Diwali is such a gloriously festive time of the year. For Hindus, Buddhist, Sikhs, Jains, it celebrates the triumph over light and goodness over darkness and evil. And back in India, communities celebrate Diwali with street fairs, live music, lots of fireworks, and most of all plenty of delicious Indian sweets.
But if you’re reading this, you probably live in Australia. You also probably pride yourself on being part of a wonderful mix of cultures – possibly a true blue, fair dinkum Aussie and a pakka Desi.
We think we’ve found eight of the most perfect East-meets-West Diwali dessert recipes. Each one uses classic Indian flavours to create something a little different, yet familiar at the same time. Whether you’re an Indian-Aussie or not, the five-day celebration of Diwali, the festival of lights, is a great excuse to get sweet with a twist.
1. Gulab jamun cheesecake
Developed by Rumela Roy of Mix and Stir, this is a cheesecake to beat all cheesecakes. Gulab jamuns are soft deep fried cheese balls soaked in sugar syrup. A cheesecake is mostly baked cream cheese. Put the two together and you’ve got yourself a dairy dessert like no other. Get the recipe here.
2. Sweet ravioli
Sweet pastas can be tricky to get right. But this dish, developed by Madhuri Aggarwal of Mad About Kitchen is rather simple when once you realise it’s just a new take on rasamalai. She tells SBS the inspiration for the dish came from her two favourite cuisines: Indian and Italian. Get the recipe here.
3. Turmeric ice cream
Since the golden latte took hipster cafes by storm last year, turmeric’s been getting a lot of press. But imagine if you could get the superfood into your favourite cold creamed dessert? We've got two options: this turmeric and coconut ice-cream, from right here at SBS Food:
And there's this beautiful version, a cream and condensed milk turmeric ice cream from Madhuri Aggarwal. Get the recipe here.
4. Milk fudge flapjack
If you love India's multitude of fudge-like sweets, try this. "This includes two of my favourite things and I have made their worlds collide: flapjack – sticky, sweet and oaty – topped with a spiced Indian milk fudge. Why have one world when you can build a bridge between two," says Nadiya Hussain. Get her recipe here.
And if you're after other fudge-like sweets, we have many delicious recipes for you, from burfi flavoured with cardamom and coconut (and white choc chips, if you like!) to mohanthal (chickpea flour fudge).
5. Paan truffles
Feeling fancy? These paan (beetle leaf) flavoured truffles say elegance like nothing else. Developed by Sandhya Rege Nadkarni of Indfused, the centres of each delectable morsel is filled with gulkand which is preserve made of rose petals. *wipes drool from mouth* Get the recipe here.
6. Masala chai carrot cake
Developed by best-selling cookbook author and writer Nik Sharma of Nik Sharma Cooks, this spicy carrot cake is tea time treat! With the perfect blend of cinnamon, saffron, cardamom, and black Darjeeling tea, it’ll soon be the only way you make carrot cake from now on. Get the recipe here.
7. Kiwi barfi
Seasonal fruit? Check. A classic Indian sweet? Check. Quick and easy to make? Check and check. Developed by Farrukh Aziz Ansari of Cubes n Juliennes, who tells SBS this humble barfi is both sweet and tangy. Get the recipe here.
8. Cumin, black pepper and ghee shortbread
Shortbread-like biscuits appear the world over. Here, Kulsum Kunwa makes a sweet-salty shortbread, with ghee instead of butter and flavoured with cumin seeds and black pepper. It's a deceptively simple looking treat to add to your Diwali plans. Get the recipe here.
There you have it, our pick of delicious East-meets-West dessert recipes to celebrate the festive season. Happy Diwali! Check out our Diwali recipe collection here.
SBS Food is a 24/7 foodie channel for all Australians, with a focus on simple, authentic and everyday food inspiration from cultures everywhere. NSW stream only. Read more about SBS Food
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