The Diary of a Displaced Housewife is now Life In Fuchsia…


'The Diary of the Displaced Housewife' is now 'Life in Fuschia'

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

The Grand Sweets and Snacks



To shake this feeling of homesickness, I thought this post should be about something that rocks my world every time I go back to Madras (Sorry...I refuse to call it Chennai!). Ladies and Gentlemen… Introducing ‘The Grand Sweets and Snacks’.

This is an institution that has been there since the beginning of time and has been plying the city of Madras with the best sweets in town. While there are a plethora of sweet shops around every corner, no one and absolutely no one can even begin to compare to The Grand Sweets. Specializing in South Indian sweets like Jangree, Ladoo, Bhadulsha and the like, the store also makes savory snacks like Murukkus, Thatai, etc and even makes some pretty darn good Bengali Sweets.


They make all their products on site and fresh everyday and in all my _____ years, (we’ll pretend that the dash is actually sixteen…) I’ve never had a bad experience at Grand Sweets. I attribute this to ingredients of the highest quality and authentic traditional recipes. There are no short cuts, dubious chemicals or preservatives and thats one of the reasons I love me my Grand Sweets!

The dangerous thing about Grand Sweets is that my mother in law’s house is even less than a stone’s throw away from the store. And my mother’s house is almost as close to it as my mother in law’s! So it’s not my fault that I stuff my face as much as I can every time I go back home… I love the crispy soft adhirisams or the melt in your mouth doodh pedas that only Grand Sweets can do, or their incredibly fresh rasmalais. Every time I leave Madras, I have an entire suitcase almost dedicated to Kajas, Surat Karis, crunchy, golden Seepu Seedai and the list goes on.

I know that a lot of people are not very familiar with Indian sweets, especially with South Indian Sweets… So here’s a crash course...

This is an ‘assorted pack’ of sweets featuring the most common sweets that turn up in the South Indian Sweet scene. Usually such boxes are packed as orders come in and are distributed everywhere from office events to poojas at homes. I don’t think the packaging design has changed since the beginning of time but that's the old school charm of Grand Sweets!

Starting from the top left corner:



Thangai (coconut) Burfi, Dry Fruit Peda, Doodh Peda, Chocolate Burfi, Double Decker Burfi, Mysurpa, Mysore Pak, Bhadulsha, Ladoo, Sonpapadi Cake


13 comments:

  1. They all sound yummy! Never heard or tried any of these desserts, but as I love sweets a lot, I wish I had the chance of tasting them.

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  2. I would so love to try a bite of each! The names alone sound so exotic and tempting to my Western dialect.

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  3. Wow, that is such a delight to even see that pack. I am not from madras (lived there for 2 years during my higher secondary), but any kind of Indian sweets, specially assorted ones are a delight to watch :)

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  4. Thank you for sharing. There's an Indian Restaurant here in the Peninsula where my husband and I go to, they present their sweets and desserts in a separate table and you can just let the waiter know which ones you like and they will get them for you from the kitchen. They are really good.

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  5. The neurotic side of me loves the divided box! I've always had mithai stacked haphazardly and I'm always slightly sad. What I wouldn't do for some barfi right 'bout now :)

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  6. Ah I wish I could taste all of these or even just one! I feel deprived that I have never tried any of these lovely sweet... I need to get myself to an Indian restaurant and see if I can hunt these down.

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  7. YUM! I have actually tried some of these. I spent 3 summers in Indian, a long time ago. Thanks for the flashback!

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  8. Hi..that truly delicious, have tasted those when hubby returned from Madras many years ago....

    http://treatntrick.blogspot.com

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  9. I'm not really big on Indian sweets but I can't get enough of coconut or pistachio burfi!! YUMMMMMM! Haven't had some in a while though........

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  10. The Grand Sweets sound like a treat to visit :)

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  11. wow..grand sweets from INDIA>>>>can t take off my eyes ...delicious..tasted most of them.just not the one-double decker..may b the name is different..not from madras though..my grandfather has sweet shops in MH,so familiar with much...thanks for sharing....tempting pics

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  12. @ Biren - Hey Biren! This place is awesome.. I hope you get to visit it sometime. It's a real glimpse into traditions bygone.

    @ Denise - I love burfi too! Especially coconut burfi... maybe I need to whip up a quick batch!

    @ Palatable - I'm glad you got to taste some of the sweets! They're so addictive!

    @ A spicy perspective - :) Glad to have brought back good memories! I miss Madras!

    @ The Cilantropist - I hope you get to try out the sweets! Each one is different from the other. Have told my mom who's visiting next month, she's not permitted to visit unless she has a box of sweets for me!

    @ Lawyer loves lunch - I know how you feel about Burfi! I would do anything for some right now!

    @ Madin - I'm glad you have a great indian place that sells sweets. I have a little place quite close by but I'm trying my best not to cave in and go there to binge on sweets!

    @ Priya - Aren't the assorted packs the best? Its like the best of everything in one box! :)

    @ The Spice Sherpa - I love your name! It's so fun! :) I'll post some easy recipes for indian sweets soon. Hopefully you get to try them out!

    @ Zerrin - I'm sure you'll love them once you try them! They're so unique because of the multitude of influences on Indian cooking! :)

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  13. Yum Yum.... i miss Grand sweets... :) Lucky u... First time to ur blog. And I am drooling over it.Excited to meet u.
    Do check my blog when u get time..:)

    Tak care

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