I can already smell the wintery desserts we will enjoy over the next few months! Most will be made using our very owntraditional Indian sugar-substitute jaggery or gur, as it is commonly known. Winter is setting and so is our urge for a bite into the soft, golden-brown sweet. Thanks to the many health benefits jaggery has to offer, health experts recommend consuming it during winters. It is loaded with vitamin C, iron and antioxidants that help your body fight seasonal cough and cold and further helps you keep warm in this nippy weather. Jaggery is made from sugarcane and is used as a sweetener for various sweets and savouries. You can easily replace refined sugar with jaggery and make any dessert healthier.
While this is the perfect season to enjoy a small chunk of gur after dinner, it's also the time to indulge in some homemade desserts or savouries made using jaggery. They will be tasty and nutritious too. Before you set out to try these recipes make sure the jaggery you buy from the market is pure and free from all adulterants. There are also ways to tell if the jaggery you are buying is fresh or not. (Read our jaggery buying guide here to know more.)
Here are our 10 best Jaggery recipes that will compel you to make some for yourself:
1. Til Ladoo
Recipe by Chef Surjan Singh
A festive treat, Til Ladoo is usually prepared during festivals including Lohri. It is a delicate, traditional winter sweet, made with roasted sesame seeds, jaggery and flavoured with saffron.
2. Gur ki Roti
Recipe by Chef Niru Gupta
Whole wheat flour soaked with milk-gur mixture to make sweet rotis, smeared with ghee; it is something you won't be able to resist. Deliciously sweet!
3. Gur ka Halwa
Recipe by Chef Marut Sikka
Indian dessert made with semolina, jaggery and loads of nuts. This halwa is perfect to ward off cold and cough blues and satisfy your sweet tooth too.
4. Khatti Meethi Phaliyan
Recipe by Chef Aditya Bal
Stir fried beans tossed with some tamarind, jaggery and a spicy coconut mixture. It's easy to make and full of Gujarati flavours. A little sweet, a little tangy, this veggie will definitely make you fall in love!
Khatti Meethi Phaliyan
5. Gulgule
Recipe by Chef Niru Gupta
Thick batter made out of atta, saunf, gur and ghee and deep fried, gulgule are the easiest and quickest to prepare.
6. Gur aur Atte ka Halwa
Recipe by Chef Meraj Ul Haque
Wheat flour, semolina and jaggery come together to make a quick and easy halwa that you would love to gorge on to, especially in winter.
Gur aur Aate Ka halwa
Recipe by Chef Kishore D Reddy
A yummy peanut brittle or chikki made with jaggery. It is a perfect snack to gorge on in winters to keep your body warm.
8. Patishapta
Recipe by Chef Lalita Chakraborty
Patishapta is a popular Bengali dessert. Thin crepes made with refined flour, rice flour and semolina and stuffed with a tasty coconut and jaggery filling.
9. Amchoor ki Launji
Recipe by Chef Jitendra Kumar
A sidekick that is sweet and sour in one bite! Amchoori ki Launji is made with dry mango powder, jaggery and spices. Mouth-watering much?
10. Carrot Gojju
Recipe by Chef Aditya Bal
Channa dal and carrots cooked with coconut, jaggery, tamarind and curry leaves make the best Carrot Gojju. Don't believe us? Make it to believe it.
This winter, load up with the goodness of Jaggery and enjoy the yummy Indian treats with the good ol' Indian sweet!