A world of colours & flavours

We went to opposite ends of the GTA for a primer on popular traditional confections shared and enjoyed during the festival of lights

There are few holidays as sweet as Diwali, the festival of lights that celebrates the victory of good over evil or the triumph of light over darkness. The festival, which begins this week, is marked by gorgeous confections of all shapes and colours as it is tradition to give boxes of these delectable sweets to those who celebrate it.

The holiday originates in India and is mostly associated as a Hindu celebration, but those in the Sikh and Jain communities also observe it, as well as non-religious people throughout South Asia where it’s a national holiday in many countries. Throughout the GTA, bakeries have ramped up production to meet demand from thousands of families observing Diwali.

Two local sweet makers on opposite ends of the GTA — Brar’s with locations in Brampton and Etobicoke and Al-Karam Sweets in Scarborough — cater to this big holiday.

But for those who don’t know their burfi from their ladoo, here is a primer of Diwali sweets available at both shops.

Al-Karam Sweets

This mom-and-pop shop started by sweets master Muhammad Butt is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. Butt learned to make desserts from his brother, who also owns a sweet shop in Pakistan. Located in a plaza at 3001 Markham Rd., south of Steeles Ave. E. in Scarborough, there’s always a steady crowd of regulars lining up at the counter to buy boxes of the house-made sweets made from the Butt family’s generations-old recipes. “I’ve been doing this for 21 years,” says Butt, showing off incredible finesse as he pipes fine, concentric circles of batter into a big vat of hot oil to make the flowery shaped amrati (or imarti as it’s sometimes spelled), a fried Indian sweet that’s submerged in syrup. His daughter, Anum Butt, runs the online business and says they’ve shipped their desserts as far away as the Northwest Territories, Nunavut and California. In the days leading up to Diwali, they’ve been making two to three times as many batches of the desserts as usual. With such a wide variety, it’s hard for the uninitiated to choose, so I asked Anum for recommendations.

Kaju katri

Typically diamond-shaped in appearance with a creamy, off-white colour, kaju katri (or katli as it’s also sometimes spelled) is made by reducing sweetened milk and mixing it with finely ground cashews. The result is a not-too-sweet, melt-in-your mouth two-bite treat that’s wildly addictive. Sometimes gold or silver leaf is added as a decoration, but Al-Karam keeps it simple by serving it plain.

Ladoo

These golden spheres (sometimes spelled laddu) are eaten during religious or festival occasions such as weddings, births and are considered essential during Diwali. Ladoo come in many variations with added chopped nuts, dried fruits and coconut. AlKaram’s most basic version is made of chickpea flour with melon seeds added for texture.

Burfi

In essence, burfi is a confection made from reduced milk and is often infused with flavourings and colours to give it a festive look. While plain burfis are sold at Al-Karam, it’s hard to resist the shop’s more colourful creations such as the coconut flavour in bright pink, pistachio in a vibrant green, chocolate with a swirly marble appearance, almond in a caramel hue and the psychedelic rainbow burfi flavoured with dried fruit.

Amrati

Each of these gorgeous, flower-shaped treats starts out as a batter made with lentil flour and then it is piped by hand into a deep-fryer. When set, the treats are soaked in a large vat of syrup for a few minutes. Still, amrati keeps its crispy texture when bitten into and its nutty flavour shines through the syrup. With more than two decades of experience, Butt can make seven to eight pounds in a single batch, or about 100 amrati.

Gulub jamun

A common sight at Indian restaurants in Toronto, gulub jamun are soft balls made from milk powder, which are fried and then soaked in syrup. Be careful when eating gulub jamun as the syrup can drip down the chin and fingers, so the least messy strategy is to eat it all in one big bite.

Sweet samosa

These little, two-bite pastry pockets are filled with chopped almonds, fennel seeds, coconut and milk paste then given a sugary glaze. The fennel adds a slight savoury component, making this a more complex dessert to the palate.

Hubshi hulwa

Hulwa (a.k.a. halva, chalwa or halwa) is spelled differently depending on where it is made such as North Africa or the Middle East. It is a dense confection made from nut butters, thickened flour mixtures or pastes (hulwa made from tahini is perhaps one of the more well-known variations in Toronto). Hubshi hulwa is made from whole wheat flour and sweetened milk that’s simmered for hours in a giant mixer in Al-Karam’s kitchen, giving it a chewy, caramelized taste.

Brar’s

What started as a sweet shop in Toronto’s Little India in 1986 grew into a giant food and restaurant company with three locations in the GTA, when the Pabla family took over the business in the early ’90s. Now with its headquarters in Mississauga, Brar’s makes about 40 types of sweets and has 10 in-house chefs dedicated to making desserts, says Harjinder Pabla, vice-president of OIC foods, Brar’s parent company that specializes in vegetarian food for the South Asian market. To cater to the growing mainstream demand for Indian food (Loblaws, Wal-Mart and Sobeys carries its products), a 190,000 square-foot manufacturing plant is set to open next year in Mississauga. Currently, you can find Brar’s gulub jamun in the frozen section of supermarkets or head to one of its four locations in Brampton and Etobicoke for a larger selection of freshly-made sweets. Earlier in the week, Brar’s held a big Diwali marketplace at the Bombay Palace banquet hall in Brampton where eager shoppers stocked up on sweets and decorations. Wednesday is the last day of the pop-up, but treats are available at the restaurants’ retail counters throughout the holiday.

Pista punch

Made from a base of sweet, creamy cheese, pista punch is then topped with milk paste (khoya) and garnished with crushed pistachios. Variations can include different colours, shapes and toppings such as almonds and cherries.

Jalebi

These brightly coloured webs of deep-fried batter soaked in syrup were one of the first desserts Brar’s made when it got into the sweets business. They look similar to amrati, but jalebi batter is made from a chickpea flour base as opposed to lentil.

Anjeer rolls

Named after the Hindi word for “fig,” these rolls are made from a fig paste with a pistachio centre and a poppyseed coating.

Besan

More of an everyday sweet enjoyed with coffee and chai, besan is made from toasted chickpea flour mixed with ghee, giving it a pleasant, nutty taste and decadent texture.

Petha This soft and translucent candy originates from Agra, home of the famous Taj Mahal, and is made from wintermelon, (also called ash gourd). Its surface is crispy, but the inside is soft and juicy revealing a strong melon flavour.

Dil khushar

Typically eaten during celebrations, dil khushar is a chewy, milk-based dessert that’s also filled with nuts. Brar’s interpretation of the Rajasthani dessert consists of three multicoloured triangles made from pistachios, almonds and cashews.

The least messy way to eat gulub jamun is with one big bite.

KARON LIU TORONTO STAR Anum Butt, left, and Sabahat Beg work at Al-Karam Sweets in Scarborough, where South Asian sweets are made in house.

KARON LIU PHOTOS TORONTO STAR Plain burfis, a milk-based dessert, are sold at Al-Karam, but it’s hard to resist the shop’s more colourful creations, such as the coconut flavour in bright pink.

Harjinder Pabla and his family operate the Brar’s Indian restaurant and retail food company, and has a team of confectionary chefs who make traditional and new takes on Diwali treats.

Brar’s dil khushar, top, contains pistachio, cashew and almonds. Gulab jamun, bottom, are milk-based bites drenched in syrup.