#993 of 1001 Foods to Eat Before You Die
What Is It?
www.indiamart.com
From Wikipedia, “Jaggery is a traditional non-centrifugal cane sugar consumed in Asia, Africa and some countries in the Americas. It is a concentrated product of cane juice and often date or palm sap without separation of the molasses and crystals, and can vary from golden brown to dark brown in color. It contains up to 50% sucrose, up to 20% invert sugars, and up to 20% moisture, with the remainder, made up of other insoluble matter, such as wood ash, proteins, and bagasse fibers. Ancient scriptures on Ayurveda mention various medicinal uses based on the method of preparation and age.”
How It Tastes.
Jaggery tastes like Molasses and brown sugar had a lovely baby.
White sugar is yucky.
It tastes like a ginger snap cookie that is light on ginger, but heavy on molasses.
Basically, it is delicious tasting, but you really have to like a darker sugar. Which I do. The only thing I put white sugar on is cereal, and even then it is suspect. When it comes to tea and pretty much anything else, brown sugar is my go-to. I think brown sugar has a greater depth of flavor and Jaggery is no exception. It is the ultimate brown sugar.
A word to the wise, jaggery is crunchy, so either a mortar and pestle or a little water to melt it are in order.
The pudding is melt in your mouth excellent. Rich in flavors and anything in my opinion with cardamon is a winner. The raisins add a specific subtle flavor too. Do it, make it, try it. It is worth the effort it takes to make.
Recipe Used.
Image courtesy of www.loveandotherspices.com
Steamed Jaggery and Coconut Milk Pudding
Recipe Taken from loveandotherspices.com
Ingredients:
250 g Jaggery
1 cup thick Coconut milk
4 eggs
5 to 6 Cardomoms crushed
Pinch of salt
Cashews roasted and sliced
Raisins to garnishMethod:
Crush the jaggery (I used a Mortar for this), add about 2 tbsp of water and melt it in low flame. Once melted take it from the fire, keep whisking till it cools down a bit.
Add the coconut milk to the mixture and whisk.
In a separate bowl, beat the eggs with crushed cardamoms and a pinch of salt.
Combine the two mixtures and beat.
Strain the mixture, pour it into a bowl and steam for about 25 minutes.
Garnish it with cashews and raisins.
Notes:
* You can use a caramel syrup to increase the sweetness. Make it by caramelizing 3 tbsp of sugar and adding 3 to 4 tbsp of water, stirring continuously to get the right consistency. Pour it over the cooled pudding.
* This is best served chilled.
