Food & Dining: Chai Chocolates
When South Asian chocolatiers infuse this favorite decadence with desi flavors like paan, mango, chili, cardamom, rasmalai, and even black pepper, the results are enticing!
With the holiday season upon us, there is no shortage of sweet treats to go around. Many of us look for unique gifts to take to Christmas parties and to appreciate our colleagues and friends. Being a food writer, I always look for culinary products that have unique stories attached to them. It is even better when those stories tie up to my own heritage.
So, this year, I will be giving Indian-inspired chocolates. Not Godiva or Lindt, but chocolate bars and truffles that invoke a memory of our beloved mithai. Think of biting into pieces of chocolate enhanced with flavors of chai, pistachio, saffron, mango, and cardamom! Artisanal chocolate makers have been experimenting with many whacky flavors such as chili, bacon, and wasabi. Keeping with this trend of pushing the envelope on gourmet chocolates, now South Asian chocolatiers are increasingly infusing their own spices in this versatile treat.
Madhu Chocolate: Idukki Black Pepper Chocolate anyone?
In 2022, Food & Wine Magazine recognized Madhu Chocolate as “one of the best chocolate makers in the United States.” I was introduced to Madhu when they received a “Good Food Award” for their Idukki Black Pepper chocolate bar. While sampling through a dozen flavors, I fell in love with the smooth and shiny texture, creative combinations, and artful packaging inspired by Indian textiles.
Native of Mumbai, Harshit Gupta came to the U.S. to pursue computer engineering. Gupta partnered with Elliott Curelop, a professional food scientist, to found Madhu Chocolate from his home-based kitchen in Austin, Texas. “It was just a hobby, but our friends kept asking us for more chocolate, so we thought there must be a demand for it,” says Gupta. The duo initially sold their chocolates at their local farmers markets, and soon adapted the products based on the feedback they received from customers.
Gupta’s aim was to introduce Americans to Indian spices by integrating them with a familiar product that they also delighted in—chocolate. The couple took boxes of fresh whole spices to the farmer’s markets so patrons could see, smell, touch, and taste them and appreciate what real saffron and cardamom are like. He also sourced the spices from single-origin farmers in India.
[Left] Annie Rupani at Cacao & Cardamom brings the French tradition of making luxurious handmade chocolates with exotic flavors like Guava Tamarind, Strawberry Szechuan, Five-spice Praline, Lychee Basil, and Black Sesame Ginger.
Named after Gupta’s mom, Madhu, meaning honey in Hindi, the chocolate company offers delicately balanced bean-to-bar chocolates in Indian flavors. You can see the dried rose petals and chunks of nutty pistachio oozing out of a decadent bar. The masala chai flavor was inspired by Madhu’s chai herself. Inspired by India’s favorite beverage, the mango lassi bar is made with Alphonso mangoes, aromatic cardamom, golden saffron, a hint of tangy yogurt, and white chocolate.
Madhu Chocolates is always experimenting with new flavors, including gluten-free and vegan options. For the holidays, they created a fusion box of mithai bonbons with offerings like cashew katli and gianduja chocolate; dark chocolate cajeta with peda; and spiced carrots and raisins with cardamom and chocolate.
Cacao & Cardamom: Guava Tamarind, Strawberry Szechuan, and more exotic flavors
Crowned Miss Pakistan World 2010, Houston-based Annie Rupani began her love affair with the culinary arts while traveling abroad. Rupani says, “My journey with chocolate-making began in my parent's laundry room, which I transformed into a small, makeshift chocolate kitchen during my gap year between college and plans for law school. I immersed myself in learning everything about chocolate, from tempering techniques to the science of flavor.”
After studying law in London and Jordan, she took a weeklong chocolatier course at a pastry school in Malaysia. What was just a hobby, a break from her LSAT preparation, became a calling for Rupani. She was intrigued by the science of chocolate making and wanted to incorporate the spices and flavors that reflected her Pakistani heritage.
[Right] The Chai Spice Parle G: A perfect blend of chai spices and the nostalgic taste of traditional Indian chai cookies—from Shweta's Gourmet Chocolates.
