Diwali is that time of the year in India when the rays of positivity and joy shine the brightest. This festival of lights usually arrives in October or November, depending on the Hindu calendar each year. This year, the five-day festival starts on October 29th and concludes with the ritual of Bhai Dooj on November 3rd, symbolizing the bond between a brother and sister.
Why is Diwali celebrated?
The cultural significance of Diwali marks the time when Lord Rama returns to Ayodhya with his wife, Sita and his brother, Laxman after defeating Ravana, the king of Lanka. Sita spent 14 years in exile under Ravana’s rule. In various regions of India, the purpose of Diwali celebrations differs depending on the spiritual and cultural beliefs.
During Diwali, we decorate our homes with diyas and colourful rangolis. At night, we burst crackers, making the night sky look magical. Friends and family cherish the auspicious moment by exchanging gifts and sweets. The vibrancy of this festival brings a lot of prosperity as well by performing rituals passed down from the family. For Hindus, Diwali also marks the beginning of the new year.
Diwali is one of my favourite festivals. From learning new flower rangoli designs to exploring a variety of scented candles, I thoroughly enjoy each moment. When each corner of your home twinkles, the festive spirit truly kicks in. Diwali is also a time for delicious treats when your sweet tooth cravings take over. Each home prepares Indian sweets, traditionally known as ‘mithai’. Diwali calls for a celebration where you also get to learn the recipes and snacks that have been followed in the family for generations.
I only like a few Indian sweets. But since Diwali is about the traditional touch, I am intrigued by experimenting with something different. This year, do you want to celebrate Diwali differently?
Check out these Indian fusion desserts where different flavours around the globe blend beautifully with the composition of ‘mithai’.
1. Gulab Jamun Cookies
Gulab Jamun: One of the most popular Indian desserts. Whether it be family gatherings, weddings, or festivals, one can never get enough when it comes to relishing this dessert. Gulab Jamun is prepared from milk solids known as ‘khoya’. The ingredients are then shaped like dough balls and fried to give it a deep brown exterior. These dough balls are later soaked in a rose-infused syrup which also contains taste notes of saffron and cardamom.
As Gulab Jamun is highly desirable, there are many interesting recipes where you can savour this Indian dessert in many forms. I tasted Gulab Jamun quite recently and it was obvious that this sweet became one of my favourites due to the spongy texture.
When I had Gulab Jamun a few times, I thought to explore this dessert in more detail and I came across this fusion dessert recipe by Hayley Dhanecha of J Cooking Odyssey. The recipe was quite simple and with just a few ingredients, I was impressed with how the cookies turned out. What I liked about this recipe was that the cookies were not too sweet. So, if you prefer your dessert to not be overpowering in terms of sweetness, you should try the recipe. The sprinkled rose petals complimented the nutty flavour of the cookie by giving it an aromatic character.
Few things to keep in mind:
- Since I do not have an oven, I baked these cookies in a microwave. The microwave settings differ so the timing to bake can vary accordingly.
- I baked around 4-6 cookies per batch (5 batches) on different baking trays as each batch took 45 minutes to bake. If your microwave settings are similar, I suggest you start with the process a few hours before the Diwali celebration.
2. Chai Peda
For most of the Indians, ‘chai’ is not just any beverage. Whether it be the first sip at 6 am or bonding over snack time during evenings, chai brings out a different kind of emotion amongst Indians. India’s chai culture is also evident amongst people indulging themselves in tea stalls, known as ‘chai tapris’. There are chai tapris that serve tea in clay pots, bringing out the authentic and rich taste of chai, making the experience all the more pleasurable. Although I am a coffee lover, I do find myself enjoying a cup of tea during some days. So, why enjoy chai only in its true form when you can blend it into different varieties of dessert?
Another recipe by Hayley Dhanecha, I was quite fascinated with the chai peda recipe as I have never come across something like it. The combination of elaichi (cardamom), chai, condensed milk, milk powder, and other ingredients gave it a unique taste.
This recipe gives you the option of making the pedas in the microwave and stovetop. However, I recommend you to make it on stove top as you have control of the entire process. Condensed milk is a tricky ingredient and can take a while to get the hang of it. So, I suggest you pay close attention to the simmering time as the mixture should entirely leave the pan to get the desired consistency when it cools down. I also added almonds and saffron as a slight moderation to enhance the taste of pedas.
During Diwali, there are many festive arrangements so there may be instances where you may find It challenging to prepare sweets. In that case, you can check out these cafes and patisseries in Bangalore offering a luxury Indian fusion dessert range:
1. Smoor
Smoor is a luxury chocolate brand that was founded in the year 2015 by Vimal Sharma. From chocolate bars to signature cakes, hot chocolate, and more. Smoor uses the finest ingredients across the globe to craft its exquisite range. Smoor has lounges and stores across Bangalore, Mumbai and Gurugram. This chain also provides corporate gifting services and customized hampers for different occasions.
