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Balushahi
(Balusai)- Indian/Pakistani
Made especially during the festival of Diwali - ingredients include
sugar, water, ghee and pistachios (for garnishing.) They taste
little especially moist, and sweet donuts, with the small amount of
crunchy pistachios on top.
Would I try again?
No - it was good, but not different enough from Dunkin' Donuts to merit
a special purchase.
Where I
found it: Foods of India
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Picture not found
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Bengali Peda -
Indian
A little, tan circular sweet treat. Made of cardemom, sugar and
koya (milk boiled down to a thick paste). Very thick
and fudgelike in taste. Yum!
Would I try again?
Yes
Where
I
found it: Spice Corner
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Betel Nut Chew
(Parag)
- Indian
The fruit of the Areca palm, betel nuts
contain active compounds called
arecaine and arecoline, which are mild stimulants. Commonly mixed
with lime, and chewed/spit like tobacco, betel nuts stain the lips and
gums bright red, and are thought to be an addictive carcinogen when
used longterm. Yum!
My initial observation: the chew has a real menthol-type taste.
The nuts
are extremely hard, and just sit in your mouth and percolate. I
didn't salivate half as much as I expected. There was a
noticeable stimulant effect, kind of like drinking five cups of coffee
without the jitters. But was it amazing? Nah. And the
gritty chew in the mouth was kinda nasty after awhile.
Next day observation: NEVER
AGAIN! (Why, oh why didn't I learn my lesson after eating
hebo? ) The lime that's part of the mix caused a chemical burn,
along the inside of my cheek. It's not life threatening, but neither is
it particularly comfortable. It'll probably take a week of
Ambusol to take care of this one. Can't say I recommend the
experience...!
Would I try again?
No - the carcinogenic sideffects and chemical burn from the lime
is...well...offputting?
Where I found it:
On the web - do a search under "Betel Nut Chew", and you'll find a
company. (The one I purchased from sold the chew as just a
curiosity, but not for consumption.)
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Bundia (Boondi)
-
Indian/Pakistani
Bundia resembles nothing so much as a bunch of rice crispies, broken up
into the individual tiny nuggets - a few of them colored green and red
- and soaked in syrup. It also kind of looks like little tiny
fragments of mexi-corn. The actual ingredients are flour,
vegetable oil, sugar and green cardemon. It's sweet in a slightly
subtle way (not all that subtle, really), and gets better as you eat.
Would I try again?
Yes.
Where I found it: My
local Bronx deli.
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Burfi
- Indian/Pakistani
So far, the best thing I've had vis a vis an Indian dessert.
Yellow and fudge like. Sweet, and smooth and made from milk and
other ingredients. If you try no other Indian dessert, try the
burfi. Really, really nice.
Would I try again?
Yes, at least 3.25 stars!
Where I
found it: Little Pakistani Deli |
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Cham
cham (chom chom) - Indian/Pakistani
Milk, cottage cheese, sugar, cream of wheat and green cardemon - little
tan, slightly crumbly sweet balls of taste. They are yummy,
although very similar in taste to several of the other desserts listed
here. I like other similar variants, like Golopzam, better.
Would I try again?
Yes.
Where I
found it: A local Bronx Deli.
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Picture not found
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Dal Pari -
Indian
Couldn't find any information on the web on this one, and that's a
shame. It's sweet, and very fudgelike, and extremely
satisfying. When you're at Spice Corner, this is one thing that
you should definitely sample.
Would I try again?
Yes.
Where
I
found it: Spice Corner
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Emarti
(Jangeri) - Indian
It's vivid orange, and look something like a small cruller, with a
jelly-like shine to it. The texture is quite moist and nice, as
if that crispy cruller had been soaked briefly in syrup. A very
nice hit of sweetness, tasty and right to the point. Includes
lentils, sugar, ghee, oil, almonds, Kewara Essence. 3.25 Stars.
Would I try again?
Yes, it's a great little bit of sweetness, perfect for when strolling
down the street. :)
Where I found it: Shaheen
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Gulab
Jamun - Indian/Pakistani
a.k.a. Golopzam
Dark, gooey round balls of syrupy sweetness (a common theme with
a type of Indian dessert called Ghee Ki Mithai.)
Ingredients include milk, sugar, cardamon, ghee
and baking powder, all deep fried to a dark red-purple color. The
texture is most akin to a round, packed
pancake that's been soaked in the syrup and served. Yummy.
At least 3.25 stars.
Would I try again?
Yes.
Where I
found it: Little
Pakistani Deli |
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Halwa/Halva/Halavah
- Indian/Pakistani, Turkish and Greek
Halva has any number of variations - made with tahini, semolina,
carrot, milk, cheese, sugar..and textures from liquid to cake
form. It all depends on the ethnicity and the individual
recipe. The two types that I've tried thus far are:
Carrot Indian Halavah -
Orange, partially moist sweet cake. A tad crumbly, but
quite nice to taste. There's grated carrot in the mix, and it's
not bad, although not exactly mind blowing.
Multani Halavah - Brown,
sweet and very nice.
Tahini Turkish Halavah -
My parents used to buy this type in block form - it's got a slightly
grainy texture, and it's very
addictive, and sweet and smooth. If you haven't had this form of
Halavah, you have to try
it! This type comes in plain, chocolate flavored or studded with
nuts.
Would I try again?
Yes, and so far I prefer the Turkish version.
