Diwali will be celebrated on Oct. 24 this year, but the Festival of Lights, which celebrates the triumph of good over evil, isn't complete without a touch of "mithai," or sweets.
Social media is abuzz with creators sharing thousands of recipes that fuse traditional Indian sweets with a western twist.
New Jersey-based creator Nisha Vedi Pawar, who posts her recipes online at Love Laugh Mirch, enjoys playing around with Indian flavors. "Crème brûlée is probably one of my favorite desserts that's not Indian and I love phirni (sweet rice pudding)," she said. "So I thought, 'How amazing would it be if I kind of merged the two?'"
Much like Vedi Pawar, other digital creators, including Toronto-based Aashna Agarwal and Savannah-based Sweta Patel, have created quite the buzz with their fusion creations.
Agarwal, who runs the Instagram account Mad Batter by Aashna, says it's important not to hesitate with an unfamiliar flavor combination.
"In your head you might think that, 'Oh, these two flavors can't be combined together and they won't taste good.' But then once you actually end up making it, it's like magic. It tastes beautiful," she said.
Patel's Gulab Jamun donuts, meanwhile, which can be found online at The Table of Spice, are a hit with friends and family. "I know why my mom used to always get so excited when people would be like, 'Oh my god, I'm coming to your house just to eat this,' " she said. "Now I'm my mom. I feel so special."
Check out their fusion desserts below and try making them at home in your own kitchen!
Ingredients
Pistachio sponge
160 grams milk
1/4-1/2 teaspoon saffron
160 grams flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
25 grams pistachio (roasted, unsalted, blitzed)
80 grams castor sugar
1/2 teaspoon cardamom powder
80 grams oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
Ingredients for saffron soak
100 grams condensed milk
100 grams milk
1 teaspoon saffron
Ingredients for pistachio mascarpone whip
35 grams pistachio (roasted, unsalted)
1 teaspoon maple
1 teaspoon oil
150 grams mascarpone
40 grams castor sugar
150 grams whipping cream
Blitzed pistachios for topping
Directions
For the pistachio sponge
Preheat the oven to 140 C (275 F) and line a 10-inch square baking pan with parchment.
Slightly warm the milk and add saffron to it to infuse.
In a bowl, sieve the flour and baking powder and set aside.
Shell the pistachios and blitz to small pieces.
Take a bowl big enough for all the ingredients and whisk together the pistachios, sugar and cardamom.
Add the oil, vanilla and saffron milk and whisk until incorporated.
Add the flour mix to the wet ingredients and fold to ensure everything is fully incorporated.
Pour the batter to the pan and bake for 25 minutes.
Once baked, let the sponge cool for 15-20 minutes.
For the saffron soak:
In a saucepan over low heat combine the condensed milk and milk and bring it to a soft boil.
Turn the heat off and add the saffron.
Let it cool down.
For the pistachio mascarpone whip:
Add the pistachios in the food processor and blitz for 2 minutes.
Once they are finely chopped, add the maple and oil and process until completely smooth and creamy. This takes about 2-3 minutes.
Remove into a bowl and set aside.
Next, whisk the mascarpone in a bowl to soften it.
Add the sugar and whisk until well combined.
Mix the pistachio butter with the mascarpone.
Whip until stiff peaks are achieved.
Gently fold the whipped cream to the maple pistachio mix.
Refrigerate till you are ready to use it.
For the assembly:
Add the sponge to a container and poke holes.
Generously add the saffron soak.
Spread a layer of the whip topping.
Sprinkle some pistachios.
Repeat the process for all the layers.
Refrigerate it overnight.
You can also make the gulab jamun donuts by purchasing a gulab jamun mix online or at a South Asian grocery store.
Ingredients
1/2 cup milk
1 cup milk powder
3 tablespoons semolina
2 tablespoons milk
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
2 tablespoons ghee
1 teaspoon baking powder
5 cups oil for frying
Syrup
2 1/2 cups sugar
3 cups water
1 teaspoon rose water or rose essence
2 cardamom pods
1/4 teaspoon saffron
Rose glaze
3 tablespoons powder sugar
1 tablespoon milk
1 teaspoon rose water
Directions
Rose glaze
Mix everything together until there are no lumps and you have a smooth consistency. Set aside until donuts are ready to be glazed.
Gulab jamun from scratch
Mix the semolina and 2 tablespoons of milk together. Set this aside.
In a large bowl mix together the milk powder, all purpose flour, baking powder and ghee together. Add the mixed semolina mixture and stir everything together.
Tip: Slowly incorporate the milk, add as you go; mix everything together to form the dough. You may not need the whole amount of milk which is why I add 1 tablespoon at a time.
Let the dough rest for 5-10 minutes. In the meantime, make the rose syrup.
In a sauce pan, combine the water, sugar, rose water, saffron and cardamom pods. Cook on medium heat for 10 minutes, until sugar is dissolved.
Roll out your dough 1/2-inch thick -- you don't want to roll it out too thin because it will result in flat donuts.
Using a round cookie cutter, press down firmly and cut your donut rounds! Using the back end of a piping tip to make the center hole for your donuts. Repeat and reuse the dough to make more donuts until you have no more dough!
Heat up the oil and fry the donuts until they are golden brown.
Once they are cooked, let cool for 10 minutes and then place them in the rose syrup to soak. Let them soak for at least 1 hour, but best if you can let them soak for 2 hours. Once they have been soaked, drizzle the rose glaze and enjoy!
Ingredients
For the phirni
1/4 cup basmati rice
4 cups whole milk
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon cardamom powder
10-12 saffron strands
2 teaspoons rose water
For the brûlée
4 heat-safe ceramic dishes
4 tablespoons sugar
Toppings:
Slivered pistachios
Fresh berries
Directions
Rinse the rice 2-3 times in water until the water runs clear. Drain, and spread on a baking tray and allow the grains to dry completely.
In a grinder, pulse the rice until the consistency resembles a rough sand and set aside.
Heat milk on medium high in a sauce pan and allow it to come to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and add the ground rice. Stir and add in the sugar.
Cook the ground rice in the milk for 10-12 minutes, stirring often to ensure no lumps form.
Add in the saffron strands and cook for another 10 minutes until the phirni thickens and the rice granules are softened.
Turn off the heat and mix in the cardamom powder and rose water.
Pour the phirni in serving bowls and cool at room temperature, before chilling in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours.
To brûlée: Sprinkle one tablespoon of sugar per serving and using a culinary torch, melt the sugar to form a crispy, crunchy sugar coating.
Allow it to harden before garnishing with slivered pistachios and fresh berries.
