Deepavali (Diwali) Treats
I love Indian sweets. In my university days, my father would drive all the way to Jai Hind in Masjid India to buy my favourite Indian sweetmeat, pal kova (no relation to pavlova), to make up for chucking me in a hostel run by a tyrant Master for four years. I'd nibble on the precious confection slowly, relishing its milky goodness.
Indian sweetmeats are a great way to end a meal, as the sweetness of the dessert acts as a foil for a spicy Indian meal. Then again, the confections aren't exactly desserts as they can be eaten at any time and anywhere.
Every year, Brickfields comes alive during the weeks prior to Deepavali. Huge makeshift tents are put up in the carpark outside KL Sentral which house gaily decorated stalls selling sarees, colourful jewellery and home decoration items brought in from India.
Pretty Pui and I love visiting the stalls, drinking in the atmosphere while looking for a bargain. Over the years, I have accumulated several pretty sarees for which I have yet to find an occasion to wear. The temptation to buy is just too great as the array of products is amazing!
This year, we noticed an increase in the number of stalls selling Indian confection, each one proudly proclaiming that they were the specialists in Punjabi sweets. The selection is more varied as compared to the daily fare found in Indian restaurants.
I am usually invariably drawn to the gulab jamun. Even though it resembles the chinese "tong yuen", the similarity ends there. The gulab jamun is made with milk, cream and ghee, and then rolled into balls and fried. The fried balls are then transferred to a bowl of syrup. Sounds sinful? It is! But that makes it all the more pleasurable, doesn't it?
Other confections available include laddu, halva and athirasam. I am told that in India, the selection is even greater. So if anyone's going to India, do grab me a boxful of these babies, will ya?
Stalls selling muruku, omapudi and a variety of nuts also abound.
I do love the festive season, don't you?
The glorious people of Abu Dhabi may click HERE to view the pics.
33 comments:
Very nice, am yet to see a more beautiful post on Indian sweets than this!
Wow i am drooling.
I have a feeling that i stepped into a sweet shop in India after seeing all the pic
you take gorgeous pics.
omg!! now i absolutely have to eat some of these!!! this was a the most mouth-watering post ever!!! oh, god, I need sweets so bad!!:)
Oh I am drowning now! hopelessly with your palate of desserts! sweet tnederness over this coming festive!
I'm looking forward to the celebration too...can eat all these goodies! Yay!
last week i bought some goodies from jesal... i was on 7th heaven haha... hmmm yumyum
sra: what a sweet comment!
happy cook: Oh, I bet the sweet shops in India are glorious! I'd love to visit one.
bee: Thanks!!
mansi desai: I hope you get your fix! :-) Thanks.
BBO: The sweets are just a train-ride away. hehe!
wmw: can eat now oso. heehee. no need to wait until Deeps next week!
babe_kl: Yeah, Jesal's sweets are really good quality stuff. Yummy!!
oooh la la ! Look at those beautiful pictures. Just yummy and drooling
emmm, the mosaic sight of sweets are just simply fascinating. it's more exagerated with flourescent colours of those in india..simply untouchable..hehe. talking about that i hv never actually participated in a 'deep deeep punye valii' festival, as in walking their streets and savor in the atmoshpere. i should and i must this year uh?
em, a good excuse for me to drop by buddhist maha vihara!
beautiful pictures!..didnt knw got so many goodies near by my place..but i find it tooo sweeeet...
Great post sista. First time reading a post dedicated to Deepavali goodies, reminds me on coverage of ramadan bazaar. Have not tried Indian sweets apart from Gulab Jamun, but the one i had sadly was not nice.
Got Indian chocolates or not har?
*hee-hee, knowing she'll kill me for this*
Why are sweetmeats sweetmeats when they have no meat? And sweetbreads sweetbreads when they have no bread?? And they aren't even sweet..
Somehow sweets from Masjid India and Lebuh Ampang are superior to those from elsewhere. I had some at a neighbour's house and it was soooo good. Found out, her dad specially bought it from Lebuh Ampang.
