You don't need special equipment or a shelf of rare spices to make an Indian sweet at home. Many of the classics come together with storecupboard basics, a heavy pan and a little patience. They are a gentle way into Indian cooking, and a lovely way to finish a meal with friends or family.
Here are some of the easiest Indian sweets to try, the seasonings that make them special, and a few tips to get them right first time.
Start with the simple ones
Sooji halwa
Sooji halwa is semolina toasted in ghee or butter until golden, then cooked with sugar, water or milk, cardamom and chopped nuts. It is about as forgiving as a sweet gets and is ready in around fifteen minutes. The secret is to toast the semolina slowly, stirring all the time, until it smells nutty.
Seviyan
Seviyan, or sweet vermicelli, is just as quick. Fine wheat vermicelli is toasted in ghee, then simmered in sweetened milk with cardamom, a few raisins and flaked almonds. It can be served warm or chilled, and in many homes it is closely linked with festive mornings.
Kheer
Kheer is the Indian cousin of rice pudding: rice simmered slowly in milk until thick and creamy, then sweetened and scented with cardamom and saffron. A pressure cooker or multi-cooker makes it even easier, but a heavy pan on a low heat works perfectly well if you stir it often.
A little more ambitious
Besan ladoo
Besan ladoo are round sweets made from gram flour roasted in ghee, mixed with sugar and cardamom, then shaped by hand. The only real skill is patience: the flour needs slow roasting until it darkens slightly and smells toasty. Many families have their own version, often handed down over generations.
Gajar ka halwa
Carrot halwa is a winter favourite. Grated carrots are cooked slowly in milk until the liquid disappears, then finished with sugar, ghee, cardamom and nuts. A food processor takes the hard work out of the grating, and the long simmer does the rest.
Regional treats
If you get the bug, there is plenty more to explore. Puran poli, a flatbread stuffed with sweetened lentils, is popular in western India. Modak, steamed dumplings filled with coconut and jaggery, are especially associated with festivals in Maharashtra. Both take more practice, but they show just how varied Indian sweets can be.
The magic is the seasoning
What makes these sweets taste Indian is rarely technique. It is the seasoning: a pinch of freshly ground cardamom, a few strands of saffron soaked in warm milk, a scatter of chopped pistachio or almond, sometimes a drop of rosewater. Add those to a plain milk pudding and it becomes something quite different.
Ghee matters too. It gives a rich, nutty flavour that butter alone can't quite match, and it is worth keeping a jar in the cupboard if you plan to cook these often.
Tips for getting it right
- Use a heavy pan. Milk-based sweets catch easily, and a thick base spreads the heat.
- Keep the heat low. Most of these recipes reward slow cooking and frequent stirring.
- Grind cardamom fresh. Crush the seeds just before using them for the best perfume.
- Sweeten to taste. Traditional recipes can be very sweet, so start with less sugar and add more if you like.
- Serve small portions. Indian sweets are rich, and a couple of spoonfuls is usually enough.
Sharing sweets
In India, sweets are rarely just dessert. They are offered to guests, shared at festivals and handed round at family celebrations. Making a batch at home and passing it round the table carries a little of that spirit, and it is a good excuse to get children involved in the kitchen. For more ideas on seasoning, see our piece on cream in Indian cooking, which covers the same dairy-rich flavours from the savoury side.
Savoury at ours, sweet at yours
Our kitchen concentrates on the savoury side, from the tandoor to the curry pan, so these are sweets to make at home. If you want something sweet with your meal, a mango Lacee from our drinks list is a good match for a spicy curry. Browse our menu, and if you are planning an early dinner before a show, our Pre-Theatre menu runs from 12pm to 5.30pm daily. Book a table, and save the halwa for the weekend.
