Sweets or desserts complete every meal we have. Whatever we may have at dinner, we are always curious to know what's for dessert, be it a small piece of peanut or coconut chikki, a piece of our favourite chocolate or icecreams. Sweets make us happy and add that much-needed brightness to our lives. Here are some lip smacking Maharashtrian sweets that are a must-try for you.
Puran Poli
A sweet dish is a rich, decadent item made with simple ingredients but prepared with soft and firm hands by mothers and grandmothers. Channa dal is cooked, mashed and fried with ghee, sugar or jaggery with some cardamon and nutmeg powder for that decadent taste. Once it reaches a puran or stuffing like consistency, it is cooled and stuffed into wheat roti dough like a paratha. It is cooked on a hot Tawa and then slathered with desi ghee.
Ukadiche Modak
Lord Ganesha's favourite sweets are these dumplings which have an outer coating of rice flour and are stuffed with jaggery and coconut. The dumplings are steamed on a banana leaf in a steamer. They are served hot with a dollop of ghee. These sweet dumplings are made during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival to celebrate Lord's love for sweets.
Shrikhand
A sweet yoghurt dish is served chilled during a Pangat on a wedding or a special occasion. The yoghurt is tied in a soft muslin cloth to remove the whey water and get the thick creamier yoghurt, also called 'chakka'. It is then mixed with sugar, cardamom powder, saffron, and chopped nuts. Served with piping hot puri, shrikhand is sometimes made using fresh fruits.
Mango Mastani
A delightful sweet served in a glass is every Punekar's favourite. Made with ice cream, mango pulp, and garnished with nuts and dry fruits, it's a must have dessert treat during summer nights. It is a thick mango shake that has become popular in other parts of Maharashtra.
Basundi
A traditional dessert which prepared by reducing milk and flavoured with cardamom powder, sugar and dry fruits. It can be had hot or cold. These we can get fresh fruit basundi too.
Chirote
Chirote is a flaky, crunchy dessert of Maharashtra. It has a light and crispy texture. A dough of maida is prepared and fried in round disc shapes. It is then dusted with powdered sugar and hand like a tea snack.
Chikki
Our favourite memory while travelling from Mumbai to Lonavala would be buying packets of peanut chikki. The simple dessert made with jaggery and peanuts is the Indian energy bar. Chikkis are produced various dry fruits and coconut too.
These are some of the lip-smacking Maharashtrian snacks, which are a must try for all. Indian sweets hold a special place in our hearts as they remind us of our mothers and grandmothers making batches of them for children and adults of the family. They are best enjoyed when had with our loved ones.
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