Diwali on social media – a modern take on traditional desserts

Sacha van Niekerk

CELEBRATE Diwali with fusion sweetmeats and desserts that borrow inspiration and technique from various cultures, with deliciously modern twists.

Soaked in spice-infused syrups, brightly coloured and beautifully moulded, “mithai”, or sweetmeats, are confectionery of the Indian subcontinent.

Their origin has been traced to at least 500BCE, when records suggest raw sugar and refined sugar were being produced. While many of the recipes have been handed down from past generations and are hundreds of years old, in recent years they have seen some major transformations, most occurring on social media.

With aesthetics being one of the most important aspects of what makes food “Instagram-worthy”, it’s no surprise that main changes are to the appearance.

Food bloggers, professional chefs and even home cooks have been posting their dishes on contentsharing platforms that place emphasis on visuals, drawing people in and inspiring them to experiment with new flavours and techniques.

In the social media era, we’ve seen the delights transformed with contemporary twists, and fusions from popular dishes traversing a diverse range of cultures. The creations veer on the verge of innovation but stay true to tradition by highlighting the distinctive taste of the treats.

Bharti Sanghi, the founder of Life Artisanal Food, shared her insight on the growing trend: “With time, traditional Indian sweets have also seen some changes, with the addition of a little modernity – read ‘fusion mithai’. Not just the taste but also its presentation, techniques, plating style and so on add to this concept of ‘fusion mithai’.”

Here are contemporary fusion desserts to try this Diwali:

GULAB JAMUN TRIFLE By @thetableofspice

Vanilla whipped cream: 500g heavy whipping cream; ½ tbs vanilla extract

Biscuit crumble: 500g shortbread biscuits; ¼ cup butter melted

Gulab Jamun:15-20 gulab jamun store bought or home-made

Vanilla whipped cream: Blend the heavy whipping cream, vanilla extract and icing sugar. Mix/blend until you have a thick, whipped consistency.

Biscuit: In a food processor, add the shortbread biscuits and pulse a couple of times until you start seeing a texture like fine sand.

Transfer into a bowl and add the melted butter, mix until everything is well incorporated.

Assembly:

In small cups, layer the crumbles on the bottom, followed by vanilla whipped cream and small pieces of gulab jamun.

Keep repeating until the cup is filled. Top with a gulab jamun and sprinkle on some cookie crumbles. Add chopped pistachio for garnish as well.

MANGO LASSI POPSICLES By @cookwith_harsha

2 cups full-fat Greek yoghurt; ¾ cup mango purée; 2 tbs honey or any other sweetener of your choice; ¾ strands saffron dissolved in 1 tbs hot milk (optional); crushed pistachios to garnish

Blend everything together to form a smooth mixture. Taste and adjust the sweetness according to taste.

Transfer to popsicle moulds and freeze until set. Once set, garnish with pistachios and serve.

SHRIKHAND CANNOLIS By @thetableofspice

450g ricotta cheese; 1 cup powder sugar; 6 saffron strands; ½ tsp cardamom powder; 2 tbs almond, slivers or finely chopped; 2 tbs pistachio, slivers or finely chopped; 12 cannoli shells or 24 mini shells

In a large bowl, combine the drained ricotta cheese, sugar, saffron strands and cardamom powder. Using a stand mixer/electric mixer, or even a whisk, mix everything together, until the ricotta is light and airy, about 1 to 2 minutes.

Fold in the chopped almonds and pistachio, and give everything a good mix.

Transfer the mixture into a piping bag or Ziploc bag, if using a Ziploc bag, cut a medium-size hole. Make sure the hole you cut it big enough, so the almonds and pistachio don’t get stuck.

Putting slight pressure on the piping bag, insert the tip of the piping bag into the cannoli shell. As you squeeze the piping bag, the cannoli will fill quickly, so don’t apply to much pressure.

Optional: Dip the sides of the cannolis into some chopped pistachio and almonds. You can use dried rose petals for a extra fancy touch. You can also sprinkle with extra powder sugar on top before serving.

TRES LECHES SOJI CAKE By @naliyani

Cake 4 tbs butter or margarine; 1 cup sugar; 3 eggs; 1 cup (250ml) self-raising flour; 1 cup desiccated coconu;t 1 cup Taystee Wheat; ½ tsp vanilla essence; ½ tsp egg yellow food colouring; ¼ tsp cardamom powder; 1 cup of milk to combine and mix ingredients

Milk Mixture: 1 can evaporated milk 1 can sweetened condensed milk 250ml fresh cream

Melt the butter. Add the sugar and eggs, and whisk until creamy. Add the flour, coconut, Taystee Wheat, and mix well.

Add the vanilla essence, food colouring and cardamom, and stir well, until the mixture is thick and creamy.

Add the milk gradually to combine all the ingredients.

Spray a baking pan with non-stick spray. Pour the mixture into the baking pan. Bake at 160 to 180ºC degrees for 25 to 30 minutes, or until baked. Allow the cake to cool for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine the evaporated milk, condensed milk, and ¼ cup fresh cream in a small bowl.

Pierce the cake surface with a fork several times.

Slowly drizzle the mixture, leaving 1 cup of the milk mixture aside.

Allow the cake to absorb the milk mixture for 30 minutes.

Whip the remaining fresh cream and, 2 tablespoons of sugar, until thick enough to pipe onto the cake. Decorate with almonds and pistachio.