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Classic mithai with new-age twists is the go-to memo for Diwali this year as creative mithai recipes experience a spike in demand. More and more menus are showcasing traditional mithai that make use of modern flavours, be it charcoal ghewar, gulkand ganache bowls, tiramisu barfi or Biscoff laddoos.
"People do like simple dry fruits but these chocolate combinations with dry fruits in desserts (like baklava wraps, peanut praline stuffed dates and truffles) are doing well now," says Mumbai baker Radhika Panchal.
A modern take on regional festive favourites is something that seems to be selling big. Shrikar Bhave's artisanal brand Hatti & Giraffe has come up with Karanji Bon Bons which are a fresh take on traditional Maharashtrian olya naaralachi karanji, with a filling made of fresh grated coconut and sugar. Bombay Sweet Shop's Pista Khubani Cassata Barfi, for instance, is inspired by the cult Hyderabadi dessert. Here are some other trends that are doing the rounds this Diwali
Top Laddoo & Barfi Flavours: Biscoff, White Chocolate, Truffle
Fusion laddoos have been a Diwali staple for a few years now; this year, chocolate-coated laddoos, especially, have experienced demand in the retail segment and for festive celebrations. Chef Sugandha Saxena who runs the bespoke mithai label Laddooh, collaborated with chef Akshat Parihar to make Old Monk laddoos and gulab ganache malai laddoos.
"We don't use white sugar, it's either khand sugar or other natural sugar fusions. Normally we tend to ask the customer about the kind of natural sweetner they prefer," Saxena shares.
Khyati Saraf, a Kolkata-based home-baker shares, "The motichoor truffle are my biggest sellers out of all my fusion desserts. They are motichoor laddoos coated with vanilla cake and white chocolate ganache."
Contemporary ingredients commonly used in modern desserts are being abundantly used to produce classic mithais like barfis and laddoos, especially Biscoff, Pecan, truffle etc. Delhi-based dining brand Caara has new festive hampers featuring Biscoff Besan Barfi, Carrot Cake Tartlets with Kalakand Fudge, Mathura Pada with Pecan Nut Honeycomb.
Midhila Raavi and Akila Vankalapati's AkiMi's Gourmet has laddoo-inspired 'delights' made with flavours like pistachio, fig, truffle, tahini. Delhi's Bhawan India also has laddoos featuring hazelnut, rose pistachio and cranberry. Popular Delhi brand Nihira has bought back its signature line of boozy laddoos featuring sambuca & grape laddoos, jagerbomb laddoos, pina colada ladoos etc. Kunafa truffle, Laddoo Parfait, rasmalai opera cakes are some of the other popular additions this season by homegrown brands.
Plant-Based Mithai Has New Takers
Brands and chefs across the country are ramping up their plant-based menus. "The demand for plant-based mithai steadily rises every year as more and more people become conscious of eating as well as gifting mithais that can be consumed guilt-free. We are mithais that are entirely plant-based, gluten-free and also free of refined sugar. We have boxes in an assortment of 6, 12 and 25 allowing you to enjoy the festive season based on your preference," says Chef Raveena Taurani of Mumbai's Yogisatva Cafe.
The brand's vegan line-up chocolate and pistachio rolls, saffron malai laddoo, kesar badam peda and more. Pune's Meethi Kahani is offering vegan variants of traditional Diwali treats such as thandai barfis, boondi laddus, kaju katli etc. Harshit and Tanay Agrawal's brand Pistabarfi is sold out of signature 'mithai bar' which is a bar of kaju katli made only out of cashew and sugar.
"We have had an overwhelming response and to meet the production demand we will unfortunately have to stop accepting orders once we hit our production capacity. We thus request you to please place your orders at the earliest," they shared.
Diya/Sparkler-Inspired Desserts And Cocktails Are Trending
This year, patakha-inspired items are a hot-seller, be it highball cocktails or desserts. Mumbai-based dessert parlour introduced melt-free chocolate diya, a layered concoction featuring saffron caramel, cardamom ganache and sea salt cookie crumble, with a chocolate coating.
Kolkata-based gastropub Roots Lounge has come up with Shimmering Diya Daiquiri (white rum with blueberry and coconut), Glowing Watermelon Grenade (star fruit jalapeno and watermelon) and Spice Sparkler Martini (vodka with pineapple, cranberry and grenadine).
"The use of edible glitter in the cocktails adds a touch of glamour and enhances the celebratory atmosphere. These cocktails have quickly gained popularity during this time, as guests are drawn to the glittering colours," said Sk Nadim, the Beverage Manager at Roots Lounge.
Potli Baklava/Baklava Tarts/Mini Baklava Are Selling Out
The Turkish filo pastry has been a go-to festive option for desi foodies. However, this year the baklava is everywhere from corporate boxes, gourmet line-ups, home chef menus and even neighbourhood sweet shops. Smaller versions of baklava have seen a spike in demand since they can be served as festive canapes.
Hamporio Jaipur has mini flavoured baklava tarts. Bengaluru's Anand Sweets has Baklava Dry Fruit Tarts. Upasana, a Kolkata-based home baker has come up with potli baklavas and Mumbai baker Shaily Sanghavi’s signature festive baklavas are styled like a bhakwardi with honey walnut baklava with dark chocolate and light notes of fennel.
Party Starter Kits Are Back
Veer Anukul Chandok's Pan-Indian restaurant Dana Choga has come up with party starter boxes featuring kebabs that are customisable and come with add-on options like Dum Biryani, Dal Makhani, and Kesari Phirni. A-La-Chat has curated chaat boxes for DIY chaats, featuring kanji vada, dal, chaat masala etc.
Dessert Paans Are In
Flavours like chocolate, Nutella, and Biscoff are now being used in festive paan platters. Prem Raheja's The Betel Leaf Co is offering chocolate-coated, tobacco-free, Calcutta paan featuring katta, chuna, gulkand, flavoured fennel seeds mix, diced dried dates etc. Dhaba from Delhi's DLF Avenue has a dedicated paan menu featuring a Nutella paan and the classic Dhabe Ka Meetha Paan.
