Let me first start of this post by saying Happy Diwali!
I happen to be typing this on the actual day of Diwali, so to you in the future who may be reading this I wish you during the actual celebration. The ICLC Diwali event is coming up so if you happen to be reading this beforehand you should go check it out. They are getting catering from India Pavilion and it will be a lot of fun. TO learn more go here.
Since it is Diwali time it only feels fitting to talk about Diwali. Diwali at home is always a different experience. From eating all the different sweets to normal festival foods, it is always fun experience. Coming to college the thing I miss most is going to those festivals. While in America I remember going to the local temple and eating dosas and pav bhaji. In India it is whole different experience, with all the street food and parades. I am from Mumbai so it gets really crazy during Diwali. Mumbai is one of largest cities in the world and a hub for culture and food. The experience is unmatched. But this is a blog about sweets, so let us talk about sweets. What better way to talk about sweets and Diwali, than talking abut a sweet made specifically during Diwali. This is a tradition specific to where I am from in India however. I am from a region in India called Gujarat.
For Diwali, in Gujarat, they make a sweet called gughara, a sweet fired dumpling.
Gughara is the gujrati word for the sweet, so for those from other regions of India it is also known as: Gujiya (Hindi: गुजिया), Pedakiya (Hindi: पेडाकिया), or karanji (Marathi: करंजी). For a more comprehensive list click here.
Ghughra is a traditional Gujarati pastry that is typically served during Diwali. It is a fried pocket of dough filled with milk powder, ghee, sugar, nuts, and cardamom. The pocket has a signature fold that is tough to learn how to make. It is known for its sweet and savory in taste, along with the nuttiness of dry fruits and coconut. The sweet itself originates from Gujrat and has manifested across India in many forms. In Utter Pradesh the filling tends to be sticky, compared to the dryer texture in Gujarat. In Karnataka and Tamil Nadu it has take a more distinct coconut flavor. The sweet has many forms but a recipe for the most basic(Gujrati of course) version can be found here.
I know I barely spoke about the food this post but I just really wanted to talk about Diwali. So I wish you the reader a Happy Diwali and a happy new year(Diwali is the Indian new year).