Jump to my Top 10 Diwali Sweets
It is almost time for Diwali, which I could argue is the biggest event celebrated across the country in India by people of varying faiths. With that comes the need to start thinking about the sweets that will be made!
Whilst it is a Hindu festival, Diwali today is celebrated more for the fun, games and incredible food. The festival is celebrated with plenty of parties, family events, dancing and in some communities it is tradition to play games of poker.
What is Diwali?
Diwali, also known as Deepavali or Divali, is the festival of Lights celebrated by many religious communities across South Asia. Usually celebrated over 5 days, Diwali is always associated with the Goddess of Laxmi (the Goddess of Wealth) and her arrival into our homes. The lights and lamps that are lit up are to guide her right into our homes on this day – my dad would get very mad if I switched any of them off!
The festival of lights is also associated with the day that Ram (an incarnation of the God Vishnu, the preserver as part of the Hindu Supreme Trinity of Brahma, Vishnu & Mahesh) returned to his home Ayodhya with wife Sita and brother Lakshman after defeating the evil King Ravan.
In Sikhism, Diwali is celebrated as Bandi Chhor Divas which commemorates the day that Guru Hargobind (The sixth Guru of Sikhs) was released from Gwalior Fort after Emperor Jahangir has imprisoned him for several months. The celebration often includes the recitation of Akhand Paath (a reading of Guru Granth Sahib), Nagar Keertan (processions in the street), and fireworks. Learn more about Sikhism here.
In Jainism, Diwali is the date that Mahavir attained absolute liberation. Whilst Hindu and Sikh celebrations have some fanfare, Jain celebration are based on the principle of Ahinsa (or non violence). As a result fireworks are not a typically display during Diwali celebrations and instead opt to decorate the home and temples with lights and diyas, and the sharing of sweets. Some Jains also fast for 2 days in remembrance of the sacrifice of Mahavir. The Jain new year also commences the day after Diwali. Learn more about Jainism here.
The 5 days of Diwali
Diwali refers to the 5 day period of celebration which goes as follows
Dhanteras
Dhanteras is typically celebrated with the giving of gifts to loved ones. In scriptures it is said to be the day that the God of Ayurveda imparted the wisdom of Ayurvedic practices to the World.
Legend has it that when the Sumudra Manthan was performed, Dhanvantari (God of Ayurveda and an incarnation of Vishnu) emerged with the elixir. Another legend follows that the King Hima predicted his death on the 4th day of his marriage. To combat this, his wife laid out as much gold, silver and other ornaments as possible, and did not let her husband sleep. When the Lord of Death (Yama) arrived he was dazzled by the ornaments and instead sat there listening to the stories the Kinds wife was reciting. He then silently left.
As a result this day is celebrated with the giving of gifts, in particular clothing, gold and ornaments.
Narak Chaturdashi or Choti Diwali
This day celebrates the day that the Demon (Asura) Naraka was killed by the Goddess Mahakali. The day is celebrated the day before Diwali or Lakshmi Puja with lights, songs and dancing.
Lakshmi Puja or Diwali
The main day of Diwali is celebrated with the biggest of shows. There are fireworks, and firecrackers, as well as dancing, music and delicious food served up to guests and worshippers. On this day it is said that Lakshmi enters our house using the lights as a guide, and brings us and our families happiness, wealth and prosperity.
Bali Pratipada
Also known as Bali Padwa (Maharashtra), Bali Padyami (Karnataka), Barlaj (Himachal Pradesh), Raja Bali (Jammu) and Gujrati and Marwari New Year.
On this day, worshippers celebrate the annual return of Mahabali to Earth and the victory of Vamana (the 5th Vishnu incarnation). As with the rest of the days in Diwali, this day is celebrated with food, music and dancing.
Bhai Dooj
Also known as Bhau Beez, this day celebrates the relationship between a brother and sister. The day in particular focuses on the duty of the brother to protect his sister. I never really celebrated this day myself at home as I don’t have any brothers.
How is Diwali Celebrated?
Each family has their own way of celebrating Diwali, and every culture and custom will differ. What I cam sharing here is simply a few things that my own family would do to celebrate. This article from the Times of India shares a few different traditions to celebrate!
Typically Diwali would feature some gifts amongst the family, always featuring some new clothing to wear on the day of Diwali in particular. We would spend the week prior preparing at least 10 different sweets and savoury items including the sweets listed below, and then some more! The home would be decorated, and the 2 weeks prior we would engage in a huge spring clean. Rangoli (drawings on the floor using rice flour and colour) would be drawn at the entrances to the home, and a garland using mango leaves and marigold flowers would be hung up over the door.
On the day of Diwali we would wake up extra early to apply a herbal paste called ubtan which would be mixed with oil and applied like a scrub on our whole bodies. My father would make a mixture called Panchamrut made of milk, honey, ghee, yogurt, and sugar topped with some Tulsi which would be used after the ubtan. Finally we would cleanse using water (and soap of course!). We would always be required to wash our hair that morning as well.
These traditions are incredibly dear to me, and I love the way in which my father observes them all. While in High School and University I felt as if I couldn’t enjoy much of the celebrations of Diwali here in Australia owing to the exam season that would always be around the same time. After graduating however, my role in Diwali has become completely about the sweets!
