Some Popular Indian Desserts ..

There are many traditional Indian desserts , that are extremely popular all over the world. Most desserts have milk, ghee, dry fruits , nuts and sugar as their base along with other ingredients..

I love sweets, pastries and desserts. There is a mind-boggling variety of sweets and confectioneries prepared all over the world, and they all have their own unique taste and identity.Here , I am sharing some of the most popular and well known Indian sweets/desserts. At the top of the list would be Kheer, which is a traditional dish that is served at almost all formal functions like weddings, festivals and other gatherings..

The Recipe for Kheer - Kheer is tradionally made with Milk and Rice. But there are many different varieties of Kheer made even with vegetables . Here I am sharing the traditional recipe for making Kheer.

Ingredients:-

Cooked rice 1 cup
Milk 1 liter
Sugar to taste
Cardamom powder 1/2 tsp
A few strands of saffron
Some raisins and mixed nuts finely chopped and roasted in butter or ghee

Method of Preparation :-

1,Heat the milk and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and add the rice, stirring all the time.

2,Once the rice gets absorbed into the milk, add sugar and keep the mixture on low flame, stirring all the time. This may take 20-25 mins .

3,Let the mixture thicken and become creamy and well-blended.

4,Add the cardamom powder and the saffron, mix well, and take off the stove.

5,After the Kheer has come to the room temparature, add the fried raisins and nuts.

Kheer can be served warm or chilled.

Another popular and much-loved Indian sweet is Gajar Halwa or Carrot Halwa, a dessert made with carrots, milk and ghee.

Here is the Recipe for Gajar Halawa

Ingredients :-

1 cup of coarsely grated carrot
3/4 cup of sugar ( or according to taste )
One cup milk
3 tablespoons ghee or butter
Cardomom powder for flavoring
Raisins and Almonds, Cashews and Pistachios, finely chopped and roasted

Method of preparation:-

1,In a frying pan, heat the ghee or butter and add the grated carrot and fry for a while .

2,Once the raw smell vanishes, add the milk and the sugar and let it cook on slow fire, continuously stirring the mixture so that it does not stick to the bottom.

3, It may take about 30-35 minutes to cook and reach the right consistency.

4,The mixture by then looks dark reddish brown in color. Add the cardamom powder and the nuts and mix well

5,Serve either hot or at room temparature. It can be served chilled as well.

India is famous for its Mangoes. Summer is the Mango season and the markets are flooded with every variety of Mango.
There are many sweet dishes made from Mangoes In fact there are even sweet and spicy curries made with ripe mangoes and half-ripe ones!

Here I am sharing a simple and easy-to-prepare dessert made with Mangoes.

Ingredients :-

3-4 Mangoes - remove the skin and cut into pieces
2 cups of plain Yogurt
Sugar to taste

Method of preparation :-

1,Finely chop some of the mango pieces and keep aside.

2,Add the rest of the mangoes and the yogurt into a mixer jar along with the sugar and blend until creamy.

3,Transfer to a bowl and mix in the finely chopped mangoes.

4,Chill the mixture and serve.

This is an ideal light dessert, suitable to be served after a heavy and spicy meal like Biriyani or during hot summer days when there are plenty of mangoes around..

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