Apart from the savoury dishes, Indian cuisine is renowned for its diverse and delicious sweets. A meal seems to be incomplete without indulgence in sweets. Hailing from different parts of the country, each sweet dish has its uniqueness and authenticity.
Read More: Four Indian Sweets for Diabetics
Sweets in India known as mithai, make an essential part of the rich culinary heritage that reflects the country’s diverse culture and traditions. Most of the mithais are made of milk such as rasgulla or pedas. The inclusion of milk in mithais offers a creamy texture and melt-in-the-mouth experience. Milk serves as a versatile base that enhances the richness of the sweet.
This article will provide you with a list of Indian sweets that are made with milk. Take a look at them:
- Mishti Doi
This is a traditional and most beloved Bengali sweet made from sweetened yoghurt. Here, the milk is thickened by boiling it down. It is then sweetened with caramelised sugar or jaggery. After it is cooled, the milk is then mixed with yoghurt culture and left to ferment overnight. The result is a creamy, tangy, and sweet dessert having a rich, caramel-like flavour. Mishti doi is often garnished with chopped nuts and is served chilled.
- Shahi Tukda
Also known as Double Ka Meetha, this is a royal Mughlai dessert. This sweet dish is made by frying bread slices until golden and crispy and then the fried bread slices are soaked in sugar syrup flavoured with saffron and cardamom. It is finally topped with thickened milk, known as rabri, and garnished with nuts and dried fruits. Shahi Tukda is a rich dessert that combines the crispness of fried bread with the creamy sweetness of rabri.
- Ghevar
This is a traditional Rajasthani dessert specially made during the festivals like Teej and Raksha Bandhan. A disc-shaped sweet made from a batter of flour, ghee, and milk. The batter is then poured in hot ghee and deep-fried to form a honeycomb-like texture, Ghevar is then soaked in sugar syrup and sometimes even topped with rabri and garnished with chopped nuts and silver leaf. Its unique texture and rich flavour make it an authentic treat.
- Ras Malai
Hailing from North India, Ras malai is made from chenna balls which are soaked in sweetened and thickened milk. The chenna is made by curdling milk and shaping them into small discs. These discs are then cooked in a light sugar syrup before being soaked in a creamy mixture of thickened milk, sugar, cardamom, and saffron. Ras malai is often garnished with chopped pistachios and almonds.
- Kalakand
This is a delicious milk cake that is simple yet flavourful. To prepare this, milk is thickened and solidified. Here, sugar and cardamom are added to enhance the flavour and the mixture is cooked until it reaches a grainy texture. The mixture is then spread onto a greased tray and allowed to set. After setting it, it is cut into small squares and garnished with chopped nuts. The rich, fudgy texture and milky flavour make kalakand a beloved sweet across the country.
- Basundi
Popular in Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Karnataka, basundi is a creamy, sweetened milk dessert. It is made by boiling milk, until it thickens and is reduced to half of its original volume, resulting in a thick, creamy consistency. It is then flavoured with sugar, cardamom, and saffron. The dish is then garnished with nuts like almonds and pistachios. It is typically served chilled and enjoyed on its own or with puris.