Not only do I make the bulk of them, I also get the chance to experiment and try some new, interesting and traditional recipes. To be completely honest with you, nothing gives me greater joy!
My Top 10 Diwali Sweets
1. Malpua
This is my ultimate favourite Indian sweet to make. There is a bit of effort and resting time required but my gosh is it worth the time and energy! Malpua is a sweet, fried pancake particularly popular in Rajasthan. It is made with a batter comprising of four, jaggery and/or sugar, fennel, cardamom and saffron. The pancake is then soaked in sugar syrup laced with rose and cardamom.
Find my recipe right here.
2. Gulab Jamun
Name a more iconic Indian sweet! Sweet fried dumplings all soaking in a delicious rose and cardamom syrup. Honestly, Gulab Jamun to me is everything luxury and brings me all the beautiful memories of family, friends and festivals. If there is a dessert you absolutely must try making at home, it is this one.
The trick to making perfect Gulab Jamun is to master the art of cooking the jamun/dumplings low and slow in the oil. This makes sure that the balls have cooked through completely, don’t burn on the outside and still develop a beautifully browned exterior. By ensuring the dough is cooked right through you will create the perfect sponge for the syrup which is so so important to make this dessert!
My recipe makes roughly 30 small Gulab Jamun balls.
3. Almond & Saffron Barfi
One of the simplest but most widely consumed Indian sweets for you to make, Almond & Saffron Barfi is a real crowd pleaser. Barfi is such a great recipe to make a huge batch of. I often double up the recipe to make a really large amount because it is so easy to distribute barfi among friends and family. To do so, simply cut up the barfi into bite size squares and serve in decorate boxes for your family, friends and Diwali guests.
Barfi is also one of the best Indian sweets to distribute in the office or to your neighbours!
Have a go at my recipe right here
4. Shahi Shakharpare / Champakali
Another Diwali classic, these are delicious sugar coated fried biscuits. Whilst at home we would make a slightly less intricate version of this recipe, featuring a sweet dough, Shahi Shakarpare take this to the absolute next level. There is a bit of technique required to get the perfect leaf shaped folds to your biscuits, but once you get the hang of it these do not take long to make at all.
My recipe will make about 30 biscuits and can be stored in an airtight container for up to a month!
5. Mango & Coconut Barfi
Mango and Coconut is such an iconic South Asian combination. Call me biased, but India genuinely has the most incredible Mangoes in the world – in particular the Alphonso mango from the Konkan region.
I digress.
My mango and coconut barfi is a total family favorite and it features in every single one of my family events. These work perfectly as barfi squares, little pedas (or small flattened ball shapes like coins) or even can be used in molds like I have (the shape I have used below are Modak shapes for Ganpati!).
6. Atte ka Halwa
Also known as Kara Prashad, Atte Ka Halwa is a wholewheat pudding served usually at Sikh temples and religious events. I used to look forward to visiting the Gurudwara especially to be able to get my hands on some of the halwa. It would be dripping in ghee and full of deliciousness. My version of this recipe isn’t quite as rich and loaded with ghee and sugar, but still tastes incredible.
7. Shahi Tukda
This is what I call my signature dessert.
I do so because this is the first Indian sweet that I spent hours and hours of my time developing. The story behind this is from many years ago when a dear family friend refused to share her recipe to make Shahi Tukda. So I decided to make my own version!
I’ve tried this recipe with regular white bread, whole meal bread, brioche, croissants… you name it! I personally believe the best results come with using whole meal bread. This recipe is great to make ahead (the day before is perfect!) and serve up after the bread has had it’s time to soak up all the beautifully flavoured custard.
Find my recipe right here!
8. Beetroot Halwa
Not much beats the stunning flavour and colour of this Beetroot Halwa. Whilst I believe this is the best dessert to be made for Holi (the festival of Color), I couldn’t pass up sharing it for Diwali too! It’s perfect for every season in my opinion.
This recipe was part of my cooking class series earlier this year (2021) and was loved by everyone too! I use a hint of rose to complement the rich earthy beetroot flavour. Trust me it makes a world of difference.
9. Rasgulla
Homemade Rasgulla are 1000% better than what you can find in prepackaged containers. Trust me.
Whenever someone gifted our family a container, I would absolutely dread having to open it. The overly sweet syrup and crust that would form on the dumplings would be far too much for me to handle. The result would be hard rasgullas that would cause anyone tooth pain.
This recipe is great for a small batch of 8 rasgulla and coms together super easily. Similar to Gulab Jamun and Shahi Tukda, I recommend making this at least one day ahead to let the rasgulla dumplings soak up the syrup completely!
10. Milk Barfi
One of the most viewed recipes on the website is my Milk Barfi recipe. Truth be told this is a cheat’s version that can be made super quickly and is great to make when you have guests coming over and you simply don’t have the time!
Similar to the mango & coconut barfi, and the saffron & almond barfi, this one can also be made into barfi squares, pedas (flattened ball shaped like coins) or even can be shaped using a mold. I usually make this barfi about 10 times in the year for all sorts of festivals and happy occasions, and is one of the most requested items by my family and friends.
I hope you find everything you need to prepare for the festive season in my post. I absolutely love seeing all your recipe attempts! Be sure to share your photos with me via Instagram by tagging me @theminiaturelife. Leave me a comment below with any comments or feedback – I love hearing your thoughts.
