Best Diwali mithai to buy across India, from classics to version 2.0

Nihira, a luxury mithai brand of motichoor ladoos, offers laddoos infused with champagne, red wine, gin, cranberry, Pina colada, Gulkand.

The festive season is a time of indulgence for many of us. For foodies, this translates to eating traditional favourites as well as trying the new and the experimental. In what has ironically become a Diwali tradition, mithai shops and artisanal sweet makers have brought out their 'flavour bibles' and are experimenting with the ubiquitous laddoo. Flavours from paan coconut to blueberry laddoos, coffee laddoos, and motichoor ladoo cheesecake shots are on the menu. And if you're looking for something even more maximalist, there's a 24-carat gold varq Italian Pistachio laddoo-Swarnamishtha, from Gur Chini, and a Besan truffle laddoo with a dark chocolate ganache filling from Arq.

Delhi-based mother-daughter duo, Subha and Arshya Aggarwal of Nihira, a mithai brand, have gone a step further. They are offering motichoor laddoos infused with champagne and red wine, as well as gin and cranberry laddoos, and Pina colada and Gulkand laddoos. The reason: “Mithai was being derided as boring,” says Arshya Aggarwal.

However, many were cautious that they kept the soul of the sweets traditional and only added a twist to make them contemporary and more appealing.

Sid Mathur, founder-director of Khoya Mithai, Delhi, says: “True luxury for us, lies in honest ingredients, artisanal craftsmanship and instead of drowning in excess sugar or extravagant decorations, we focus on finding an artful balance between flavors and textures, with every ingredient carefully handpicked.”

Motichoor reigns supreme

Recently, Diwali motichoor laddoo candles on Insta caught my attention and set me thinking about Diwali being synonymous with motichoor laddoos. Indeed motichoor laddoos, the humble but popular sweet, which makes its presence felt on all special occasions and festivals in India, especially Diwali, tops the list.

Ujjwal Tripathi, Partner, Sweet Nation Goa, agrees and attributes the popularity of laddoo, to its shape. “Round sweets taste a little sweeter compared to angular sweets. Indians definitely have a sweet tooth and there’s something about putting a ghee, sugar and elaichi laddoo in your mouth. Motichoor laddoos are an absolute top-favourite. We seldom find people venturing into fusion stuff during Diwali. People stick to the absolute classics- motichoor laddoo, besan laddoo, and dried-fruit laddoos for diabetics.”

Steeped in Indian tradition, the motichoor laddoo even finds mention in food historian KT Acharya’s book, ‘A Historical Dictionary of Indian Food’, where he refers to it as a sphere of fine globules (moti means pearls) of fried besan (gram flour) held together with thickened sugar syrup.

Motichoor laddoo at Bombay Sweet Shop.

Girish Nayak, Chief Mithaiwala at Bombay Sweet Shop, avers, “We believe, some classics are best unchanged and the mighty motichoor laddoo for us, is that. Tradition plays a significant role, as these classic sweets are an essential part of culture and heritage. The sentimental value attached to boondi laddoo is critical, as it often evokes fond memories of childhood. Additionally, the timeless taste of boondi laddoo appeals to all generations, making it a crowdpleaser for all celebrations.”

There was a time when Diwali meant making besan laddoos at home and the aroma of roasted besan in copious amounts of ghee wafted through the air and everyone pitched in. Rava laddoos with coconut, again were predominantly made in homes in Maharashtra and Goa. But motichoor laddoos, with its universal appeal has eclipsed all.

Best laddoos in Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, Chennai and Goa

If laddoos with a modern twist and in a new avatar, is what you’re after, Wild Rose Gulkand, Italian Brut Pistachio from the artisanal laddoos range at laddoos, Nungambakkam, Chennai, are not-to-be-missed.

Kesar motichoor laddoo at Khoya Sweets, Delhi.

In Delhi, Khoya is your best bet. Their Kesar motichoor laddoos, made fresh with high quality natural ingredients with zero artificial colouring or preservatives, are irresistible. The hint of saffron lends a festive spin and the enhances their appeal.  And if you get nostalgic and miss mom’s coconut laddoos, opt for their natural pink coconut laddoos filled with dried fruits and rolled in dried coconut.

Pink coconut laddoo at Khoya, Delhi.

But Diwali is incomplete without the fine, tightly-packed sweet globules aka motichoor ladoos. For classic motichoor laddoos, there’s Bombay Sweet Shop in Mumbai.

Delhi, of course, is the hub for north Indian sweets, and has laddoos available at every nook and cranny, but Bansal sweets in Pitampura offers good quality ones. Sangam Sweets in Koramangala, Bengaluru is known for their soft and syrupy motichoor laddoos. When in Goa, gorge on the soft and melt-in-the-mouth motichoor laddoos at Sweet Nation Panjim and Margao.

There are takers for the larger boondi laddoos too, especially in Southern India. Traditional ghee boondhi ladoos in Chennai are available at Shree Mithai and in Mumbai you can try these at Jhama sweets or at the old-timer Chandrekar Sweets, known for their delicious ‘Kadak boondi laddoo.’

When it comes to besan and rava ladoos, apart from an odd Haldiram or Bikanerwla, people in Western India turn to home-makers for their Diwali orders. Panshikar in Dadar, Mumbai offers traditional besan and rava laddoos, closest to the home-made ones.

In north India, the besan laddoos tend to be a tad drier and grainier, compared to the moist ones in western India. In Delhi, Khoya offers roasted besan laddoos made of organic sugar and roasted gram flour with nuts. Interestingly, they offer these in a sugar-free version too. Healthy laddoos made with ragi and dates, can be ordered from Earth Poorna.

Traditional versus fusion, the debate goes on, but the mithai brands wow all palates. So, whether it is a lavender laddoo you are craving for or a classic motichoor laddoo, you can all satiate your taste buds this Diwali.