Kulfi
Kulfi is India's version of ice cream. It is much creamier and denser than normal ice cream though, as it is not whipped before freezing. The milk is simply boiled to reduce its volume and thicken it. Traditionally, kulfi is flavored with cardamon. However, other flavors include mango, pistachio, saffron, vanilla, and rose. Sometimes, it is served as falooda kulfi, with the addition of thin noodles and dried fruits.
Jalebi
Jalebis are a popular street food in India and other surrounding countries. They are created with a batter made from maida flour. Similarly to funnel cake, the batter is poured into a circular shape in a pot of boiling fortified butter.
Once the jalebi is golden brown, it is soaked in a lime and saffron syrup and cooled. The syrup creates a crispy outer coating for the chewy swirls of fried batter. Each jalebi is small and can be eaten in just a few bites.
Modak
Sweet flour dumplings stuffed with coconut, jaggery, nutmeg and saffron. Steamed to perfection. A famous Indian dessert prepared during the festival of Ganesh Chaturthi.
Gulab Jamun
Milk powder balls are fried in oil until they are golden brown and served with vanilla ice cream. This is a must during festivals of India, especially in the north. In the past, gulab jamun was made with khoya, but now you find that people skip the khoya and make gulab jamun with milk powder.
Gulab Jamun is also known as the Indian donut, minus the hole. These dumplings when flavored with sugar syrup triggers a sense of taste in your palette that is akin to divine.
Rasgulla
Like sandesh, rasgulla is also made from chenna. These spherical dumplings are cooked in a sweet syrup until the juice infiltrates the dough. This sweet is so popular that two Indian states, West Bengal and Odisha have been feuding over it for years, with each claiming the rasgulla originated in their respective region.
Ras Malai
Ras malai is another famous Bengali sweet dish. Ras means juice and malai means cream and this dessert basically consists of a creamy dough made of Indian cottage cheese soaked in a thick sweetened condensed milk. A well-known Bengali confectioner, Krishna Chandra Das from Kolkata is often credited with inventing the dish, but there are not any formal records to prove this claim.
Barfi
Barfi is a renowned Indian fudge dessert that gets its name from the Persian word meaning "snow". The main ingredient is condensed milk but barfi comes in many varieties. Kaaju barfi (with cashews) and pista barfi (with ground pistachios) are the most common. Do not be alarmed by the silver foil that often covers it, it is edible.