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North Indian Desserts

By , About.com Guide

These desserts may be North Indian in origin but they're known and loved worldwide. The reason for that is pretty obvious when you taste them!

1. Gulab Jamun

This delicious dessert consists of dumplings traditionally made of thickened or reduced milk, soaked in rose flavored sugar syrup.

2. Gaajar Ka Halwa (carrot pudding)

This delicious, rich pudding loaded with nuts and dried fruits is well-known all over the world. It is normally eaten warm so it tastes really good combined with vanilla icecream.

3. Kulfi

Is there an Indian version of ice-cream? You bet! Try Kulfi. With it's oh-so-milky and mild cardamom flavors it's sure to have you hooked.

4. Jalebi

Jalebis are crispy-fried and soaked in sugar syrup. Yummy!

5. Ras Malai

Ras Malai is sweet dumplings made from cottage or riccotta cheese soaked in sweetened, thickened milk delicately flavored with cardamom. Serve it chilled and garnished with slivers of dried fruit.

6. Kheer (rice pudding)

This creamy rice pudding is delicately flavoured with cardamom and full of nuts. It's a great dessert for anytime of the year.

7. Shahi Tukra

Truly a royal dessert, as its name suggests, Shahi Tukra is a rich bread pudding with dry fruits, flavored with cardamom.

8. Besan Ka Laddoo (gram flour sweet)

Besan Ka Laddoo is an all-time favourite and made on several special occasions and festivals. The trick to getting this sweet right is in browning the besan (gram flour) perfectly.

9. Malpua (pancakes in syrup)

Pancakes Indian style! Malpuas are far too special to confine them to breakfast but after you've tried them you'll probably want them at every meal!

10. Gujia or Nuereos with Khoya Filling

Made all over India as a festival sweet, Gujias or Nuereos differ only slightly from region to region. In North Indian states, like Uttar Pradesh, the filling is made with sweetened khoya (milk thickened almost to a solid state) and nuts.

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