Indian Sweet Recipes

This lense is only a sample of the thousands of sweet recipes that originate in India. We present here some of the most famous Indian Sweet Recipes. Making these is our delight and if you try you and everyone who tastes a bite will be delighted too.

Indian sweets are generally made from milk products, fresh fruit, whole grains, chick-pea flour and nuts - does this sound like a healthy treat or what?

Traditionally this sweets are prepared in this way since thousands of years in temples around India and daily offered to Lord Krishna.

Indian Cheese Dessert

Ingredients: 1 1/4 lb (550g) paneer

3/4 cup (150g) sugar

1.Curdle milk and collect the paneer. How to make paneer you can find in this lense

2. Rinse the paneer under cold water and squeeze out the excess water by thightening the cheesecloth several times.

Let the paneer hang for anout 1 hour, or put it under a weight for about 20 minutes.

3. When it is fairly dry, put the paneer on a clean working surface and knead it until it is free of lumps and you have a soft dough free of lumps.

The softer the dough, the better the sandesh will be.

4. Divide the dough in half. Take one half and knead in the sugar

Indian Ice Cream

You need:

2 lbs rice flour

10 cups (2.3 l) whole milk

2/3 cup (125g) sugar

4 tbs geound pistachio nuts

1 tbs rosewater

1/2 tsp ground cardamom

How-to:

1. Mix the rice flour and 4 tbs of the milk to make a smooth batter, set aside.

2. Boil the rest of the milk and cook it down for about 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.

3. Stir in the rice flour mixture along with the ground pistachio nuts into the milk. Then remove from heat.

4. Flavor with rosewater and ground cardamom.

5. Cool it to room temperature, then pour into forms and put into the freezer.

6. Every 30 minutes, stir the kulfi to break up the cristals that form. When it becomes too thick to stir, leave it to freeze solid.

Shortcut:

Combine 6 cups (1.4 l) of well-chilled liquid cream, 1 cup (200g) of sugar, and a flavor of your choice into a blender. Blend just for a few seconds and pour into forms to freeze. Then put into freezer.

Toasted Chick-pea-flour Confections

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cups butter

4 cups chickpea flour

2 tbs grated coconut

2 tbs walnuts or hazelnuts, chopped coarse

1 tsp cinnamon

2 cups powdered sugar

1. In a thick bottomed pan, melt the butter over low heat.

2. Mix in the chickpea-flour and toast it for about 15 minutes until it gives a nutty aroma. Stir often with a wooden spoon so it does not get burned.

3.Stir in the nuts and cinnamon and stir-fry for 2 more minutes.

4. Take off the pan and add the powdered sugar. Mix well.

5. Let it cool for a few minutes.

6. Moisten your hands and form into 12 balls

Nityananda Rama dasa shows how to make a quick and easy banana halva. You can also find the recipe on Indian Vegetarian Recipes

Ingredients:

2 lb carrots

3/4 cup butter

2 cups milk

1 1/2 cup sugar

3 tbs slivered almonds

3 tbs raisins

1/2 tsp ground cardamom

1. Wash the carrots, scrape them and shred them very fine and as long as possible.

2. Melt the butter in a saucepan and put the grated carrots in it.

3. Cook them uncovered over medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring often

4. Add the milk, sugar, almonds and raisins

5. Cook 25 minutes more, or until the halava thickens and forms a single mass

6. Let it cool and shape it into a round cake, garnish with the cardamom.

7. Refrigerate for 30 minutes and serve.

Chick-pea-flour and dried fruit balls

Ingredients:

2 1/4 cups water

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/2 tsp fresh grated nutmeg

1/4 tsp ground cloves

2/3 cup raisins

1 cup chopped dried figs

1 cup dried dates, cut in half

1 1/2 cups chick-pea flour

11 tbs water

ghee for deep-frying

1 cup chopped nuts (hazelnuts or almonds)

1 cup grated coconut

1. Boil together the water, sugar, spices, and the dried fruit until the dates soften and the mixture resembles a thick sauce. Let it simmer.

2.Now make bundis (chick-pea flour pearls) by mixing the flour and the water to a thick paste.

3. Heat the ghee over medium heat and hold a spoon or colander with large holes over the pan.

4. With a spoon, push enough batter through the holes to cover the surface of the ghee with droplets. Let them cook for about 4 minutes, until they are golden-brown.

5. As each batch gets done, remove it from the ghee and let it drain for a moment.

6. Combine the syrup, chopped nuts and coconut with the bundis and mix.

7. Moisten your hands and form 16 compact balls.

8. Place them on a plate to harden.

Thanks to His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, who popularized the art of Indian Vegetarian cooking in the West.

This cook book was written by our friend Adiraja prabhu. He helped to feed 35,000 homeless people in France by donating royalties from his cookbook in French language!

Did you ever have Indian sweets or are you willing to give it a try. Like this lense? Leave your comment here.