This Diwali, the festive collection of Smoor offers exclusive hampers and chocolate boxes starting from the price range of Rs. 448 up to Rs. 12,000. The “Auspiciously Red” collection of Smoor is a limited-edition range offering Indian fusion dessert boxes of 2 varieties:
Choco Mithai Box Ladoo
Choco Mithai Box Kaju Katli.
I opted for the Choco Mithai Box Ladoo. I liked the packaging of the box as the hexagon-shaped detailing resembles the shape of rangolis during Diwali. This box contains 12 pieces with 5 flavours of chocolate mithai. The flavours are Bhuna Pista, Coconut Peda, Rose Malai, Til Mithai, and Aam Ras Ladoo. The Rose Malai chocolate ladoo ended up being the most delicious. The desiccated coconut filling has rose flavouring, giving it a rich taste. Apart from that, Rose Malai chocolate ladoo is also visually appealing due to its vibrant pink hue. Another interesting flavour is Aam Ras ladoo. The blend of a sweet-sour and chocolatey base gave this chocolate creation a unique profile. You can find the Diwali collection in the various outlets, and on Swiggy/Zomato too.
2. Theobroma
Kainaz Messman Harchandrai is the founder & director of Theobroma- a chain of cafes and patisseries. The first patisserie was set up in Mumbai in 2004. Theobroma follows a concept of blending home-style recipes with the best culinary practices. Known for their signature brownies, Theobroma has now become a Pan-Indian brand with stores across major metropolitan cities.
The aesthetics and theme of Theobroma are quite artistic, quirky, and colourful. The pastel colour palette of the stores gives a quite lively and warm experience. This café offers baked goods like cupcakes, pastries, cookies and more.
Coming to the Diwali collection by Theobroma, you can choose from the hampers containing cookies, crackers, brownies, and other options. The Diwali collection starts from the price range of Rs. 635 up to Rs. 3800. In the Indian fusion dessert collection, Theobroma offers a Mithai Confectionary Gift Box which is available in 2 sizes containing 9 pieces and 12 pieces.
I came across their fusion dessert range in 2023 and the chocolate collection was quite pleasing to me. I was looking forward to what the collection would be this year and to my expectation, these chocolates turned out to be amazing once again.
Costing Rs. 750, this chocolate box is available in 9 flavours. The packaging of this box comes in 2 layers with a Diwali greeting card enclosed within. The matte printed finish of the outer layer is quite pretty with elements like flowers and café aesthetics. the tinge of golden foiling on the print also adds to the festive feel. Coming to the flavours of these chocolates, a few of them are Paan & Dark Chocolate Praline, Almond Pak, and Orange Truffle.
I am obsessed with dark chocolate so it was natural for me to try the Paan & Dark chocolate praline first. I was skeptical at first as I was not sure how the combination would be. But the moment I had the first bite, the sweetness of paan and the bitterness of dark chocolate infused my taste buds with a mint-like flavour. Almond Pak contains ingredients like nutmeg powder and pure ghee so the taste of it was quite Indianized.
You can also check out the Mini Brownies Gift Box where the brownies are in shapes like Diyas and flowers. The Diwali collection is also available at the stores and on Swiggy/Zomato.
3. Aubree Haute Chocolaterie
Specializing in premium eggless confectionery and baked goods, Aubree opened its first patisserie in Sadashiva Nagar, Bangalore. Founded by Kishore Kumar in the year 2011, he has expanded his brand outlets across all of Bangalore with a team of highly experienced chefs. With an array of pastries, macarons, cupcakes, celebration cakes, and cake jars, Aubree perfectly crafts each confectionary.
Aubree’s Diwali collection starts at Rs. 360 and goes up to Rs. 8,200. It consists of hampers, Diwali-themed chocolates, dry fruit chocolates, and more options.
In the Indian fusion dessert range, I selected the Diwali Chocoracker- Double Gift Box, which costs Rs. 649. The little child in me got excited seeing these Diwali-shaped chocolates. The choco chakra is a biscuit with the outer chocolate layering tasting similar to elaichi candy pop. I found it a bit too sweet but if you don’t mind the extra proportion, this chocolate box is still a good choice. The Elaichi atom bomb has a gooey texture and leaves a strong aftertaste. Apart from these, the chocolates also come in flavours like dark chocolate, butterscotch, and coffee. You can find their Diwali collection in the outlets and on Swiggy/Zomato.
About Vidhi Ashar
Vidhi Ashar is a freelance content writer & poet from Bangalore, India. She helps businesses monetize their overall content strategy and guides brands to implement practices that meet the best standards. On the creative writing front, she has been published in journals such as Under the Basho, Failed Haiku, tsuri-doro, Sonic Boom, Otoliths, Scarlet Dragonfly Journal, Seashores Journal, and many more.