Diwali, or the Festival of Lights, is upon us and we’re celebrating with sugary delights. Lifestyle editor Yashna Balwanth teaches us how to make beautiful bites that are bound to have you reaching for more! 

Sweets steeped in tradition 

Sweetmeats are shared on the eve of Diwali, either on platters or exchanged as mithai (gift boxes that are a symbol of sharing joy and prosperity). Because these bites are laden with sugar and use pantry dairy staples, they can be made well in advance. Yashna speaks fondly of how she and her mom would prepare one item every night, making sweetmeats from memory without taste testing in the week leading up to Diwali.  

Jalebi 

To make this dish, batter consistency and a steady hand when piping is key. Drench in syrup and serve warm to retain the crunch. 

Makes about 15  

Ingredients

1 tsp (5ml) lemon juice  

1 tsp (5ml) rose water  

For the syrup 

1-3 strands saffron  

¾  cup (170g) white sugar  

¾  cup (180ml) water  

1 tsp (5ml) egg-yellow food colouring  

½ tsp (2.5ml) ground cardamom  

½ cup (75g) cake flour 

¼ tsp (1ml) bicarbonate of soda  

1 Tbsp (15ml) corn flour 

3 Tbsp (45ml) plain yoghurt  

6 Tbsp (90m1) water 

1 ½  cups sunflower oil  

1 ½  cups ghee  

Method

1. For the syrup, slightly toast saffron in pan until fragrant. Remove from heat then add saffron along with sugar and water into a pot. Simmer over a low heat until it reaches thread-like consistency. 
2. Add food colouring, cardamom, lemon juice and rose water. If it’s too thick, loosen syrup with a little water. Remove from heat.  
3. For the batter, sift flour, bicarb and corn flour in a bowl. Create a well in the centre and add yoghurt.  
4. Add water, a little at a time, and whisk into a smooth batter. It should be thick in consistency, but free flowing. Pour the batter into a squeeze bottle or piping bag with a 3-4mm nozzle. 
5. Heat oil and ghee in a shallow pan over low to medium heat. Squeeze the batter into the oil in a circular motion to get the spiral shape. Don’t overcrowd the pan, as they stick to each other.  
6. Fry for 1-2 minutes, flip to fry until golden on all sides. Remove and drain on paper towel. Immediately transfer to syrup. Leave to soak completely, then remove and leave to cool on a wire rack. Repeat with remaining batter. 
7. Best served immediately, or within a few hours.

Burfee  

Creamy and melt-in-your-mouth, these soft-set bites are small in size. Decorate with rose petals, pistachios or melted chocolate. 

Makes about 60  

Ingredients

5 cups (500g) Klim milk powder  

1 can (290g) dessert cream  

¼ cup (40g) ghee 

1 ¼ cups (310ml) full-cream milk 

1 ¼ cup (170g) icing sugar  

¾ cup (165g) caster sugar  

2 tsp (10ml) rose essence  

2 tsp (10ml) ground cardamom 

Method

1. Place the milk powder into a bowl and mix in ½ cup of the dessert cream until it resembles breadcrumbs. Cover with cling wrap and allow to rest for a few hours to dry, or preferably overnight.  
2. Break up any of the large lumps. Then use a stick blender or food processor to blitz the mixture in batches to resemble fine crumbs. (For an even smoother texture, sieve the mixture after blitzing.) 
3. Combine ghee, milk, icing sugar, caster sugar and the remaining dessert cream in a medium pot. 
4. Mix over a low heat until sugar has dissolved, then bring to a boil until it has a syrupy consistency, about 5-8 minutes. 
5. Pour the syrup over the milk powder mixture, then add rose essence and cardamom. Work quickly as the mixture will start to set once it is all combined. 
6. Pour the mixture into individual wrappers, or a large pan (25x40cm). Sprinkle with decorations of choice. Allow to cool to room temperature, then refrigerate burfee overnight.  
7. If using a tray, cut burfee into 3cm squares. Store in an airtight container and refrigerate until ready to serve.  

Cook’s note: Yashna suggests using Klim milk powder for this recipe. Avoid non-dairy coffee creamers (such as Cremora) as they lack richness. 

Recipes: Yashna Balwanth 

Styling: Liezl Vermeulen

Photography: Zhann Solomons