Prominent Mumbaikars recall their favourite Diwali mithai from the city

Grandmarsquos loveIn the mid1990s I lived at a working womenrsquos hostel and our warden Mrs Galgalikar would cheer us up with sweets from Mishty Bela in Walkeshwar I loved their chocolate pedas By the early 2000s my nostalgia for childhood came rushing back with a taste of Sri Krishna Sweetsrsquo MysurpaMysurpa Pics CourtesyInstagramI would ask friends from Mulund or Chembur to bring it for me I remember visiting my grandmother in Madras now Chennai and she would always have a freshlymade plate ready I associate it with Diwali and my grandmotherrsquos loveAt Sri Krishna Sweets opposite Adarsh Hotel Chembur Shop no 2 Jai Commercial Plaza Mulund WestLog on to srikrishnasweetsAt Mishty Bela Krishnaraj Building Walkeshwar Road Malabar HillLog on to mishtybelaCall 9326379712Arundhathi Subramaniam author and poetSweet traditionsPedas from Camy WafersI have been eating Mathura peda from Camy Wafers in Colaba for as long as I can remember Even as we speak I am on my way there to pick some boxes to give to relatives and friends during Diwali I love Mathura peda and especially from Camy because it has the perfect texture I love its milky flavour It has a nice brown colour with a very rich taste They never go wrong with consistency either Itrsquos a tradition now to get these pedas for DiwaliAT Camy Wafers Oxford House near Colaba market ColabaSalome Roy Kapur dancertutor and Miss India 1972Malaifilled memoriesMy grandparents loved to throw big parties They used to always place a large order of malai khaja from N Lookmanji in Mohammad Ali Road It is my favouriteEven Tawakkal in Bohri Mohalla has some of the best malai khaja The dish is a puff pastry stuffed with sweetened cream and garnished with rose petals My parents would hide it because I used to polish it off in minutesAt N Lookmanji Mithaiwala Tardeo Tawakkal Sweets Bhendi Bazar BycullaCall 9022284825 N Lookmanji 9820837152 Tawakkal SweetsShabnam Minwalla authorTastes like Ajjirsquos goodiesChiroti Pics CourtesyWikimedia CommonsI donrsquot have a sweet tooth but my memories of Diwali revolve around the family getting together and making sweets at home It was a tradition for my ajji grandmother who would make every sweet by herself I still remember the taste of her chirotis and karanjis with a simple stuffing of coconut shavings and gur jaggery I never found something similar except at Vinayak Keshav Company in Girgaon They had a stock of the GSBstyle sweets and lsquofaralrsquo that I loved Sadly they have closed down now but I am still on the lookout for a similar flavourRahul Akerkar chef and culinary director WaarsaSweet boxes of heavenSev barfi remains a favourite for KiniWhen growing up sev barfi from Karachi Sweets and Sindhu Sweets in Khar were two of my goto places for desserts in Diwali While Karachi Sweets has closed down Sindhu Sweets is still doling out boxes of their trademark sev barfi We would buy big boxes every year Get there early on busy days as these sweets disappear from the shelvesAt Sindhu Sweets 3 Satguru Shopping Centre Ram Krishna Nagar Khar WestAbhijeet Kini illustrator and creator of Angry Maushi comic seriesParty of oneI have fond memories of heading to Chandrursquos Pure Ghee Sweets in Versova while working in the city They do the most delectable meltinthemouth Sindhi sev barfis Not far away in the western suburbs is another favourite mdash Tewari Brothers Mithaiwala in JuhuJalebis from BikajiTheir imartis drenched in syrup and dripping with ghee are a nobrainer On days when Irsquom craving a nice crispy jalebi I drop by Bikaji in Malad West I donrsquot have a mithai buddy in Mumbai but Irsquom a Gemini so Irsquom always in the company of myselfAt Chandrursquos Pure Ghee Sweets near Versova Metro Station Andheri West Tewari Brothers Mithaiwala Model Town SocietyJuhu Bikaji Evershine Nagar Malad WestAshish Vidyarthi actor and vloggerAlso ReadMango kaju katli to Kaju katli blueberry cheesecake Ahead of Diwali Indians and chefs share their love for the sweet with recipes