Diwali Traditional Sweets: Explore the Rich Flavors of Besan Laddoo, Kaju Katli, and Mysore Pak

Diwali mithai recipes are all the rage on social media these days. In fact, for all the weeks leading up to this festival, you find countless hacks and tips on your feed to prepare Diwali traditional sweets at home with the bare minimum effort. This can end up utterly confusing anyone, but especially beginners deciding what to make, or trying to learn the ropes of making traditional sweetmeats. These recipes are going to clear your confusion and help you grasp the basics of easy Diwali sweets for beginners to brighten up your festive days.

Besan Laddoo

Ingredients:

• 200 gm gram flour
• 95 gm ghee
• 150 gm sugar
• 55 ml milk
• 2 tsp cardamom
• 1 tsp baking soda
• An assortment of dry fruits

Method:

1. For this recipe, you are first going to mix ghee, gram flour and baking soda in a bowl, and using a wooden spoon, make sure that there are no big lumps present.
2. Then you need to carefully add milk and sugar into the flour mixture while combining everything well into a soft dough.
3. Next, divide this dough into separate balls of 2.5 inches each.
4. Now you need to transfer them on a tray greased with ghee and prop them into the refrigerator for an hour.
5. Before serving, you must top these sweetmeats with some chopped dried fruits, like pistachios, almonds or cashews.

Mysore Pak

Ingredients:

• 210 gm gram flour
• 95 gm ghee
• Few strands of saffron
• 120 gm sugar
• 70 ml water
• 2 tsp cardamom
• 1 tsp baking soda

Method:

1. This classic dessert recipe will require you to mix ghee, gram flour and baking soda in a bowl.
2. Next, immerse the saffron strands in warm water for half an hour, and pour this saffron-flavored water and sugar into the dry mixture and give everything a good stir.
3. Next, you need to put this concoction on medium heat and keep stirring it in order to prevent the mix from burning. Use a thick-bottomed saucepan to prevent the bottom from becoming too hot too fast.
4. After the concoction has become thick and golden in color, you can take it off the heat and pour it into a tray that has been greased with ghee.
5. Once it is cooled to room temperature, you need to refrigerate it for an hour.
6. Before serving, you can cut it into beautiful shapes, and serve with your evening coffee.

Kaju Katli

Ingredients:

• 300 gm unsalted cashews
• 180 gm sugar
• 50 ml water
• 2 tbsp ghee
• 2 tsp cardamom
• Silver leaf or nuts

Method:

1. A day before you make this dish, soak the cashews in water overnight, then transfer them into a mixer grinder, and blend them into a smooth paste. Do this step a couple of times to get rid of the grainy texture.
2. In a medium-sized saucepan, add water, sugar and ghee and put this concoction on low to medium heat.
3. Once the mixture has come to a boil, add the cashew paste, and let it cook on low heat until the mixture has reduced considerably and become thick and gluey.
4. After some time, you will notice that the mixture has turned golden in color. It is then that you can take it off the heat, transfer it into a tray greased with ghee, let it cool down to room temperature, and then put it in the refrigerator overnight.
5. Once you take it out of the refrigerator, cut it in the classic diamond shape.
6. If you're feeling fancy, coat the Katlis with silver leaves. You can also garnish them with chopped almonds.

It is always a better idea to use non-stick pans instead of cast iron skillets while making these desserts because most of the batters have high sugar content, and thus can stubbornly stick to the base of the pan and become challenging to clean. Using nonstick pans will also enable you to incorporate a lesser quantity of ghee into each dish.

You can also regulate the amount of sugar you want to put in this dish, and can also supplement sugar with jaggery powder if you want the sweets to have a higher molasses content. All of these desserts can be stored in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 7 days, making them perfect for gifting to your guests and loved ones.