Diwali is around the corner, time for celebrations. Unlike every year, this 2020 is unusually different. Keeping the festival spirit alive, let us celebrate with our family members. Here are the most popular sweets and savory snacks to relish in the festive season.
Besan Ladoo
Ladoo is round, sweet balls with dry fruits in it. They are tasty and can be kept for a couple of days. Besan ladoo is one of the relished sweets during Deepavali. Gram flour is roasted in ghee and mixed with sugar and nuts. These sweet balls stay good for fifteen days. They are delicious and make a good snack for the festive season.
Seven Cup Sweet
Celebrations are incomplete without these sweets. Burfi is a sweet fudge made with milk, sugar, khoya, and a few other ingredients. The seven-cup sweet is one variety of sweet, uses coconut and gram flour. It is an ideal sweet dish to store at home.
Kalakand
It is a delicious sweet from North India. It is made of solidified milk and sugar.
Kaju Katli
One of the cherished sweets, we love it to the core. It makes a good sweet for Diwali
Mysore Pak
The famous Mysore Pak from South India is tasty and melt-in-the-mouth. It is ideal for festive days.
Dates Burfi
The classic sweet can be easily recreated at home using varied nuts and dates. It makes a perfect treat for festive days as it is liked by one and all.
Halwa:
Halwa is a delectable sweet that is usually made using fruit, vegetable, or nuts. Carrot halwa is delectable and ideal to serve for festive days. One can make it ahead also. Carrot is grated and cooked along with milk, sugar, and nuts. It makes a great festive treat. Ash gourd halwa, carrot halwa, pumpkin halwa, badam halwa are some of the different kinds that one can make.
If you are confused about which one to make, try the Kashi halwa. It is made using ash gourd and tastes exotic.
Gulab Jamun:
Gulab Jamun is a popular Indian mithai that needs no introduction. Round, softballs are made, deep-fried, and dunked in scented sugar syrup. Make it ahead for the children this festive season.
Gujiya / Karchikayi
Round, crescent-shaped discs are filled with a sweet filling and deep-fried, they make good festive treats. Gujiya and Karchikayi are different sweets prepared in India. Gujiya has a filling of mava and is popular in North India. Karchikayi has a filling of desiccated coconut and sugar and is usually made in South India.
Balushahi:
If you are planning something different, make Balushahi. Round, flattened disc-like are coated in sugar syrup, they are traditional sweets which we love to indulge on festive days.
Chakli / Murukku
Chakli / Murukku is one of the essentials during Diwali. Though they look similar, the ingredients that go into them make them different. They are savory snacks ideal to store any time of the year. Usually, rice flour and urad flour is used but different variations are made. I like the instant versions which are handy and easy to make.
Earlier, making chakli involved a weeklong process. The rice was washed and dried in shade. It was roasted along with lentils and pound in a machine. This flour was then used in making chakli. Those chaklis were crispy and tastier. But, with time, as people are busy with various errands, the instant version is more popular.
Bombay Mixture
A mixture of different kinds of fried snacks along with nuts, groundnut makes a tasty snack to serve anytime. Sev is a savory snack made using gram flour. Different variety of sev, in different kinds of sizes, is made. It is the main ingredient used in the Bombay mixture.
Poha Chiwda
Flattened rice flakes are commonly used to make a savory snack in South India. A thin variety of poha is seasoned with curry leaves, peanuts, roasted gram, roasted until it is crisp on a low flame. It tastes good and is ideal to store in the jar. It makes a good evening snack with a cup of hot tea. Make it ahead and store it in airtight containers.
Nippattu
Nippattu is savoury rice crackers from South India. They are crispy and tasty, ideal to store in big jars. Rice flour is mixed with spices, roasted peanuts, sesame, and curry leaves. Small balls are shaped into round discs and deep-fried. They can be stored for a fortnight.
Kodbole
Kodbole is another savory snack ideal for the festive season. Shaped like a ring it is crispy and loved by children. I remember this was the snack I cherished the most during my childhood days. Different versions of kodbole can be made.
Which sweet would you like to make for Deepawali? Do let me know in the comments section. Wishing one and all a joyous celebration. May the festive season bring immense joy and happiness to all.
