Vegetable sweets in demand during Sawan

Come Sawan and vegetable sweets start flying off the shelves in sweet shops. People relish various types of sweets when they are on fast, including aaloo ki jalebi and parwal ki mithai. They are not only nutritious, but also very tasty.

Gajar pak is loved by people of all age groups. Though gajar pak is sold at almost all famous sweet shops in the city, some of homemakers love preparing it in their kitchens. All they need are carrots, khoya (ricotta cheese) or milk,

sugar

,

cardamom

and saffron. Once the grated carrot is mixed with the other ingrediens, the sweet is spread on a plate. When it is cold, it is cut in the shape of a barfi. It’s then ready to be relished with family and friends as a dessert after a delicious meal.

If you want to give a new twist to the pointed gourd or parwal, then try making the parwal ki mithai. During weddings or festivals, the demand for the sweet in local sweet shops rises sharply. It can, however, be easily made at home. Anjali Sharma, a homemaker said, “While preparing it, one should remember to peel the pointed gourds, boil them and put them in sugar syrup. After an hour, it is taken out and stuffed with a mixture of khoya, sugar, powdered almonds, pistachios and cardamom.”

Jalebi, the national sweet of India, is also sold at almost every small or big sweet shop. However, unlike normal jalebis, aaloo ki jalebi is sold at select shops in the city. Probably, you will have to move around Patna a bit to find the best aaloo ki jalebi. This crispy sweet is in great demand during festivals like Navratra or in the Sawan month when people are on fast. Shagun Jha, an engineer, said, “When I keep fast on Mondays during Sawan, I enjoy eating aaloo ki jalebi. It is very yummy and filling too.”

Known to have originated in

Agra

, Petha is also very popular in Bihar. It is soft, chewy and candy-like and is eaten dry or dipped in sugar syrup (chashni). Made from ash gourds, the sweets comes in many variants. Urmilla Sharma, a homemaker said, “Petha can be made at home as well. All you need it a fresh ash guard, cut into equal pieces and boiled for 20 minutes. Then let it cool and dip it into sugar syrup for four-five hours. Take is out, let it dry and it’s good to eat.”