Okay, listen. Regional Indian sweets that deserve way more love are literally haunting me from 8,000 miles away right now and I’m not even dramatic about it… okay maybe a little. https://www.karnataka.com/dharwad/dharwad-peda/
I’m sitting in my stupidly cold apartment in New Jersey, heater making that annoying clicky sound, wearing two hoodies, and all I can think about is the absolute crime that most Americans (and honestly half of India) only know gulab jamun and rasgulla. Like, bro, those are the basic tier. I’m over here mourning regional Indian sweets that nobody talks about and it’s legit making me emotional at 3 a.m. while doom-scrolling Instagram reels of mithai shops in smaller towns.
Why I’m Low-Key Obsessed with Regional Indian Sweets Right Now regional Indian sweets
Last month I paid $47 for a tiny box of “artisanal” kaju katli from some bougie Indian store in Edison and it tasted like expensive cardboard. Meanwhile I’m having vivid flashbacks to this random shop in Bhubaneswar where the uncle literally pulled out a tray of Chhena Poda still smoking from the earthen oven and I almost cried because it smelled like childhood and sin combined.
Real talk: I once ate so much Lyangcha from Saktigarh that I had to unbutton my jeans in the car on the way back to Kolkata. My cousin still brings it up at family Zoom calls. “Remember when you turned into a lyangcha monster?” Yeah, Rohan, I remember, and I have zero regrets. https://www.bongcravings.com/lyangcha-saktigarh/
The Regional Indian Sweets That Actually Broke Me regional Indian sweets
Here are the ones that deserve the spotlight, fight me:
- Dharwad Peda (Karnataka) – This thing is darker, crumblier, and has that burnt caramel vibe that makes me weak. I found a packet at Patel Brothers last week and hid it from my roommate like it was drugs.
- Chhena Poda (Odisha) – Straight-up cheese cake’s cooler desi cousin. The crusty outside + gooey inside ratio is illegal.
- Lyangcha (West Bengal) – Deep-fried tube of joy soaked in sugar syrup for 12 hours. Looks like a brown cigar, tastes like heaven.
- Pazham Nirachathu (Kerala) – Banana stuffed with coconut and jaggery then grilled. I tried making it in my air fryer and almost set off the smoke alarm but it was worth it. https://goatourism.gov.in/destinations/panaji/bebinca
- Mawa Anjir Roll from Surat – Because who decided figs wrapped in reduced milk should be this good and then gatekept it to Gujarat??
My Failed Attempts to Recreate Regional Indian Sweets in America regional Indian sweets
I tried making Malappuram’s Kozhikkodan Halwa in my Instant Pot and it turned into black tar. Like, actual tar. My smoke alarm still hates me. Also bought “paneer” from Walmart thinking I could pull off Chhena Poda and ended up with something that tasted like sad gym bro protein.
Pro tip from your chaotic desi auntie living abroad: just pay the $80 shipping from iMithai or whatever and stop embarrassing yourself in the kitchen.
Where to Actually Find Decent Regional Indian Sweets in the US (No Cap)
- Sukhadia’s in Chicago somehow has decent Dharwad peda
- Bikaner in Jersey City does a shockingly good Lyangcha (don’t ask how)
- Random Facebook aunties who ship frozen Chhena Poda – DM at your own risk but 10/10 would cry again
Anyway I’m gonna go heat up the last piece of peda I’ve been gatekeeping in my fridge for three weeks now. If you’ve never tried these regional Indian sweets, fix your life immediately. Tell me your favorite underrated one in the comments so I can cry harder.
Which regional Indian sweet do you think deserves the crown? Drop it below and let’s argue like proper desis. 🫶
