7. Ladoos:
Ladoos are prevalent in most of the states in India. There are so many varieties like rawa, besan, boondhi, coconut, aata, urad, dry fruits and flattened rice. They are easy to make at home and can be made uncomplicated or elaborately using dry fruits and nuts.
8. Adhirasam:
This sweet is unique to the south and is famous in Tamilnadu. It is one of the traditional sweets that are made using rice flour, jaggery and crushed cardamoms. This sweets is always made during the Diwali festival as a custom and is offered to deities.
9. Holigge or Obattu:
This sweet has its origin from Andhra, Karnataka and Maharashtra as well. It is a sweet roti with sweet filling made of coconut, til, sugar, toor dal, split channa dal are stuffed in between. This dish can be prepared at home and needs certain amount of practice and getting the right consistency of the roti dough to turn out well.
10. Gujia, Karanji, Ghughra, Kajjikayi or Somasu:
This sweet has many origins and is known differently in different states. It is a traditional sweet which is made using flour and khoya. Flours like Maida and Aata can be used here and a filling made of khoya is kept inside it. The dough is rolled out in to circular shapes and the khoya is placed a bit of to the center. The roti is then closed in half, sealed and fried in oil or ghee.
