A Beginner’s Guide To Indian Desserts – And Where To Get Them In Singapore
Roti prata, thosai, butter chicken, naans and kebabs, all washed down with a steaming cup of masala tea are just some of the Indian dishes most Singaporeans are familiar with. How about desserts, though? With Deepavali just around the corner, there's no better time to explore the world of Indian sweets. Mithai - traditional Indian desserts - are a familiar sight in Little India and Indian restaurants alike, especially at this time of year when boxes of sweets are exchanged to celebrate the Festival of Lights.
Here’s our 101 guide to Indian desserts in Singapore and where to find them, starting with desserts originating from or near North and East India (there’s a whole other world of South Indian sweets waiting to be discovered too, but for the moment, we’ll start with these):
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1. Jalebi
Hands down, this has been my most favourite dessert since childhood. I mean, what’s not to like? Imagine deep-fried concentric circles made from a fermented batter of all purpose or refined wheat flour, baking soda, and water (some recipes include besan, or gram flour, for texture). The crisp circles are then dunked in a sugar syrup to soak up all that sugary goodness. Crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside, they are best eaten freshly fried.
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2. Burfi (Barfi)
You’ve probably seen lots of these diamond-shaped, square or even round treats, often garnished with nuts, or slivers of silver or gold leaf, especially around Deepavali. At their base, burfis have a fudge-like consistency, and are typically made from khoya (thickened or condensed milk), sugar, cardamom and sometimes nuts. Others substitute khoya with milk solids or nut pastes. However, there are new trending flavours each year, and it’s not unusual to see chocolate or even fruit flavours. One of the most recognisable varieties is kaju barfi (pictured at the top), also called kaju katli, made from cashew paste and garnished with edible silver leaf.
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3. Rasgulla
Both West Bengal and Eastern India lay claim to the syrupy, spongy snow white balls known as rasgulla. Made by curdling milk to separate the cheese, or chenna, the delicate cheese is kneaded till smooth and then rolled into soft balls. The balls are then gently cooked in a sugar syrup to absorb the sugar as they grow in size into soft, golf ball sized dumplings. Served in the accompanying sugar syrup too.
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4. Gulab Jamun
If you’ve seen similar sounding brown balls in display cabinets, you’re not imagining things. These beauties are cousins of the rasgullas, and are called gulab jamun, another fast favourite of mine! Believed to have Persian roots, gulab jamun was adapted into the Indian subcontinent centuries ago. And with good reason too! Made from khoya (milk solids) and flour, the balls are first gently deep-fried and then dunked in a rosewater- and cardamom-infused sugar syrup.
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5. Rasmalai
Another Bengali masterpiece, rasmalai is very similar to its cousin, the rasgulla. But this time, instead of being put in sugar syrup, the legendary cheese patties are soaked in thickened sweetened milk flavoured with cardamom and saffron, and usually garnished with nuts.
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6. Ladoo
Perhaps the most iconic of Indian sweets, there’s no Indian wedding, religious ceremony or celebration without a box of these golden spheres. These happy balls of goodness are typically made from a combination of flour, sugar and ghee or oil. Although there are several renditions available, there are two classic variations that you must try. The smoother variety is besan ladoo (made from gram flour, sugar, ghee, and cardamom powder), while the more delicate, beaded version is motichoor ladoo, made from tiny fried gram-flour pearls called boondi.
Where to get your hands on these sweet treats?
You can literally pop into any restaurant or sweet shop in Little India and they will be waiting for you, but we recommend the following:
- Moghul Sweet Shop, the first and oldest Indian sweet shop in Singapore
- Mustafa Centre for a large assortment of boxed sweets
- Kailash Parbat Restaurant
- Shivam Restaurant (online ordering available)
- A2B Veg Restaurant (online ordering available)
- Jaggi’s Northern Indian Cuisine at 36 Race Course Rd, Singapore 218554
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