The excitement of Durga Puja is in the air, but there’s one thing without which the celebration remains incomplete — it’s the irresistible array of traditional Bengali sweets that make Durga Puja sweeter in every sense.
From October 8 to 13, the air will be filled with the sounds of dhak, the shimmer of pandals, and the joyous spirit of togetherness. This five-day extravaganza not only honours the goddess Durga’s triumph over evil but also brings people together in a cultural and spiritual celebration across West Bengal, Bihar, Odisha and Jharkhand.
While Durga Puja is known for its grandeur, elaborate pandals and devotion, no celebration, especially in Bengal, is complete without indulging in an assortment of mouth-watering sweets. Whether you’re relishing them after offering your prayers or simply enjoying them with friends and family, Bengali sweets play a star role in adding to the joy of this festival.
Here are some iconic sweets that you can’t miss during Durga Puja, along with their easy-to-make recipes:
Rosogolla
No mention of Bengali sweets is complete without the iconic Rosogolla. This beloved dessert, with its soft, spongy cottage cheese balls soaked in chilled sugar syrup, is a favourite across India and a must-have during Durga Puja.
Ingredients: Milk, lemon juice, flour, sugar and water
Preparation:
- Boil the milk while gently stirring it, and add lemon juice to curdle it.
- Once the milk curdles and separates, turn off the heat.
- Strain the curdled milk using a fine cloth or strainer.
- Place the cheese (channa) in a muslin cloth and hang it to drain the excess water.
- Once the water has drained, sprinkle flour onto the channa and knead it until smooth.
- Shape the mixture into small balls.
- In a separate pan, prepare the sugar syrup by boiling water and sugar together.
- Gently drop the channa balls into the syrup and boil them for a few minutes, keeping the pan covered.
- Once cooled, refrigerate the Rosogolla and serve chilled.
Bhapa Sondesh
This is a delightful steamed variation of the classic Bengali sondesh, made with fresh channa or paneer. It’s soft, fragrant and perfect for adding an elegant touch to your Durga Puja sweet platter.
Ingredients: Milk, lemon, powdered sugar, cardamom and saffron strands.
Preparation:
- Boil 2 litres of milk in a pan.
- Extract lemon juice and add it to the boiling milk to separate the solids (channa) from the whey.
- Strain and let the channa rest for a few minutes.
- Blend the channa in a grinder to a smooth paste.
- Stir in 1/4 cup of milk, powdered sugar and cardamom powder.
- Spread the sweetened mixture on an aluminium tray and sprinkle saffron strands on top.
- Steam for 30 minutes on low heat.
- Cool it, refrigerate for 30 minutes, and your Bhapa Sondesh is ready to enjoy.
Malai Chamcham
This is another famous Bengali dessert enjoyed during Durga Puja. There are different varieties of Chamcham available in the market.
Ingredients: Milk, cardamom, almonds, water, lemon juice, khoya, sugar, pistachios
Preparation:
- Begin by preparing fresh cottage cheese (channa) from milk, similar to the process mentioned in the Rosogolla recipe.
- Knead the channa well and shape it into small cylindrical forms.
- In a pan, prepare sugar syrup by boiling water and sugar. Add powdered cardamom to enhance the flavour.
- Gently place the cylindrical chamcham pieces into the syrup and cook them for about 10 minutes.
- Once cooked, remove the pan from the heat and let the chamcham cool.
- For the stuffed version, prepare a filling by mixing khoya, crushed pistachios and cardamom powder.
- Slit the cooled chamcham vertically and fill them with the khoya mixture.
- Garnish with slivers of almonds or pistachios and serve.
Mishti Doi
Mishti Doi is a quintessential Bengali dessert known for its creamy texture and delightful sweetness. Made with fermented yogurt, this simple yet luxurious treat is a must-have during Durga Puja and is loved by people of all ages.
Ingredients: Milk, curd, jaggery or sugar
Preparation:
- Begin by boiling 1 litre of milk on a low or medium flame.
- Stir occasionally to prevent it from sticking to the bottom.
- Allow the milk to simmer until it reduces to half its original volume.
- Once reduced, turn off the heat and let the milk cool for 5-10 minutes.
- Crush some jaggery (or you can use sugar as an alternative) and stir it into the warm milk until it dissolves completely.
- Add a dash of cardamom powder to enhance the flavour and let the mixture sit for a while.
- Next, add 2 tablespoons of curd to the milk mixture and whisk it thoroughly to ensure it blends well.
- Pour the mixture into an earthen pot to enhance the aroma and texture. Cover the pot with aluminium foil.
- Leave it in a warm place to set — the setting process may take up to 24 hours.
- Once it’s set, refrigerate the Mishti Doi to chill before serving.
Malpua
Malpua is a traditional Indian sweet that is crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, making it a favourite dessert during festive occasions like Durga Puja. Made with flour, milk and ghee, these golden pancakes are soaked in sugar syrup to give them a perfect sweetness.
Ingredients: Wheat flour, milk powder, milk, ghee, cardamom seeds, sugar
Preparation:
- Start by mixing milk powder with slightly warm water and stir it until fully dissolved.
- Add cardamom powder, wheat flour and fennel seeds to the mixture.
- Stir well to form a thick and smooth batter.
- Heat ghee in a pan and pour small portions of the batter to make pancake-sized malpua. Cook each side until golden brown and crispy.
- While the malpua are cooking, prepare a sugar syrup by dissolving sugar in water and letting it simmer until slightly thick.
- Once the malpua is golden, remove it from the ghee and dip it into the sugar syrup.
- Let them soak for a minute, then serve hot.
Savour these traditional desserts and make this Durgaotsav a celebration to remember.
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