Palmyra Palm Jaggery, is a traditional sweetener obtained from the sap of palmyra palm trees. In Tamil Nadu, we call it as Karuppati or Panankarupatti, and when compared with white sugar this has too many health benefits. This has been used more than thousands of years as the only source of sugar but later after the incoming of white refined sugar, we all forgot this palm jaggery and its health benefits.
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About Palm Jaggery – Palm Jaggery is dark brown in color, which has a silky flavor, rich aroma and tastes delicious when compared with sugar. Palm jaggery is obtained from Palm Tree or Palmyra Tree. It is prepared form the sap or juice of palm tree.
My childhood love with Palm Jaggery – To be honest my family uses palm jaggery during the period of my great grandmother, but later after her it was sugar that entered our kitchen. My grandmother and mom use to prepare coffee with palm jaggery, when I was kid and I love it to the core. Even now I could feel the aroma, taste as I would grab a cup of coffee, sit in our garden, early morning feeling the fragrance of beautiful flowers and chirping of birds – missing my old golden days.
Later after sugar, I hate coffee and never consume coffee, instead I consume coffee from my neighbor’s house as they use palm jaggery.
Usage – Not only in coffee, we use it in most of the dishes like appam as Karuppati appam, idiyappam / Sting hoppers as Karuppati Idiyappam, Kolukattai / Rice flour Dumplings as karuppati kolukattai, laddu’s, peanut laddu that I love to the core, pori urundai, for kashayam (as a sweetener to medicinal syrups), kheer, many savories, snacks. Also, it can be powdered finely or coarsely and can be used as a side dish for idly, dosa, also it can be eaten as such. Last but not least it can be used as a substitute for molasses in baking.
The reason behind its disappearance from our kitchen was totally shocked when I heard from my mom, as sugar can be used as instant, whereas palm jaggery has impurities which needs to be cleaned.
Health benefits of Palm Jaggery / Karuppati – Jaggery is a cleaning agent, which cleans the unwanted particles form the body and relieves through constipation, helps in digestion after a heavy meal, helps in relieving from Migraine (my personal experience, I take Dry Ginger Coffee / Sukku Malli Kappi (black coffee with ginger, coriander and palm jaggery during migraine), rich source of iron, mixture of jaggery and dry ginger powder with warm water can stop hiccups, helps in reduction of bloating and so on.
Palm Jaggery Sryup / Karuppati Paagu
When there are more such health benefits, why don’t we move back to our Palm Jaggery? – I frequently use palm jaggery in most of dishes in dialy life, but I found it little expensive and difficult to get good quality one in the market. So, whenever I go to my hometown, I get 2 kgs of palm jaggery and prepare palm jaggery syrup with half the quantity and refrigerate in a glass bottle, that stays fresh for few months. In the form of syrup, palm jaggery can be used directly to the food no worry about impurities, I prefer this method.
Where to buy palm Jaggery? But now I got it through online shopping – EKGAON where they connect farmers all over India in a platform. I look for organic products wherever possible, so placed my order for Palm Jaggery and few more products in this site.
Review of EKGAON – I received the product before the delivery time, moreover when I opened the pack, I could get the wonderful aroma, and usually my grandmother use to say that organic palm jaggery needs more force to break into pieces – I found the perfect texture what she told, also the palm jaggery syrup was thick with perfect aroma, flavor and color. The price was very reasonable considering the quality. Also, I feel very comfortable ordering over Ekgaon, based on their delivery time, less time consumption in ordering, no hunting all over the city in search of organic products, also happy that I support farmers.
Let me share the recipe of PALM JAGGERY SYRUP / KARUPPATI PAAGU …
Ingredients:
- Crushed Palm Jaggery – 1 cup
- Water – ½ cup
Preparation:
- Boil the water, add the crushed palm jaggery once the water starts boiling.
- Stir until palm jaggery dissolves.
- Cook in medium flame for 15 mins or until the palm jaggery starts thickening.
- Remove from fire, once it starts thickening, else it would crystallize.
- Bring it to room temperature, strain the syrup through a thick strainer, to separate the impurities from the syrup.
- Transfer it to an air-tight container and refrigerate.
- Stays for few months.
Note: You can also flavor like dry ginger (sukku) / Dry ginger powder and cardamom or cardamom powder after the palm jaggery gets dissolved.
Here are some recipes with Palm Jaggery syrup, stay tuned more will be coming – Dry ginger Coffee / Sukku Malli Kaapi, Palm Jaggery Candy / Karuppati Mittai, Lemonade with Palm Jaggery, Palm jaggery rice buns / Karupatti Kulipaniyaram, Sesame laddu / Ellu Urundai, Peanut Laddu / Nilakadalai Laddu, Mini Jack Fruit Idly.
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