There's nothing like satiating your sweet tooth with some mithai. And, it's even better if it's made with traditional recipes during festivities. This year, have a sweet Gudi Padwa celebration at your home by enjoying these popular Puneri mithai . The city has no dearth of famous sweet shops, each having their own delicacy. Even if you're visiting Pune, you can pack these sweets as a souvenir for friends and family.
Celebrate Gudi Padwa By Enjoying These Popular Puneri Sweets
Amba Barfi
A favourite sweet meat of Punekars, the amba barfi is definitely a must try. Made using mango pulp and milk, this bafri is an explosion of flavours in your mouth. Even if a number of sweet shops say that they offer authentic amba barfi, we strongly recommend Katraj Dairy. You can even order from their website.
Chirote
A flakey and mildly sweet dish, chirote are said to be originated somewhere near Maharashtra and Karnataka and is a significant dish that is served during weddings and festivals. The traditional chirote are made with maida, fried in ghee and topped with a generous amount of powdered sugar. You can enjoy it in two manners, either eat it as is or pour some milk or basundi over it. You can find chirote at any Chitale Bandhu store.
Amrakhand
A little different take on the regular shrikhand, amrakhand is a Maharashtrian favourite. And, the best version of this amrakhand will be found at Desai Bandhu Ambewale. These guys make their amrakhand with real mango pieces in it and there are no added flavours. The best part is this amrakhand is available through the year.
Olya Naralachi Karanji
An age-old recipe that is made the best by Maharashtrian grandmas with a lot of love and freshly desiccated coconut. A little twist to the karanji made during Diwali, the only thing different here is that this karanji doesn’t have a long shelf life and should be eaten within 72 hours. You can find this karanji at Kaka Halwai stores too.
Shengdana Vadi
With the abundant groundnuts available, Punekars make a really delicious vadi which also has cardamom, little bit of sesame seeds and dried coconut added to it. Maharashtrian moms consider shengdana vadi as natural protein bars and they couldn’t be more right! You can find them at a number of sweet shops across the city. You can also buy them at Bhavnagri sweets on Rasta Peth.
Puran Poli
Shreyas is a famous vegetarian restaurant on Apte Road serves exclusive Maharashtrian delicacies and the yummiest puran poli in their very authentic Maharashtrian thali. You can also order it separately. This is an iconic Maharashtrian sweet dish which is essentially a roti stuffed with puran (a sweet chickpea filling with nutmeg, cardemom and sugar).
Read more about best places to get best puran poli in Pune.
Basundi
If you love sweets, especially Maharashtrian ones, Basundi will top your list. While the thick, creamy dessert, which is essentially sweetened condensed milk loaded with dry-fruits and saffron, is absolutely lip-smacking, not everyone can nail the recipe. Order authentic Basundi and festive basungi kits from The Maharashtra Confectionery or TMC, a Pune-based sweet portal. They serve yummy flavoured options too apart from the classic one. Read more here.