The display case near the door of this small Indian grocery has an uncommon but very welcome feature: Not only does it post names for the many pastel- and putty-colored sweets (most $6.99 per pound; assortments encouraged), it identifies their prime ingredients as well. Of the five that filled my sampler, yellow cham cham (milk and coconut) was quickly cloying; havshi halva (wheat and cashew), a bit too whole-grained; Bengali peda (clarified butter and condensed milk), pedestrian. The legume-based basan barfi (beans, saffron, and honey) and dal pirni (lentils and saffron) were my favorites, even if the saffron was undetectable by me; both were sweet, but even-tempered rather than over the top.
Spice Corner
135 Lexington Ave. (at 29th St.)
212-689-5182
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