Kitchenpostcards
  • Home
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Newsletter
  • Podcast
  • Youtube
Desserts, homemade, vegetarian  /  August 24, 2018

14 Indian sweets you’d love to share with your Sister/Brother this Rakhi

by kitchenpostcards

They may annoy, irritate and tease you, but there is no denying that life is more entertaining with a sibling around. Rakhi is just the day to celebrate that.

Yes, traditionally Rakhi is a day where sisters tie a thread on their brothers’ wrist to make them promise that they will always protect them. But we like to celebrate the bond between siblings and how they look out for each other regardless of their gender.

And, what better way to celebrate this bond than indulging each other silly with the tastiest of Indian sweets.

Origins of Rakhi 

There are a lot of myths surrounding Rakhi, which is also known as Raksha Bandhan and Rakhri (in Punjabi). There are stories that date back to the era of the Puranas when it is thought that Indra’s (the Rain God) wife tied a holy thread around his wrist after which he successfully waged a war against king Bali.  From then on the tradition of tying a thread on the wrist of a man – father, brother, husband – to bless him in his endeavour began. There was no specificity to the tradition. But over centuries, perhaps millenia, it has become a festival where a sisters’ prayers and blessings seeking prosperity for her brother are exchanged for a pledge of protection from her brother(s).

Rakhi = Respect & Equality 

Now, however, we believe Rakhi is not just about prayers and protection, actual or notional, but about respect and acceptance. While we celebrated rakhi by exchanging sweets and gifts as children, a culture of equality in our respective households helped us forge strong bonds with our siblings. We hope all siblings, irrespective of their gender, are just as fortunate! 

Variety of Rakhis 

The simplest rakhi is a coloured thread that a sister ties around her brothers’ right wrist, much like a friendship band. In the festive spirit rakhis are much more elaborate, with golden threads, beads, pearls and some are made of precious metals.

Rakhi recipes
A thali with a simple thread Rakhi, fruits, cookies, roli-tikka and sewiyan

Celebrate with Homemade Treats

We are sharing some of our favourite desserts from the blog that you can easily whip up at home. Most of these are traditional Indian sweets but there are also some baked things (cake!) and even a no-bake dessert.

In short, if you are planning to surprise the other half, two thirds or whatever fraction of the sibling gang, we are giving you no excuses! From the uninitiated to seasoned cooks amongst all sisters and brothers out there, each can successfully create a dish for everyone to enjoy. 

Sooji Laddus – White Semolina Sweet Balls 

Sooji Ladoos
Semolina Laddus

Atta Halwa – Whole Wheat Dessert 

homemade kadha parshad

Besan Ladoo – Chickpea Flour Sweet Balls 

Chickpea flour sweet balls

No bake Strawberry & White Chocolate Ganache Tart

Sandesh – Sweets Made with Cottage Cheese 

Sandesh

Meetha Pulao – Sweet Rice Dessert with Saffron and Nuts  

Punjabi Meetha Pulao recipe

Eggless Ginger Cookies

Eggless Ginger Cookies
Chewy Ginger cookies made with jaggery

Malai Halwa – Creamy Semolina Halwa  

Sooji Malai Halwa

Rose Kheer – Rose flavoured milk and rice pudding

How to make Gulab Kheer, Rose Rice Pudding
A big bowl of Rose Kheer

Banana-Peanut Butter Oats Cake (Make it in a mug or a tin!) 

Banana Oats Peanut Butter Mug Cake

Lagan Nu Custard – Baked or Steamed Custard with Persian Flair

Wedding desserts

Meethi Sewiyan – Sweet Vermicelli Pudding

Meethi Seviyan

Mishti Doi – Sweet Yogurt Dessert

Sooji Besan Halwa

Halwa Sooji, Besan, Aata
Tastes even better than it looks!

Doodh wali Sewiyan or Payaam – Vermicelli pudding in Milk

Milk Pudding
Sewiyan

So boys and girls! Don’t be lazy, and make some Indian sweets for your partner in crime, conspiracy, laughter, giggles and so much more! Happy Rakhi!

 

  • Sookhe Kaale Chane – Black Chickpeas Indian style
  • Black Chickpeas, Kaale Chane
  • Safed Sooji Ladoo ~ White Rawa Ladoo
  • Sooji Ladoos
  • Gajrela ~ Winter Special Gajar ka Halwa
  • Carrot Halwa
  • An Indian Dinner Spread
  • Dinner Spread
  • 15 + Recipes for Holi that are not Gujiya!
  • Ideas for the most Delicious Diwali Party

Like this:

Like Loading...

Tags

  • dessert
  • festival
  • Indian Dessert
  • Indian food
  • Indian sweets
  • rakhi
  • raksha bandhan

Post navigation

Our wish for Kerala this Onam
Tadka Sprouts

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Search this site

Subscribe via email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Easy Homemade Hummus

Recent Recipes

  • The Dispatch: Women and Food – Are the Keepers of Culinary Legacies Influencing the Food Landscape?
  • The Dispatch: Food Talk with ChatGPT
  • The Dubai Dispatch: Farmers Market in Dubai
  • Bhuna Jeera ~ Toasted Cumin Powder
  • Chilli Coconut Dal Palak

Meta

  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org
  • Cookie Policy
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact Us
  • Subscribe
  • Elara by LyraThemes
  • © 2023 Kitchenpostcards – All rights reserved.
%d bloggers like this: