Organic Jaggery Dhep (Gul / Gur)

A jaggery block made at our own gul plant from cane cut on our land. The dhep is the solid round of gur you break open with the back of a knife, and this one comes dark, soft in the middle, smelling of cane. No sulphur, no hydros and no chemical whiteners go into the pan.

Why ours is dark

Pale yellow gud is usually the result of a bleaching agent dropped in while the juice boils. We leave it out, so the colour lands between deep amber and brown depending on the batch and the season. Cane is cut and crushed on the same day, then boiled in an open pan until it sets. The shade shifts a little between packs, since nothing is added to standardise it.

How it gets used

Break a piece into amti and varan to round off the tamarind. Gul poli at Sankranti, puran poli, groundnut chikki, ladoo, and the piece that sits beside bhakri and raw onion at lunch. Dropping a lump into the dal pot is routine in most Pune kitchens.

Pack sizes

1kg and 2kg dheps.

Storage

Keep it wrapped and dry. Soft jaggery pulls water out of the air and goes tacky, so use a steel dabba with a cloth around the block.

If you measure by spoon, jaggery powder is easier, and bajra flour is what you want beside it for gul poli. The full range is under organic jaggery.

Frequently asked questions

Why is this jaggery dark and not yellow

Bright yellow gud is generally treated with a whitening agent during boiling. Left alone, the natural colour runs dark amber to brown and changes between batches.

Is jaggery better than sugar

Both are sugar. Jaggery is unrefined, so the molasses and the minerals that came with the cane juice are still in it, and it tastes nothing like white sugar in cooking.

My gul has gone sticky, is it spoiled

No, that is humidity. Gul absorbs water from the air, especially here in monsoon. Wrap it in dry cloth inside a closed tin.