6 Fuss Free Indian Sweet Treats to try at Home

With the entire country under lockdown, we know staying home and self-isolating is a bit overwhelming for all of us right now. However, there is always a silver lining in every situation. So, let's focus on the good and use this time to learn new things and creating memories with our loved ones.

And, what can be better than bonding with family over a spread of homemade desserts. In this instalment of ‘at home recipes’ by EazyDiner, I bring to you easy recipes of yummilicious Indian desserts that you can make at home and enjoy with your loved ones. Keep on reading to know more!

1.Instant Jalebi

Ingredients

• 1 cup Maida
• 2 tablespoons Corn Flour
• Pinch of Turmeric for colour
• ½ cup Curd
• ½ cup Water
• ½ teaspoon Soda
• 2 teaspoon Lemon Juice
• Oil or Ghee for frying

For Sugar Syrup

• 1 cup Sugar
• 120 ml -180 ml of Water
• 1 pinch Saffron (optional)
• ¼ teaspoon Cardamom Powder
• 1 teaspoon Lemon Juice
• 1 easy-squeeze sauce bottle or cloth bag

Method

1. Add sugar and water in a deep pot, and boil till it reaches a sticky consistency.

2. Pour lemon juice, cardamom powder and saffron. Remove from heat. Stir and set aside.

3. Add maida, cornflour and turmeric in a wide mixing bowl. Mix everything well.

4. Now, add curd and water. Make a thick lump free batter of flowing consistency. Add more water if needed. Beat the batter well with a whisk in one direction in a circular motion for 4 minutes till it turns smooth.

5. Pour lemon juice to the batter and mix.

6. Heat ghee or oil on a medium flame to fry the jalebis

7. While the oil is heating, add soda to the batter and mix gently.

8. Add 3-4 big tbsp of batter in an easy squeeze sauce bottle.

9. Check if the oil is hot enough by dropping a small portion of the batter. It has to come up immediately without browning.

10. Squeeze the bottle gently to pour the batter into oil by moving in a circular motion to get perfect spirals. (Squeeze in the batter gently in circular motions starting from the center moving outside).

11. Fry till the jalebis turn crispy and a little golden.

12. Take jalebis out of oil and dip them directly in the warm sugar syrup.

13. Soak for a while then serve indulgent Jalebis with Chai!

2. Shahi Tukda

Ingredients

• 5 Bread slices
• 1/2 ml water
• 2 crushed black cardamom
• 3 cup milk
• 1 handful cashews, pistachios and almonds
• 1/2 cup ghee
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 tsp saffron
• 2 pinches powdered green cardamom

Method

1. In a pan, heat water along with sugar, once the sugar dissolves then add the saffron. Let it boil, till the syrup becomes sticky and thick. Take it off the flame and keep aside.

2. In another pan, boil milk and reduced it till it becomes 1/4th of its original quantity by stirring it continuously.

3. Add cardamom powder, 1/4th part of sugar syrup to the milk and mix well. Continue to heat it by stirring continuously for 5 more minutes to make Rabri. Keep aside.

4. Now, take the bread slices, cut off the crusts, and slice it in triangles.

5. Heat ghee in a pan and shallow fry the bread until they turn crisp and golden brown.

6. Soak each slice in the remaining sugar syrup for about a minute.

7. Plate the soaked bread slices on a serving dish. Pour warm rabri over the bread slices and garnish with chopped nuts of your choice.

3. Gulab Jamun 

Ingredients

• 1 cup Sugar
• 3 Green Cardamom pod
• 1½ cups Water
• 1-2 drops of Lemon Juice (optional)
• 1/2 cup Milk Powder
• 1 tablespoon Maida
• 1/8 teaspoon Baking Soda
• 2-3 tablespoons Milk
• Oil or Ghee, for deep frying

Method

1. Combine cup sugar, green cardamom pods, 1½ cups water and a few drops of lemon juice to make sugar syrup in a deep pot. Heat it on medium flame till it turns little sticky (8-10 minutes) while stirring occasionally.

2. Now, mix milk powder, maida and baking soda in a wide bowl and mix it well. Add 1 tbsp of Ghee to this mixture and mix again using your hand. 

3. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons milk evenly over mixture and gently mix it. If required, add few more teaspoons of milk. Keep in mind that this mixture should be soft (Do not over-knead the mixture, just lightly mix it). 

