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Copyright © 2025 Foodies Only
Copyright © 2025 Foodies Only
6 Min
21/01/2026
Indian cuisine is full of sweets that represent Indian tradition, culture, and flavour! But with time, there have been inventions on that front. This article examines how Indian flavours have blended seamlessly with Western forms, creating a fusion dessert that is as delicious as the original. From gulab jamun to barfis, read how these sweets are adapting to new forms and looks!
No Indian event, ritual, wedding, gathering, or celebration is complete without a counter dedicated to sweets. The sweet dish in India knows regions and festivals; Maharashtra’s modaks during Ganesh Chaturthi, Bengal’s rasgullas during Durga Puja, and North India’s gujia during Holi. Each state, each festival has its own sweet. However, with the increasing blend of traditions, boundaries, and the influence of social media, traditional sweets are undergoing various forms of makeovers.
Some sweets are retaining the flavour and getting new looks, while some are retaining the looks and getting new forms. This article looks at the former one: how gulab jamun can turn into a cheesecake, or how shrikhand can turn into a parfait. This makeover has crossed the boundaries of just being at Indian gatherings, and they have made their way to fine dinings and gourmet restaurants, representing India’s flavours with a twist! They have also made their way to the Instagram feed and gained worldwide popularity. Read more about these dishes and try giving your regular sweets a new twist.
Gulab jamun is not only an Indian mithai but also that cousin who gets a makeover when she goes abroad! Gulab jamun can either be a topping on the cheesecake, or they can be pressed over the biscuit cake, cut in half and topped with cheese. The sugar syrup can be turned into a glaze so that the cheesecake absorbs all the flavours of the gulab jamun. This fusion sweet will give you the best of both worlds, just like that cousin who you love, and hate, but certainly cannot ignore.
If you are bored of eating the creamy barfi, this chocolate-infused barfi will not disappoint you. While making the barfi mixture, add cocoa powder or melted chocolate to it, and you will have an Indian-style chocolate fudge ready! This fudge will have the density and creaminess of ghee, condensed milk, and a rich, deep touch from cocoa powder, complementing the melted chocolate. Shape this fudge into barfi shape and you will have a new barfi, which, despite the westernised touch, will look Indian, and have mixed flavours!
If Raju ban gaya gentleman, was the name of any laddoo, it would certainly be the motichoor laddu trifle. To make this trifle, crumble your motichoor laddoo and layer it with whipped cream and fruits. Keep on going till you reach the tip of the jar. No one would have imagined this makeover of motichoor laddoo, which will keep its inherent flavour intact, but also make it slightly open to indulge in other flavours and resulting in a mixed and fusion version.
What happens when shrikhand leaves its beloved poori? Shrikhan parfait! Shrikhand has the perfect consistency, thick and creamy, to be the base of the parfait. In a tall glass, layer shrikhand as the base, and add granola and fruits over it. This parfait will have the flavour of kesar or elaichi, depending on the flavour of the shrikhand. Comes from a festive thali sweet, shrikhand will become a modern and anytime dessert!
This is the easiest makeover that you can give to any Indian item. Pull out the kulfi from the stick, and place it between two cookies or biscuits to make a perfect kulfi ice cream sandwich. Kulfi will go away from its matka in between two slices to form a modern sandwich with a desi twist!
The above dishes not only give a makeover to the beloved Indian sweets, but they also show the adaptability of Indian foods and prove how easily they blend with other flavours and in other forms. Once your favourite motichoor turns into a trifle, and matka kulfi turns into an ice cream sandwich, you understand that the world is full of makeovers and transformations! It’s high time to take these dishes away from Indian gatherings and flaunt them in fine dining and gourmet banquets to show Indian versatility and flavours!
