Sep 16, 2026: Some Indian sweets are so familiar that they hardly seem to invite reinvention. Rasgulla, balushahi, mishti doi and cham cham have long been defined by the flavours and formats people know them for. With Mithai Crossover, Dadu’s is exploring what happens when those familiar favourites are given a different flavour language, without taking them away from their Indian roots.
The new collection brings together five creations, Pandan Rasmalai Pearls, Umami Balushahi, Mishti Creme Brulee, Chamisué and Cha Yen Rasgulla Trifle, each built around a traditional Indian sweet and inspired by a different culinary influence. Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, France, Italy and Thailand find their way into the collection through ingredients, textures and techniques, while the mithai itself remains the starting point.
Pandan Rasmalai Pearls takes rasangoor in a Malaysian-inspired direction with pandan milk, rose jelly cubes, blue pea caviar, jelly noodles, coconut malai, crushed ice and salted crunchy moong dal. Umami Balushahi brings cocoa sesame balushahi together with miso caramel, pecan sesame powder and miso syrup, drawing on Japanese and Korean flavour influences. Mishti Creme Brulee reworks the familiar mishti doi into a custard with a brûlée top and pistachio boondi rice crispies. Chamisué combines mascarpone khoya crema with coffee gianduja, coffee soaking syrup, cocoa powder and coffee popping boba. The final creation, Cha Yen Rasgulla Trifle, pairs rasgulla with English custard, Thai milk tea, whipped cream, peanut feuilletine and a chocolate shell.
The idea behind Mithai Crossover comes from Dadu’s wider approach to innovation: traditional mithai can evolve without losing what makes it recognisable. Rather than creating a single fusion dessert, the collection takes each sweet individually and explores how its familiar character can work with unexpected flavours and textures.
“At Dadu’s, we have always believed that mithai means something far beyond a sweet. It carries memories, celebrations and generations of tradition. We have never wanted to change what makes our mithai truly Indian; instead, we believe in preserving its soul while finding new ways to experience it. With the finest ingredients, time-honoured techniques and a deep respect for our roots, Mithai Crossover is our way of bringing a global flavour language to Indian sweets, creating something familiar, yet unexpected, and proudly taking Indian mithai from India, by Indians, to the world,” says Mr. Rusheel Dadu, Founder, Dadu’s Sweet Emporio.
The collection was developed in collaboration with Chef Niyati Rao, whose ingredient-led and globally informed perspective helped shape the flavour combinations and textures across the collection. The collaboration was guided by a simple principle: the global influences should complement the Indian sweet at the centre of each creation, rather than overpower it. Mithai Crossover reflects Dadu’s belief that innovation does not have to mean leaving tradition behind. Across the collection, each sweet stays recognisable at its core, even as its flavour, texture or presentation is taken somewhere unexpected.