In 2014, she opened Cacao & Cardamom, an upscale chocolate boutique in the heart of Houston’s Galleria shopping district, selling hand-painted and airbrushed chocolate bonbons and truffles that look like works of art. Rupani’s Valrhona-sourced beans are molded into adventurous flavors such as Guava Tamarind, Strawberry Szechuan, Five-spice Praline, Lychee Basil, and Black Sesame Ginger.
[Left] Paan Chocolate Bar: Infused with aromatic fennel and traditional paan chutney for a delightful treat—from Shweta's Gourmet Chocolates.
Rupani brings the French tradition of making luxurious handmade chocolate using the highest quality ingredients she can find. The customizable black and gold packaging makes for premium gift boxes. For Diwali, she offers a Light & Love Diwali Gift Set with flavors inspired by mithai along with a Strawberry Chaat Masala bar, and for Christmas, she is excited about her Holiday Collection, which includes cozy flavors like Peppermint Mocha, Gingerbread Speculoos Spread, and Hot Cocoa with marshmallow and salted caramel.
[Right] Rasmalai Chocolate Bar: Infused with the aromatic flavor of Rasmalai, cardamom, almonds, pistachios, and organic edible roses.
Shweta’s Chocolates: Mukhwas in a paan chocolate bar
Locally in Suwanee, stay-at-home mom Shweta Bajaj discovered her passion for making chocolate during the global shutdown in 2021. “I saw a recipe for rasmalai and immediately thought of how Indian cardamom and nuts would be great in chocolate. I also love to bite into a lot of nuts and spices in my chocolate,” states Bajaj. She taught herself how to melt, mold, and infuse chocolates by watching YouTube videos, enrolling in virtual classes, joining chocolate forums, and experimenting in her home kitchen.
When Bajaj started making chocolate for her family and friends, it was meant to be just a hobby, though one that was expensive and time-consuming. Making large batches of chocolate meant purchasing a lot of good quality ingredients, some of which went to waste, buying a tempering machine, and paying attention to the humidity and temperature at home.
But while juggling between kids and chores, it was this creative expression that kept her going. She hand-infused mukhwas in a paan chocolate bar, whole Parle-G biscuits into chai chocolate, and crushed cashews for kaju katli flavored chocolate. The flavors change seasonally and actually taste like what the name suggests. The bars are simply packed in see-through plastic packaging, while Diwali specials are available in decorative mithai boxes.
Now, Bajaj singlehandedly makes 300-400 chocolate bars a week, especially when preparing to have a booth at a festival. She can be found in Duluth, Suwanee, Alpharetta, Cumming, and Inman Park— her social media updates keep customers posted about the festival that she will be selling Shweta’s Chocolates at next.
Bajaj does not have any prior business experience but wants to continue her cottage industry. She enjoys interacting with customers, eager to engage with her identity through chocolate. In fact, Rupani also advises budding chocolate entrepreneurs to “start small, focus on quality, be persistent, and stay true to your vision and passion.” As more consumers are beginning to understand and appreciate South Asian flavors, chocolate- making is becoming a serious business.
[Left] Suwanee based stay-at-home mom Shweta Bajaj discovered her passion for making chocolates during the global shutdown in 2021.
Many players in this new wave of chocolate-making
Among other known chocolate makers is Nicole Patel, chef and owner at Delsyia Chocolates, which was named 2023’s Best Chocolatier in the Americas. It has also earned a Six Star Award: Grand Master Chocolatier designation for the past ten years. Wall Street tradersturned- meditators Alak Vasa and Kaushal M. Choksi make honey-infused and Ayurveda superfood-powered chocolates under their brand, Elements Truffles. Detroit-based Dwaar Chocolate specializes in handmade bean-to-bar chocolate featuring cacao beans sourced from India as well as offering other unique flavors from around the world.
Sucheta Rawal is an-award-winning Atlanta-based writer, speaker, author, and founder of the nonprofit, Go Eat Give. She has traveled to 120 countries and her mission is to raise awareness of different cultures through meaningful travel. Find her on social @SuchetaRawal.
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