Indian Desserts, Drinks and Teas: chai, gulab jamun, halva, jelabi, kulfi, lassi

Shikrand at Sakonis restaurant in Hatch End.

Eggless cake with ice cream at Sakonis. This is the chocolate and nuts version of the Sakonis restaurant's Indian cheesecake. (Better than frozen mousse cheescakes I've had elsewhere but not as good and sucky and sticky and yummy New York Cheesecake.) Good if you like chocolate and nuts. 

Mango pulp at Sakonis.

Problem
What do the names mean?

Answers
Desserts:
eggless cheesecake and ice cream
gajar halwa
Wiki says:

Gajar ka halwa (Also known as gajrela or gajorer halwa,^[1][2] is a sweet dessert pudding originating from the Indian subcontinent, associated mainly with North India, Bangladesh and Pakistan.^[3] It is made by placing grated carrot in a pot containing a specific amount of water, milk and sugar and then cooking while stirring regularly. It is often served with a garnish of almonds and pistachios.^[4] The nuts and other items used are first sautéed in ghee, a South Asian clarified butter.^[5]

The dessert is a favourite all over Northern India, Bangladesh and Pakistan. It is traditionally eaten during all of the festivals in India, mainly on the occasion of Diwali, Holi, Eid al-Fitr and Raksha Bandhan.^[6] It is served hot during the winter.^[7]

Nowadays, gajar ka halwa is a popular worldwide dessert with many variations such as red velvet halwa, carrot and beetroot halwa, and cheesy carrot halwa.

gulab jamun - (usually 2 in a portion) ball like a sweet dumpling with brown outside in syrup
halva - smooth
jelabi - batter spirals in syrup, often orange colour, very sweet and sticky, crunchy
kheer - wiki says:

 'Kheer is a rice pudding from the cuisine of the Indian subcontinent, made by boiling rice, broken wheat, tapioca, or vermicelli with milk and sugar; it is flavoured with cardamom, raisins, saffron, cashews, pistachios or almonds. It is typically served during a meal or as a dessert. It is also known in some regions as payesh, payasam, payasa, phirni, gil-e-firdaus and fereni.'

kulfi - flavours could include malai, mango, or pistachio); Indian ice cream, sometimes with gritty texture, often a tapered cylinder with a flat top.
mango pulp - my friend tried it in Sakonis and was expected fplain fruit puree and found it too sweet
rasmalai (listed as 'each' meaning you get one ball)
shikrand - yogurt - I tried this at Sakonis in Hatch End and recommend it.

Drinks
chai - spiced tea, tasty, more flavour than fruit tea (chai as in 'a cup of cha' and 'char lady' which could be from chore or chai) From Sakonis - I recommend it
lassi is a non-alchoholic white refreshing drink, a mixture of yogurt and milk with salt or sugar/syrup or fruit added
fresh lassi (salty/ sweet)
mango lassi
passion juice

Where to try and buy
1 UK: Sakonis restaurant, Hatch End, London, England.
Also shops and restaurants in Harrow (Sakonis) and Rayners Lane (other) and Wembley.
2 Tesco, Hatch End and other branches for packets of gulab jamun.

3 Singapore: Mohammed Mustafa 24 hour supermarket near Farrer Park MRT (railway) station. Look in the chiller cabinets gulub jamun and for other made up desserts. You can also buy dry mixes.
4 Singapore: many restaurants and delis in Little India.
5 Other Indian delis, supermarkets and restaurants worldwide.

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.