Degchi
Jaggery
Also written: gur, gud, gul, date palm jaggery
- Urduگڑ
- Hindiगुड़
- Banglaগুড়
Jaggery is cane juice or date palm sap boiled down and set into a block or paste. It tastes of caramel and molasses, and it is less sweet and less uniform than white sugar.
In our library it mostly goes into sweet fillings and syrups. Puran Poli cooks the lentils with jaggery on low heat, mashing constantly until the mix is thick and dry. Modak cooks grated coconut and jaggery together for about 8 minutes into a sticky filling. Chitoi Pitha is served with a date palm jaggery syrup.
Grate or chop the block so it melts evenly, and keep the heat low, because jaggery scorches and turns bitter faster than sugar. Brands differ in sweetness and moisture, so add part of it, taste, then adjust. In a pinch, brown sugar works for flavour, though the result is a little milder.