FOOD SPECIAL ........... Secret sweets – FOR THE LOVE OF MITHO

Secret sweets –  FOR THE LOVE OF MITHO   In a series dedicated to unique community sweets, we couldn't afford to leave out the Sindhis Sundays at Tharu's, Kailash Parbat, Guru Kripa and Sindhu Sweets are manic. It's when these hotel iers expect Mumbai's Sindhis to pour in for a lunch of a generous ladleful of Sindhi kadhi. “But not before guests have gone through a round of mithai,“ says Prakash Mulchandani, co-proprietor of Kailash Parbat, which opened to Colaba's Sindhi community in 1952 at 1st Pasta Lane. Alka Keswani, the blogger behind, Sindhi Rasoi, says their sweet tooth is  legendary. Halwais refuse to compromise, especially when it comes to drizzling desi ghee and sprinkling mithai with dried nuts. “It's what makes Sindhi sweets distinct,“ says Khushal, great-grandson to Seth Mukhi Tharu, whose journey as a sweetmeat maker began at dakh bazaar in the small village of Shikarpur, in Sindh (present-day Pakistan). In 1947, his family moved to Mumbai with millions of refugees, refusing the funds being doled out to immigrants. Seth Mukhi was confident of his skills as a halwai, and that it would help him make a decent living. One day at the refugee camp, he made gulab jamuns. They were sold in minutes. Gradually, we managed to make and sell sweets at a stall inside the Mumbadevi temple compound in Zaveri Bazaar, says a note on Tharu's website. In 1968, Tharu opened shop in Khar, their current location, and have been making sweets that Sindhis associate with Lal Loi, Makarsankranti, Basant Panchmi, Shivratri, Holi and Mahadev Ka Sagda.“Each of the festivals has its own significance, and gives us an opportunity to serve special sweets,“ says Khushal. Like Tharu's, the neighbouring Sindhu Sweets' legacy dates back to present coowner Prakash Lulla's father's time, when he first hawked mithai at Marine Lines.  By 1972, when the community had moved northwards into Khar, he moved base  too.“Our mandate,“ explains Lulla, “is to stay connected to our roots and keep the culture alive through sweets and savouries.“ Of a gamut of ghee-and-sugar laden goodies, Keswani lists lola, singhar ji mithai, attey ja ladoo, gheear, praghree, tosha, dry-nut varo and majoon as little-known. Dried nut varo Made from caramelised sugar (praline) and dried nuts, varo is a popular sweet that parents send over to their married daughters or sisters, as winter food, along with khorak or khoyo (poppy seeds and dried nut halwa). “I have fond memories of making varo every winter. My father would help with slicing the nuts and set aside proportioned heaps of sugar and nuts, while my mother caramelised the sugar, “ Keswani remembers. “We would watch as the sugar granules turned molten, changing from white to amber. The nuts helped it solidify into a brittle chunk.“ Varo is simple to prepare, and allows you to choose your nut of choice -almonds, cashew, unsalted pistachio, -mixed with green cardamom, poppy seeds and ghee. It's like chikki, but richer in taste and calories, adds Khushal. Majoon & Mungan ji mithai Majoon is also a winter sweet made with poppy seeds, dried nuts, desiccated coconut fried in ghee, milk or khoyo and sugar syrup. It's stirred on slow flame until it resembles a dense fudge. Mungan ji mithai (lentil fudge or what Punjabis call moong dal halwa), is made from yellow dal or split green gram and demands patience and muscle strength from the maker who must continuously roast the dal paste in ghee, says Keswani. “It's the mithai you'll find in every traditional Sindhi marriage buffet,“ she adds. Tosha A vailable all year round, tosha is distribut ed as prasad at temples and during religious ceremonies. Although it resembles badushah as far as taste and texture go, the oblong tosha made from maida, is soft within and crisp outside thanks to a coating of crystallised sugar syrup. “Unlike badushah, tosha is sometimes spiked with cumin seeds or black peppercorn,“ explains Keswani. Lola Although it makes for a scrumptious win ter breakfast, lola, made from whole wheat flour, jaggery, ghee and cardamom, it's a trademark of Gogo (Naag Panchmi)  and Thadri (the month dedicated to appeasing fire goddess, Jog Maya). Lola, along  with koki (onion-coriander roti) and besareen (besan roti), is usually eaten a day after it is cooked. “The cold food acts as a good source of pro-biotics (good bacteria), improving digestion,“ says Keswani. Since it was believed that the unsuspecting got chicken pox after inviting the wrath of Jog Maya, the `cold' food was consumed by the patient and family.  “To please her, the fire wasn't lit in kitchens and families ate what was made the previous day,“ explains Keswani. Pistanjo halwa Also called Bombay Karachi halwa or chaabhu (chewy in Sindhi) halwa has roots in Karachi and is made from arrowroot or corn flour and nuts.Holding bits of pistachio or cashew, the halwa that comes in brown, green, orange, red or pale yellow hues is offered as prasad during mata ki chowki and Jagran, says Khushal. “A would-be bride's family is known to send over the halwa to the groom to formalise the engagement or what we call kachi misri.“ Praghree A crunchy, layered puff stuffed with khoya or mawa, and garnished with silver varq and dried rose petals, praghree is a seasonal delicacy, made only during Holi along with gheear (a concentric circular sweet that tastes and looks like a large jalebi). High in calories, but addictive nevertheless, praghree comes stuffed with either mawa or chaabhu halwo (corn flour pudding) and fried in a kadai full of ghee.  “According to my friend and food historian, Kurush Dalal, even Parsi and Bohri cuisines have a similar delicacy called mawa na khaja,“ shares Keswani. Singhar ji mithai This is unarguably every Sindhi's favourite mitharn, made from a base of unsalted singhar (gram-flour sev) mixed with mawa and flavoured with rose essence. “ It's available year round and is a hit with NRIs, who take it back by the kilo,“ says Mulchandani Reema Gehi MM 8FEB15