Gug/Jaggery
Jaggery, two kinds ~
Huge cylindrical pale gold colored jaggery block; and smaller dark colored jaggery blocks
Gud (as it is called in Urdu language), or Sugarcane jaggery, is as the name suggests unrefined dehydrated sugarcane juice. Sugarcane juice is cooked in large vats in Indian villages until it is reduced to a thick syrup/paste. This paste is then poured into molds of different shapes and sizes, and allowed to cool and solidify into hard blocks. These jaggery blocks are crumbly in texture and have a great caramely flavor that cannot be substituted. Jaggery is an integral constituent just as sugar is in Indian cuisine. I prefer the pale golden colored Jaggery block, made in India product. It is available easily at most of the Indian stores, wrapped in plastic, or jute cloth. Break the huge block of jaggery into smaller pieces using a hammer and an old knife and store in the refrigerator in air-tight containers or zip-lock bags for a long indefinite life.
Have you ever tried Gud ki Chai (Chai sweetened with jaggery instead of refined white sugar)? If you havent, then please do. Such tea has a thicker feel and the flavor that Gud imparts to Chai is phenomenal with a pleasant musky taste.
Luv,
Mona
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October 28th, 2009 at 2:55 pm
So true..Mona..about jaggery..and ha..I should try jaggery tea w/ a hint of chuku(dry ginger).
October 28th, 2009 at 4:34 pm
Jaggery with dry ginger in tea is my all time favorite.There is a lot of iron content also in jaggery to add on to the nutrition part.Thanks for visiting my space and posting an encouraging comment.You have a fabulous site here and i love the way you write!I am big fan of Hyderabad too.Don’t really know how i missed your site for so long!
October 29th, 2009 at 1:43 am
i have tried gud ki chai,..i guess today i gonna have ,..thnks fro this lovely post
October 29th, 2009 at 5:56 am
I love jaggery and use it almost exclusively at home. I have several types including a beautiful granular one from Malaysia. This one I use on porridge!
I must try the dried ginger tea with jaggery. It sounds so good.
October 29th, 2009 at 8:08 am
I was introduced to jaggery just a year past and I love it!! Nothing compares to its flavor.
October 29th, 2009 at 8:41 am
salaam mona i made gud ki chai just now.. magar yehgud dalte hi dhoodh paath gaya spoilt like yeh chai aap kaise banati ho plz let me know
October 29th, 2009 at 1:04 pm
I add jaggery in my tea, but also in my adhirassam (a south indian sweet) and also in some pachadis (chutneys) 🙂
October 29th, 2009 at 3:41 pm
yes please post the recipe for gud ki chai, thanks.
October 29th, 2009 at 10:58 pm
Gud is a very important ingredient during the winter season. The image is just perfect.:)
October 31st, 2009 at 11:00 pm
Hi Mona:
Thank you for linking to my post. Appreciate it.
and yes ~ i love the Gur / Gud and occasionally add it to my chai; make it a bit thicker and a more rounded taste.
Thank you for sharing this with all.
Arun, my pleasure!. ~Mona
October 31st, 2009 at 11:05 pm
Reply to Nishat’s comment:
Nishat – i add Gud to chai often and that has not happened to me. Some brands of Gud have added ‘salt,’ check if you have salt in your Gud. Also, if it is very old gud, it tends to ferment and that could also cause the “doodh phatna.”
Some of my milk drinks where I add Gud and it has never spoilt:
http://arunshanbhag.com/2007/09/09/almond-pista-milk/
http://arunshanbhag.com/2009/06/05/turmeric-milk/
Hope this works out for you.
Arun
November 2nd, 2009 at 9:21 am
I always see this sugar in Asian foods section.
I did not know what it is…
I’ll make sure to buy it next time & try it…
always love to know new ingredient that using in indian cooking…
Thank you mona
November 3rd, 2009 at 9:32 am
Oooo Mona … that’s a great idea about having gud in chai instead of our regular white sugar .. will surely try it out. Hubby is a big chai junky, so he’ll appreciate it I think. Btw, I used gud in making ice-cream recently, and it gave the whole thing a lovely, almost honey-like flavor.
November 16th, 2009 at 11:30 pm
How interesting Mona. Now you have piqued my curiosity and next time I wander to the Indian store I will get some and mix it with my tea!
November 24th, 2009 at 2:56 am
My mum used to make Gud ki Kheer. Have you tried it? It’s absolutely delish!
December 19th, 2009 at 12:41 pm
i have my own brand “lalit gold ” jaggery at surendranagar in gujarat