FOODIE SPECIAL.... 7 WAY TO RELISH SWEET TREATS

7 WAY TO RELISH SWEET TREATS



Sweets and savouries form an integral part of our culinary culture. Here's how to give a modern twist to the age-old culinary traditions and relish the sweet indulgence

Feasting and festivities are two intrinsic Indian rituals that bring to the fore the love for food and celebrations. Every single festival, across religions and cultures, is an excuse to indulge in delicacies, prepared exclusively during that time of the year, which form the centerpiece of most celebrations; diets being all but forgotten.

Although cakes, cookies and pastries are making their presence felt in the dessert scene, the appeal of traditional sweets remains undiminished. However, with experimentation in shape, texture and fillings, the traditional sweets have undergone a significant makeover over the last few years. Thanks to globalisation, traditional sweet shops are upgrading their offerings accordingly. “People are lapping up fusion sweets and pastries. Traditional sweets with a modern spin like flavoured yogurts, baked sandesh and rasagolla, paan-flavoured candy floss and gourmet sweets are gaining huge popularity,“ says a sweet shop owner.However, with the sheer variety of gastronomical delights on offer, the appeal of traditional sweets like barfis, kheer, pedas, rabri, phirni, basundi, which are an integral part of the traditional dessert culture, will never fade.

Here, we explore how you can give a contemporary twist to the age-old staples that are commonly served in homes.

1 For those who cannot consume too much sugar andor oil for health reasons, experiment with alternative ingredients such as brown sugar, honey and maple syrup to dress up conventional desserts like jamuns and jalebis.

2 When making these goodies at home, be open-minded and experiment with diverse flavours and textures.

3 Consider adding healthy ingredients such as spinach puree to your conventional snacks, thus making for an interesting addition of green savouries in your snack plate.

4  Indulge in baked whole wheat karanjis and lapsi (or broken wheat) kheer to make healthier food choices.

5 For those who love their halwas and pedas in rich, attractive hues, try adding colour-inducing foods such as beetroot and carrots to increase the fibre intake. These culinary innovations will definitely be relished by health-conscious foodies.

6 Party foods like fancy appetisers, barbecue grills, and chaats with exotic presentations are gaining popularity. The concept of east meets west has evolved to another level and even sweets are a great platform to showcase and enjoy it. From chocolate flavoured mithais and jalebis, deconstructed to look like a boondi cake in a sea of pista rabdi, desserts are getting a designer twist, too.

7 Change cooking techniques: many Indian sweets can be baked instead of fried.

So go ahead and start experimenting!

Annabel Dsouza Oct 27 2017 : The Economic Times (Mumbai)