INDIAN SWEETS

INDIAN SWEETS

If you have a sweet tooth, then Indian sweets will be your heaven. There is a wide variety of Indian sweets that come in many different colours. Most of these sweets are milk-based which explains the sweetness. These sweets can be bought throughout the year and especially during festivals.

The preparation of Indian sweets and savouries is an art that has developed over the centuries. Sweets are fondly eaten all over India but they are prepared differently in every part of the country. The difference in climatic conditions and many other reasons are responsible for the variation of sweets in every part of India. In the northern part of the country a lot of buffaloes milk is found which forms very good quality mava when boiled and reduced. So in the northern part of the world sweets are mainly made of khoya or mava.

In the eastern part of India cow`s milk is found in plenty so a lot of sweets are made of cottage cheese. West Bengal is the undisputed king of sweet production. Bengali sweets are not only famous in India but throughout the world. The original mode and style of preparing sweets have undergone several changes and novelty. In the north eastern states like Bihar sweets have a combination of mava as well as cottage cheese. Certain sweets are also made by frying and then dipping into sweet syrup made by boiling sugar and water such as gujia, lengcha etc. Motichoor laddoo was also made in Bihar and then the whole of India adopted it.

Here are some examples of Indian sweets :

Laddu
 Laddu or Laddoo are ball-shaped sweets popular in the Indian Subcontinent. Laddus are made of flour, minced dough and sugar with other ingredients that vary by recipe. They are often served at festive or religious occasions.
It is usually prepared during festivals and given as door gifts at weddings.


Jalebi


Jalebi, Jilapi or Jilawii (and sometimes Zulbia) is a sweet popular in countries of South Asia, the Middle East, North Africa and East Africa. It is made by deep-frying a wheat flour (maida flour) batter in pretzel or circular shapes, which are then soaked in sugar syrup. They are particularly popular in South Asia during Ramadan and Diwali.
The sweets are served warm or cold. They have a somewhat chewy texture with a crystallized sugary exterior coating. Citric acid or lime juice is sometimes added to the syrup, as well as rose water or other flavors, such as kewra water.

 
Gulab Jamun

 Gulab jamun is a milk-solids based dessert. It is popular in countries of South Asia such as India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Pakistan and Bangladesh, also in the Caribbean countries of Trinidad, Guyana, Suriname and Jamaica and in Mauritius. In Nepal, it is widely known as Lal-Mohan, served with or without yogurt. It is made mainly from milk solids, traditionally from freshly curdled milk. In India, milk solids are prepared by heating milk over a low flame for a long time until most of the water content has evaporated. These milk solids, known as khoya in Pakistan and India, are kneaded into a dough, sometimes with a pinch of flour, and then shaped into small balls and deep fried at a low temperature of about 148 °C. The balls are then soaked in a light sugar syrup flavored with green cardamom and rosewater, kewra or saffron. These days, gulab jamun mix is also commercially available. Gulab jamun is often served at weddings and birthday parties.


Halva


Halva (halawa, alva, haleweh, halava, helava, helva, halwa, halua, aluva, chalva) refers to many types of dense, sweet confections, served across the Middle East, South Asia, Central Asia, West Asia, North Africa, the Horn of Africa, the Balkans, Central Europe, Eastern Europe, Malta and the Jewish world.

• Flour-based – This type of halva is slightly gelatinous and made from grain flour, typically semolina. The primary ingredients are clarified butter, flour, and sugar.
• Nut-butter-based – This type of halva is crumbly and usually made from tahini (sesame paste) or other nut butters, such as sunflower seed butter. The primary ingredients are nut butter and sugar.

Halva may also be based on numerous other ingredients, including sunflower seeds, various nuts, beans, lentils, and vegetables such as carrots, pumpkins, yams and squashes.
Halva can be kept at room temperature with little risk of spoilage. However, during hot summer months, it is better kept refrigerated, as it can turn runny after several days.


These are just some of the hundreds of indian sweets. They are SUPER delicious and if you haven't tried them yet, THEN WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?! :)
 

Banana Leaf Indian Cuisine

 Hi people..! As we all know Malaysia is the melting pot of food and culture. We have been gifted to taste various type of food in our country. So, now I am going to describe briefly about the famous Indian traditional food which is banana leaf food..!!! This is a  typical south Indian meals consists of various items which are served in a particular fashion.  First there are two types of leaves that are used in a household.

1.     

This leaf is generally used for guests/elders and other VIPs.

2.        This leaf which is small is generally used by women/kids/old people. There is no particular order to use this type of banana leaf. Generally, if the bigger leaf is torn it is cut in the center into two and used for two people.

In Hindu culture people used to eat in banana leaf. A banana leaf is a long leaf which has a long rib in the middle. A traditional meal on a banana leaf is a must at any South Indian celebration. One has to eat carbohydrates (rice) first, then protein (dal), iron-rich vegetables and fat (curd). This is the order in which food is served and consumed as well. It is even more traditional to sit on the floor on a mat and eat one’s food. One has to squat as if one is sitting in the padmasana (lotus) pose.

Eating from a banana leaf is considered hygienic and healthy. Any guest can be served on a banana leaf which is considered humble and respectful.

Benefits:

• Eating food served on banana leaf is found to be healthy. Serving hot food on banana leaf will emanate important nutrients from the leaf which will be mixed with the food and will be eaten. This is considered to be very good for health.
• In the past there were no plates available; banana leaves were easily available and were large enough to contain all the food. Also, there is no particular smell in the leaf that can put you off.
• Leaves are easily disposable and environment friendly. Even burning the leaves, the ozone layers are not affected.

SPICY LEVEL = INDIAN

                        If you are malaysian i am pretty sure you all will be familial with indian food. Indian food is really famous for its level of spicyness but, do you know that there is many indian food which is NOT spicy?? Well that is what we are going to talk about!! INDIAN FOOD 101!!
                     
                        The indian food originated from India ( obviously!!). Since, India have many states, the food also is different slighty from a state to state.For example, south indians eat tose, idli and vadai and north indians usually eat naan, north indian thali, gulab jamun and samosa.Among south indians also there many types of variations and cuisines which are quite different from each other.We will discuss about this later. There is also slight variation between Malaysian Indian cuisine and " Indian " indian cuisine from the aspect how they make it and the ingredients used. Malaysian Indian cuisine is originated from india but inspired by diverse culture of Malaysia. As a result popular cuisines like mamak food is born!!
         
                       Besides, since hinduism encourages vegetarinism as a practice, indian cuisine offers a variety of vegetarian food.Indian food also uses alot of spices such as cinnamon, cloves and mint. That is why indian food is usually considered as " strong " and spicy. Indian food also offers food which is lighter and sweet like payasam, tose and naan. Indian cuisine has a variety of choices which satisfies different needs and desires of peoples of many culture.