Reviewing Indian Sweets

India, my beloved country, how could you let me down like this? Dozens upon dozens of desserts, and only a couple are actually good. I suppose that's the price to pay for making all your other food so good...

Gulab jamun

Jamun is pretty good. It's fun to eat and it's got some nice subtle flavors beneath the sweetness. The downside is that after you eat the dough part, there's a bunch of syrup left in the bowl. I do not like to drink the sugar syrup.

Payasam

Ehhh... no.

Sesame chikki

I don't like most things with sesame. How did I discover that? This stuff.

Don't take candy from strangers, people. It might be sesame chikki.

Rasmalai

Rasmalai is fantastic. It's got an interesting texture, and it's sweet but not to the point of excess. I always wish I had a little more after I finish it. I recently learned the indian grocery sells frozen rasmalai and was heartbroken to leave the store without it. Maybe another day...

Boondi

Tasty! For one bite, that is. After that... not so much.

Laddu

You'd think that, being made of boondi, boondi laddu would taste the same. However, through some magic, it tastes better! I would give up on dessert after just one small handful of boondi, but devour boondi laddu. Perhaps it's the dryness? Or maybe it's more fun to eat in a ball. Either way, it's great!

There is one downside, however, in that laddu loves to fall apart. Take a bite? Crumbs. Break off a piece? Crumbs. Eat the whole thing in one bite? It's too big for that. Plus, you crushed it a little when were trying to fit it in your mouth, and now there are crumbs. Still, as long as you have a napkin, it's not a big deal.

Laddu: Beautiful. Amazing. Ganesha Seal of Approval.

Kalkandu

Straight up sugar crystals, but if you want to eat pure, unadulterated sugar, it's more fun than the granulated kind. My grandad gave these out on some holidays (Navratri is the only one I specifically remember) and they're part of my temple's prasadam. Younger me once found a jar of them in my grandparent's laundry room, and suffered a brief crisis of morality over whether I should take a few. (I did not, thank goodness!)

Pouring sugar onto upma/poori/etc

I'm 90% certain this isn't a real thing, just the way my grandmother conviced me to eat upma when I was little. I still hated it. Then again, I did eat the upma, so maybe her tactics worked.

I have no idea why you would pour sugar on poori, though, it tastes fine as is.