4. Grease your palms with oil and divide mixture into marble-sized crack free balls. If a crack appears, it means the mixture is dry. Add a few drops of milk to it. Do not make large balls as its size will increase to almost double after deep frying and soaking in sugar syrup. 

5. Heat the ghee or oil in a deep Kadai over medium flame. When oil is medium hot, drop a small portion of the mixture into the hot oil, if it comes upward immediately without changing its colour, the oil is ready for deep frying. 

6. Slowly and carefully drop 3-4 balls from sides of a Kadai and reduce the flame to low. Deep fry until they turn golden brown. Transfer them over to kitchen napkin to absorb excess oil using a slotted spoon. 

7. Heat the sugar syrup for 3-4 minutes and add deep fried jamuns in it. Keep the jamuns in syrup for at least 2 hours before serving to allow it to absorb the syrup properly. 

4. Paneer Kalakand 

Ingredients

• 400 grams Condensed milk
• 500 grams Paneer -grated
• ¼ cup Khoya or Milk Powder
• 1 tbsp Cardamom Powder
• Chopped Almonds and Pistachios for garnish

Method

1. Take a deep bowl and grease it with butter or ghee. Set aside.

2. Take a heavy-bottomed non-stick pan, and add paneer, milk powder or khoya and condensed milk to the pan. Mix well with a spatula. Put the pan on medium-high heat. 

3. Cook the mixture on medium to medium-high heat while stirring constantly, alternating in between the temperatures. 

4. Keep cooking till the mixture starts leaving the sides of the pan and solidifies by coming together (approx. 8-10 minutes). 

5. After switching off the heat, transfer the kalakand mix to the greased bowl and spread it evenly with a spatula. 

6. Sprinkle the cardamom powder + chopped almonds & pistachios on top and press gently. 

7. Refrigerate the bowl for 2 hours to let it set. 

8. Once set, cut into shapes of your choice and serve chilled. 

5. Besan Barfi

Ingredients

• 1 cup Besan
• 3/4 cup Ghee
• 5 tbsp Rava / Sooji
• 3/4 cup Powdered Sugar
• 1/2 tsp cardamom powder
• 2 tbsp Almond-chopped

Method

1. In a deep non-stick pan, heat the ghee, add besan, rava, and mix well.

2. Cook on a medium flame while stirring continuously.

3. Add the sugar and cardamom powder, mix well and cook on a medium flame for a few minutes.

4. Take a rectangle tray and grease it nicely with ghee or oil and spread the prepared mixture on it evenly.

5. Sprinkle the almond and other nuts of your choice to garnish it and pat them gently.and press it lightly.

6. Let the mixture cool to set it. Once set, cut into equal pieces using a sharp knife.

7.Serve the Besan Barfi as after meal dessert and enjoy!

6. Moong Daal Halwa

Ingredients

• 1 Cup Moong Dal
• 1 Cup Sugar
• ½ Cup Ghee
• 500 ml Full cream milk
• Handful of Cashews, Almonds, and Pistachios - chopped
• 2 tbsp Raisins
• 1 tbsp Green Cardamoms powder

Method

1. Pour the Moong dal in a pan and roast it dry until golden brown. Set aside and let it cool.

2. Put the roasted Moong dal in a mixer jar and coarsely grind it. Take it out on a plate.

3. Heat ghee in a pan. Put the ground dal and roast it well for 5 minutes. Once roasted add milk to it. Stir well and then add water to it. Cook it on low flame by stirring it at regular intervals to prevent lumps.

4. In another pan, heat ghee and roast chopped nuts of your choice.

5. Once the halwa mixture becomes dense, add sugar to it and mix well. Add roasted nuts, cardamom powder and cook halwa for a few more minutes.

6. Serve hot and enjoy!

FAQs

Q1. What can be used as an alternative for Paneer for making Kalakand?

A: Instead of paneer you can also use Mava or Khoya while making Kalakand.

Q2. What to do if the sugar syrup is overcooked and becomes hard after cooling?

A: If you overcook the sugar syrup by mistake, add a little more water, stir well and cook again for a few minutes to get the right consistency.

Q3. How to determine that the Jalebi batter has achieved the desired consistency?

A: The prepared batter must be smooth free-flowing and thick. If your jalebis are coming out as thick, then the batter is thick and vice versa. To fix thick batter, add a tbsp or more water. To fix thin batter, add a tbsp of maida.

Read more: 5 Interesting Recipes for Kids, 5 Quick Kabab Recipes that you can try at home