Mitha (Desserts) with Manjit S. Gill & Chandra B. Tewari

Hindus believe the only way to nirvana is through puja, the act of daily worship. This spirituality is the basis for Indian sweets or mithai, for it is the mithai which is offered by a devotee to please the chosen God or Goddess. In the Bhagvata Purana, Lord Krishna describes mithai as the Food of Gods. To the Hindus, the centre of the Sea of Nectar is the most sacred abode. It is where they crave to reside. This nectar or amrit is prepared from five ingredients: honey, milk, desi ghee (clarified butter), sugar and water. With the addition of tulsi it is used to bathe the idol or object of worship during puja. These five ingredients are intrinsic to all Indian sweets and there is a specific reason for using each one of them. However, for reasons of space, it is impossible to go into specifics. Suffice it to say that blended with fruits, vegetables, aromatic spices, dry fruits, nuts and essences, they help create an astounding variety of exotic sweet dishes.