Mithai

Mithais, also known as Mishtaan (meaning sweet food), are synonymous with celebrations in India. Any good news be that of a promotion, marriage, birth in a family or festivals like diwali, holi etc is invariably heralded with a box of sweets. Our favourite expression is muh meetha karo . An astounding variety of sweets is available from different parts of the country. This culinary heritage, which has been passed down from generation to generation, needs to be preserved. There are many times one wishes to have some knowledge of this culinary expertise to make something special and appropriate for the occasion. In this book, I have listed step-by-step instructions for recipes which will enable you to make your favourite sweets easily at home. The list includes Bengali sweets like rasgullas, chum chum, raj bhog, milk and mava based sweets and of course the favourite sandesh to name a few. There a lots of sweets one can make from the basic rasgulla, sandesh and dry fruit based mithais. I have suggested a few but there should be no end to one s creativity and you can always create something new using these basic recipes. Also one can buy rasgullas from a sweet-meat shop and garnish them to create a completely new mithai, but this should be only to save on time as there is nothing quite as rewarding as home made rasgullas. Use your discretion when using these as they may not be suitable for all people.Certain intricate sweets may take a little practice and experience for example Mysore Pak and Ghevar. But do not be disheartened as there are several recipes ideal for beginners as well. Mithais are actually quite easy to prepare as you will find out yourself and once you have mastered the techniques of making these scrumptious delicacies at home, you would hardly need to go to a sweet-meat shop. Have fun with these recipes!