I must try those here - there are loads of them. Just looking at them makes for my sugar ration for the day. Unfortunately no one else in the house shares my love for them. Why don't I just wait for your visit and we try togeder-togeder.. :D
redchillies: gotta love them sweets!
k.t.x: ya lor. in addition to doing a deepavali food crawl around Brickfields, you can add all the other festivals to your list as well, since Brickfields is the hub for all types of culture and sin.
Nipples: Ya lor...just take a short walk down from your office and you're there!
Precious Sista: Oh, there's so much more out there other than gulab. Come come...I'll take you on an indian sweets crawl. :-)
Kenny: Actually, there is. More importantly, will you be able to find your way to Brickfields to look for them indian chocs? :-P
Kat: I'd give up trying to understand the english language. I love indian sweets, but in moderation, of course. The middle eastern stuff must be pretty good too. Loads of sugar, but what the heck - u only live once. May as well die smiling.
OMG!!!!! I´m drooling all over here. I can imagine how colouful Masjid India is at the moment. I all these a lot lot. Still wondering wen can I go back home to KL to celebrate Deepavali.
awesome pics!! im droolin over each pic!!
very good description of the various sweets, which I find too sweet for me. I describe them as sweeter than sugar stuff (got such thing meh ?, lol)...
oh ya Great pics...
Yes, I do love the festive season too!
Wow! Looks so nice. Any recipes?
Oh beautiful food!
so preeeetttyyyyy, I love coconut ice, keyseri and gulab jamun. But only in small doses as it so tooth-achingly sweet!
wow.... to be honest, i have never tried all these before.. must be yummy!
wow... to be honest, i have never tried all these before! i bet it must be sinfully good.... thanks for sharing! :D
happy deepavali to you ( and Indian readers too ) !
You missed out on 1 tiny gorgeous pix ( LL in saree , the exra short one )
bet there will more drools
Great pics! Your pics have always been inspiring (the write-ups also lar) :)
I simply love gulab jamun, can eat at least 10 at one sitting 0_~
The other treats look sooooo good too, haven't had those in like dunno how long oredi.
Wow..!! all the sweet stuff.. ;) i never used to like them.. for i donch have a sweet tooth.. but if i can turn the clock back.. i'll try everything. :)
I wanna try everything! =) Sadly, I only know where to get gulab jamun in this part of California.
pushpa: have you been away from malaysia for long? I hope you get to visit home soon. :)
swaroopa: hehe...thank ye!!
bernsy: I do agree with you. The sweets do seem sweeter than sugar! I guess the key is consumption in moderation. :-)
cynthia: you'd love Malaysia...so many festive seasons here!
tunku halim: I hope to be able to post some recipes soon. Keep an eye on my blog....coming soon! ;-)
tankiasu: yeah, they're pretty, aren't they?
paprika: oooh my type of friend! LOL. It's especially good after eating a spicy meal!
meiyen: with deepavali approaching, you should go try some!:-) If you visit these stalls, they give u free samplers. ;-)
tonixe: I doubt if a picture of LL in a saree would make anyone drool. ROFL. Maybe spit!
nic(khkl): thanks....I think! LOL. You have a nice blog too. :-)
firehorse: you could try making some at home. I don't think it's that difficult. All you need is lotsa milk!
mamabok: i know what you mean about turning back the clock. God knows what else I'd do too. haha.
chubbypanda: you could try making some of these sweets at home. They'd be so festive. You could serve them at christmas!
Ooo... Zitrongrass, I love Indian sweets and desserts! The burfis especially, and kulfi. And you're such a sweetie, too. ^_^
Argus: Awwww....u so sweet lar. :-D
I also agree the Indian goodies really nice and delicious. Normally, I'll try for it when Deepavali coming because that time I'll visit to my Indian friend house. Really enjoyable!! Besides, I would like to share a site : http://www.1linegreetings.com/ with you all here. This site can let us to order the greeting cards online. Since Deepavali coming soon, so I think this site will help us a lots. I got tried it before, it is easier, convenience and save time. Hope my sharing will help you all. :)
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