Where I
found it (the Indian Version): Little
Pakistani Deli and Spice Corner
For more information:
Read
the Many Faces of Halvah
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Jalebi -
Indian/Pakistani
A deep fried Southern Indian dessert, made of sugar, flour,
buttermilk, saffron (for coloring) and ghee. Very similar to
Emarti (see above.)
Wonder if Jablebi means anything like jelly, which is the way it
shines. As for the texture, it's crispy, and yet somehow also
gooey. At 3.25 stars!
Would I try again?
Yep - this is a great little treat!!
Where I
found it: Foods of India
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Picture not found
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Kaju Katl -
Indian
Made of cashew powder, ghee (indian butter) and water, these little
sweets are diamond shaped, with a slightly exotic taste (must be the
cashew powder.) They're sweet and slightly fudgelike. Not
bad, but not earthshaking.
Would I try again?
Nah, at least, no rush.
Where
I
found it: Spice Corner
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Kaju Rolls
(Finger Rolls) - Indian/Pakistani
Little finger sized (hence the name) rolls of sweets. Cakey,
sweet and slightly dry. Not bad, and they come in different
colors, depending where you go. A Northern Indian treat.
Would I
try again? No - they weren't special enough for a repeat
purchase.
Where I
found it: Spice Corner
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Kala Jamun
(Kalazam) -
Indian/Pakistani
Very similiar to Gulab
Jamun (see above) -
ingredients include heavy green milk, sugar, baking powder, vegetable
shortening and nutmeg. Also deep fried.
Would I try again?
Yes.
Where I found it: Local
bronx deli.
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Kalakund
(Kalakand)(Milk Cake)- Indian/Pakistani
I really liked this stuff - it tastes and has the texture of a good
cheese cake - which it should, as it's made of paneer (a type of
cheese), cardamom flavoring and condensed milk. It also
looks extremely easy to make,
as per this recipe on
the web. 3.5 stars!
Would I
try again? Yes, if only to make it on my own to see if I
can do it.
Where I
found it: Spice Corner
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Kheer -
Indian/Pakistani
a.k.a. Payasam
A sweet, milk and rice porridge dessert (sometimes with
vermicelli noodles), flavored with cardamom and
sugar (and rose syrup?) This was very good! It had a
strong hint of something like vanilla - perhaps it was the rose
syrup. Very pleasant to
have - it's quickly becoming one of my favorite Indian type desserts!
Would I try again?
Yes! It's on the list for one of my favorite Indo-Pakistani
desserts!
Where I found it: Pak Punjab
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Kulfi -
Indian/Pakistani
A rich, Indian version of ice cream, made of milk, sugar and
various flavorings. Creamier than your average US version, and
sometimes served with the thin, vermicelli noodles known as Falooda.
The version I had was a frozen cone served on a popsicle stick,
pistachio flavor.
Would I try again?
Yes, on occasion. It wasn't different enough to seek out
regularly, though.
Where I found it: Punjabi (the Falooda version is
available at Mint,
in Midtown East.)
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Ladoo
(Moti Choor and other variations) - Indian/Pakistani
The ubiquitous round balls with chickpea flour, sugar and ghee
(clarified butter), soaked in sweet syrup. According to what I've
read, Ladoo's often are a part of religious ceremonies, and are offered
to gods at the temples. They range from very oozy with syrup to
slightly crumbly - but sweet, nonetheless.
Would I try again?
Yes.
Where I
found it: Little Pakistani Deli
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Picture not found
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Mali Kary -
Indian/Pakistani
Like many Indian desserts, this one is made of milk, cottage cheese,
sugar, cream of wheat and cardemon. A very nice, sweet snack -
similar Gulab Jamon and Chom Chom.
Would I try again?
Yes.
Where
I
found it: My local Indian deli in the Bronx (the vendor is
Dhaka Sweets & Restaurant,
Inc. in Jamaica, NY.)
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Mysore Pak -
Indian/Pakistani
A half-moist, half crumbly cake, made of Chickpea flour, sugar, ghee
and water. Nice. Not altogether different from other Indian
desserts, but nice.
Would I
try again?
Yes.
Where I
found it: Spice Corner
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Patisa
(Soan Papdi) - Indian/Pakistani
A mixture of flour, ghee, sugar, milk and cardamom. It's got a
wonderful grainy/smooth/moist texture - not quite describable. 3 stars!
Would I try
again?
Yes - I liked the smooth, different texture of this sweet!
Where I
found it: Spice Corner
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Ross
Gollah (Ras Gulla) - Indian/Pakistani
White sweet balls of Indian cottage cheese (paneer), soaked in a sugar
syrup. Extremely yummy - and (except for the sugar), very
nutritous..
Would I try again?
Yes.
Where I
found it: A local Bronx Deli.
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Sandesh Paneer-
Indian/Pakistani
Another Indian cheese recipe (see
Kalakund above). This are small bon-bon sized cakes, made
of sugar and paneer cheese. These were harder and crumblier than
Kalakand, and I didn't like them as much (although they were
fine.) Looking at the ingredients, I'm not sure what the
difference is, but--nothing against this dessert--my vote goes to the
Kalakund!
Would I
try again? No - not special enough to try again.
Where I
found it: Spice Corner
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Shrikhand
A Gujarati dessert made from thick, strained yogurt - laced liberally
with sugar, cardamom and saffron. Kind of like a really, really
rich vanilla custard, with alot more zing....
Would I
try again? I have to admit, this stuff is extremely rich
and tasty. If it weren't for the dairy, I would make it an
occasional treat...
Where I found it: Sukhadia |
